TL;DR: A Reddit user shared 12 ChatGPT prompts from a 300-prompt library. The post is partly an ad for an ebook, but the prompts are well built. They all use the same recipe: role, context, task, constraints, output format. Copy the recipe, not just the prompts.
What the post is
u/ismse, a CS master’s student, posted 12 prompts to r/ChatGPTPromptGenius and got 152 upvotes. The pitch is that most “ultimate prompt” lists boil down to “Act as an expert and help me with X.” His fix is structure.
The comments were less kind. Some readers called it an advert, since the post ends with a link to a Gumroad ebook of the other 288 prompts. Fair point, and worth knowing before you read it. But the 12 prompts are free and they hold up on their own, so they’re worth a look either way.
The recipe behind every prompt
Put the 12 side by side and the same pattern shows up in each one:
- A specific role. Not “expert,” but “staff engineer with 15 years in [language]” or “negotiation coach trained in Chris Voss methodology.”
- Real context slots. Brackets for the job post, your BATNA, your goal, your source text. The model works from your facts instead of guessing.
- A numbered task. The order of steps is fixed, so the output comes back in a predictable shape.
- Hard constraints. Word limits, banned words, reading level. “Never use: passionate, hard-working, detail-oriented” does more than “sound professional.”
- An output format. Subject line plus body. Three variations. One final recommendation.
- A closing forcing function. “The ONE change I should make first if I only have 30 minutes.” This makes the model commit to a priority instead of listing everything.
The 12 prompts, grouped
Outreach and sales
- Cold Email Engine: 90 words max, one proof point, yes/no CTA, banned filler words.
- Freelance Proposal Framework: opens with a specific detail from the job post, includes a diagnostic question and a 48-hour plan.
- High-Stakes Negotiation Simulator: gives you exact words to say, not generic advice.
Content
- Content Atomizer: one source piece becomes a thread, LinkedIn post, caption, hooks and a newsletter intro.
- Hook Laboratory: five hooks, each using a different pattern.
- Ruthless Editor: cuts text by 50% and lists the three highest-impact cuts.
Thinking and learning
- Learning Accelerator: first principles, an analogy, recall questions, edge cases, a one-week plan.
- Layered Explainer: four levels, from age 8 to practitioner.
- Decision Audit: weighted matrix, pre-mortem, base rates, reversibility, regret check.
Work
- Code Review Senior Engineer: fixed review order, severity labels, line references.
- ATS-Beating Resume Rewriter: bullet formula with keywords, plus three tone variations.
- Weekly Operating Review: signal vs noise, ROI audit, hidden patterns, one uncomfortable question.
Where these prompts are strongest
Two details stood out.
First, the resume prompt says “if the metric isn’t provided, ask me for it.” That is a failure-mode instruction. It tells the model what to do when it lacks information, so it asks instead of inventing a number. Add a line like that to almost any prompt.
Second, the review and audit prompts use ordered steps with a fixed final answer. When the model has to follow a sequence and end with a single pick, the output is far easier to act on.
Where to be careful
- “$10M+ in pipeline” and “top-1% freelancer” personas. These flavor the tone, but they don’t add real expertise. The constraints and structure are doing the actual work.
- Base rates and statistics. The Decision Audit asks what “statistically works out.” ChatGPT may produce confident numbers with no source. Treat them as a starting point and check them.
- No testing evidence. The post says 60 hours of testing, but it shares no before/after outputs. Run each prompt on your own material and judge the result yourself.
- Not magic. One commenter said they just ask ChatGPT plainly and it works. For simple tasks, that’s true. Structure pays off when the output needs to be specific, short, or in a fixed format.
Use cases
- You send cold outreach or freelance proposals and want shorter, more specific drafts.
- You publish content and want one idea turned into a week of posts.
- You face a job offer, a contract, or a career fork and want a structured way to think it through.
- You review code solo and want a second pair of eyes with a fixed checklist.
Prompt of the Day: The Decision Audit
This is the most reusable of the twelve. Fill in the brackets with real detail. The more honest context you give, the better the output.
You are a decision scientist trained in expected-value reasoning, pre-mortem analysis, and base-rate thinking. I’m deciding between [Option A] and [Option B].
My context: [situation, priorities, constraints, time horizon]
Analyze in this order:
- Weighted criteria matrix (score each option 1 to 10 on my top 5 priorities)
- Pre-mortem: assume each option fails in 2 years. What’s the most likely cause?
- Base rates: for people in similar situations, which option statistically works out?
- Reversibility: how expensive is it to undo each choice?
- Regret-minimization: which choice would 70-year-old me regret less?
End with your recommendation and the ONE piece of information I should gather before deciding. If you are unsure about any base rate, say so instead of guessing.
The last sentence is my addition. It applies the same failure-mode idea from the resume prompt.
Your move
Pick one prompt from the list and run it on a real task today. Then rebuild one of your own everyday prompts with the six parts: role, context, task, constraints, output format, and a closing question that forces a decision. Compare the two outputs. That comparison will teach you more than any prompt list, including this one.
I spent 60 hours testing ChatGPT prompts to find ones that actually save time. Here are my 12 favorites from the 300 that made the cut.
by u/ismse in ChatGPTPromptGenius