You know that awkward pause when the cursor’s blinking and your brain just… stalls? Been there. When you’re pressed for time, the last thing you want is to wrestle with crafting the perfect ChatGPT prompt.
That’s why I was pumped to find a super practical post from a LinkedIn creator who pulled together 30 prompt templates that remove the guesswork. The original poster did the heavy lifting, and I’m here to break down the highlights so you can get value fast, and then go read their full post for the complete set.
What I found (and why I’m excited)
- The contributor didn’t just share ideas, they delivered plug-and-play templates.
- The author focused on clarity and speed: short, reusable formulas that work across tasks.
- I think this is a genuine time-saver, especially if you’re new to prompting or you want consistent results without tinkering for 20 minutes.
Top templates the expert shared (that you can copy right now)
I love these four because they cover 80% of everyday needs: learning, doing, deciding, and simplifying. These exact lines come from the post’s author:
📌 The Detailed Instruction Template:
“Give me detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to [perform a task].”
💡 The Role Play Specialist Template:
“Act as a [role/expert]. Help me with [problem/situation].”
✅ The Explain Like I’m Five (ELI5) Template:
“Explain [concept] to me as if I were five years old.”
🚀 The Pros and Cons List Template:
“List the pros and cons of [topic/decision/technology].”
Why these work so well
- They force clarity. Each template sets a clear objective and structure.
- They reduce friction. You can paste, fill the brackets, and go.
- They scale. Whether you’re writing, coding, planning, or learning, these formats adapt easily.
Quick start: How to get A+ outputs with these templates
- Define the outcome: What does “good” look like? A checklist, a email draft, a lesson plan?
- Fill the brackets with specifics: Replace [perform a task] with exact tasks like “set up a password manager on iOS.”
- Add context: Mention your audience, tools, limits, and timeframe.
- Request a format: Ask for bullets, a numbered guide, or a table.
- Iterate once: If the first output’s close but not perfect, refine with, “Now make it shorter, and add an example.”
Real-world examples you can steal today
- Using the Detailed Instruction template: “Give me detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to [migrate a Notion database into Airtable].”
- Using the Role Play template: “Act as a [career coach]. Help me with [preparing STAR-format answers for a data analyst interview].”
- Using ELI5: “Explain [vector databases] to me as if I were five years old.” Then follow up with, “Now explain it for a CEO.”
- Using Pros and Cons: “List the pros and cons of [moving from Firebase to Supabase].”
Use cases across roles
- Students and learners: Turn dense topics into friendly lessons with ELI5, then ask for a quiz.
- Operators and managers: Get repeatable SOPs with the Detailed Instruction template.
- Marketers and creators: Role-play as a “brand strategist,” then ask for audience insights.
- PMs and founders: Use Pros and Cons to compare tools and gather trade-offs fast.
- Engineers and analysts: Ask a “DevOps engineer” or “data scientist” to review your approach before you implement.
Tips & tricks to level this up
- Add constraints: “Keep it under 200 words.” “Use bullet points.” “Include links if relevant.”
- Specify audience and tone: “For non-technical stakeholders, friendly tone.”
- Ask for examples: “Include two real-world examples.”
- Request structure: “Return a checklist with checkboxes I can copy.”
- Iterate intentionally: “Regenerate, but make step 3 more detailed and add a troubleshooting section.”
My quick breakdown of each featured template
- Detailed Instruction: Ideal for SOPs, onboarding, tutorials, and stepwise workflows. Pro move: request “prerequisites,” “pitfalls,” and “time estimates” per step.
- Role Play Specialist: This is gold when you don’t know what you don’t know. By setting a role, you get domain-specific heuristics. Add constraints like, “Use beginner-friendly language and avoid acronyms unless defined.”
- ELI5: Perfect for concept comprehension. Follow up with: “Now create an analogy,” and “Now produce a one-paragraph executive summary.”
- Pros and Cons: Great for quick due diligence. Ask for a closing recommendation with confidence levels and assumptions.
Prompt makeovers (how to add context)
- Replace placeholders with specific nouns: Instead of “[perform a task],” use “launch a product feedback survey with Google Forms.”
- Include your constraints and environment: “I’m on Mac, using Chrome, and I only have 30 minutes.”
- Define success: “Success = a 7-step checklist I can share with my intern.”
What makes this post worth your time
The mind behind it didn’t just toss out random prompt ideas. This LinkedIn creator packaged a practical, repeatable system. The one who posted it clearly understands that most of us need just-in-time clarity, not a textbook. I was impressed by how the expert’s templates give you a quick on-ramp to better outputs with minimal effort.
Bonus variations you can try
- For Detailed Instruction: “Include common pitfalls and how to fix them.”
- For Role Play: “Act as a [UX researcher]. Help me with [synthesizing 10 interview notes into 5 insights].”
- For ELI5: “Explain [Kubernetes] to me as if I were five years old,” then “Now give me the 30-second elevator pitch for a CTO.”
- For Pros and Cons: “List the pros and cons of [outsourcing vs. hiring in-house], then suggest a decision framework.”
Save-worthy checklist to reuse these daily
- Paste the template.
- Fill the brackets precisely.
- Add audience, tone, format, and constraints.
- Ask for examples or a sample draft.
- Iterate once with a targeted tweak.
Why I think this matters
There’s a lot of noise about “magic prompts.” What the post’s author shared isn’t hype, it’s a compact toolbox. If you’re aiming for faster, clearer, more reliable outputs, these four alone will move the needle. And remember: the full post includes an infographic with all 30 templates, which is where the real treasure lives.
Call to action
If this quick breakdown helped, don’t stop here. Go read the original LinkedIn post from the creator for the full infographic and the complete set of 30 templates. That’s the source from the expert, and it’s packed with the details you’ll want to bookmark and reuse.