📬 The Promptologist Daily – Issue #3

Hey, you clever human —
Welcome back to The Promptologist Daily, where we treat boring AI responses the way Gordon Ramsay treats bland risotto — with righteous fury and better instructions.

If your last ChatGPT result made you question your life choices, or worse, made you shrug and say, “eh, good enough,” today’s issue is for you. The truth is, most disappointing AI output isn’t the tool’s fault. It’s the prompt. And the good news? That’s the part you control.

Let’s sharpen those inputs and start getting results that actually make you say, “Whoa, I made that?”

🧠 In today’s issue:

🛠 Prompt CPR: How to revive lifeless responses with one simple rewrite trick
Because "Write me a blog post" is the beige carpet of prompting. We’ll show you how to turn vague into vivid.

🎨 Visual Style Boost: The “Moodboard Prompt” for Midjourney
A step-by-step prompt formula for getting beautifully branded images without needing a design degree.

🧪 Prompt Lab: The 10-word fix that turned a dull AI response into something actually good
We’ll walk through a real prompt disaster and how we saved it from the recycling bin.

Let’s see what kind of prompt-powered mischief we can get into today.

🧠 Prompt of the Day

Fix My Prompt: Blog Edition

Let’s take a prompt we’ve all used at some point:

❌ “Write a blog post about self-care.”

Sure, it works. Technically. You’ll get something. But that something might read like it was ghostwritten by a sleepy intern trying to hit a word count. Here's how to make it sing:

✅ You’re a witty, no-fluff wellness writer. Write a blog post that helps busy moms create a realistic self-care routine using humor and practical tips. Make it sound like something they’d actually read on their lunch break.

Why this works:
This version tells the AI who it is, what to write, who it’s for, what the tone should be, and even when it will be read. That’s five layers of clarity wrapped into one prompt. You didn’t just feed the machine a topic — you gave it a mission.

If your prompts feel flat, don’t go searching for better tools. Just add specificity, tone, audience, and purpose. That’s where the magic lives.

🔬 Today’s Prompt Lab

Case Study: We Broke It, Then Fixed It

I asked ChatGPT to:

Write an email about a new product.

And boy, did it deliver… something.

Here’s what I got:

We’re excited to announce our new product. It’s designed to meet your needs. Try it today!

Or something to that effect. Ok, it was a little bit longer but was just as bland.

So thanks alot, I guess? Great job?

Here’s the fix:

You’re a friendly skincare expert writing to women 35 and older. Introduce our new “HydraGlow” serum, which uses natural ingredients like chamomile and hyaluronic acid to reduce fine lines and boost hydration. Make it feel like a spa day at home. End with a soft pitch for a limited-time 20% off.

The difference?

The second version gives the AI:

• A persona to write as

• A specific product to focus on

• A target audience

• Clear benefits

• A tone and feeling to channel

• A call to action with context

ChatGPT didn’t magically get smarter between those two versions. It just got better instructions.

🧰 Prompt Toolbox

The 5-Part Prompt Formula (Also Known As: How to Stop Getting Bland Robot Nonsense and Get the Output You Actually Wanted)

If ChatGPT has ever handed you something that felt like a beige spreadsheet wearing khakis, this is why.

Most people type in a request like they’re ordering takeout. “Write me a product description.” And then get mad when the result shows up cold, flavorless, and missing half the ingredients.

Good news? You’re five quick moves away from fixing all of that.

This is the formula I use every day. It’s not fancy. It’s just smart prompting.

🧠 1. Role – Who is speaking?

The AI needs a persona. A voice. A vibe. Without one, it defaults to “polite college essay” or “corporate HR manual” mode. In other words, consider AI to be a very literal, very eager intern. If you don’t tell it who to pretend to be, it will default to “generic Wikipedia narrator”, which is great for definitions, but terrible for anything people actually read.

“You’re a seasoned product copywriter for an upscale candle brand.”

Suddenly, it’s not just “ChatGPT writing copy.” Now it knows how to you want it to sound, what kind of words to use, and what kind of attitude to channel. You just gave it a personality.

📝 2. Task – What do you want it to do?

This is the part most people skip. They say “write something,” and then wonder why it came back with a weird novella or a lukewarm press release.

Be specific. Are you asking for a product description? A tweet? A bullet-point list? An Instagram caption with emojis and a call-to-action?

“Write a short product description for a new lavender and eucalyptus soy candle.”

Be clear. Be bossy.

🪴 3. Context – What’s the situation or background?

AI doesn’t know your backstory. It doesn’t know what else is launching, what season it is, or that this candle pairs perfectly with fuzzy socks and an overactive Pinterest board.

Context is what helps the AI understand the why behind the writing. Is this part of a bigger collection? Is it a new release?

“It’s part of our spring wellness collection.”

Now the output won’t just be about lavender. It’ll be about why lavender matters in this moment for this product.

🎯 4. Tone – How should it sound?

Here’s where most prompts go off the rails. You say “make it fun,” and ChatGPT gives you a knock-knock joke. You say “make it professional,” and it sounds like your boss’s annual report.

Instead, be specific.

Think about how it should feel to the reader. Is it calming? Bold? Playful? Minimal? Use adjectives and comparisons that the AI can actually apply.

“The tone should feel calm, cozy, and refreshing.”

Bonus tip: Compare it to a brand, publication, or mood. “Sound like a cozy Airbnb listing” works way better than “make it good.”

🧾 5. Output – What format should the response take?

Paragraph or bullet points? Word count? Do you want a headline too? Should it be formatted for Etsy? Instagram? A skywriting ad over a candle expo? If you don’t say, the AI will guess. And its guesses aren’t always great.

“Keep it under 75 words, in paragraph form.”

This tells the AI when to stop and what shape the output should take. It’s the final piece that turns “pretty close” into “nailed it.” Otherwise, it’ll keep typing like it’s paid by the syllable.

✅ Full prompt:

“You’re a seasoned product copywriter for an upscale candle brand. Write a short product description for a new lavender and eucalyptus soy candle. It’s part of our spring wellness collection. The tone should feel calm, cozy, and refreshing. Keep it under 75 words in paragraph form.”

Why this works:

Because you're giving the AI five puzzle pieces instead of one and hoping it can guess the rest. You're telling it how to think, what to do, why it matters, how it should sound, and what shape to hand it back in.

That’s not overkill. That’s clarity. And clarity gets results.

Next time your prompt flops, run it through these five parts.

The difference? Night and day. Beige and brilliant. "This is fine" and "holy crap, I’m saving this one."

Stick this in your prompt vault. You’ll use it forever.

🎨 Visual Prompt Magic

✅ Visual Prompt:

The 5-Part Prompt Formula works for visual prompting as well. It make it way easier to guide the AI’s aesthetic without needing any fancy design terms:

For example:

Role: You’re a branding specialist creating moodboards.
Task: Generate a collage-style image prompt for Midjourney.
Context: You’re planning visuals for a fall-themed Etsy collection.
Tone: Warm, nostalgic, and handmade.
Output: A Midjourney prompt that produces a cohesive visual aesthetic.

✅ Visual Prompt:

Now, try this formula to guide the AI’s aesthetic without needing fancy design terms:

Prompt:

“Create a collage-style image that captures the aesthetic of a cozy fall cabin in the woods. Include elements like warm blankets, wood textures, vintage books, and soft natural lighting. The vibe should feel quiet, warm, and nostalgic. Add handwritten labels and use muted earth tones with a slight film grain effect.”

Why it works:
You’re not just saying what to show. You’re telling the AI how it should feel, what style to aim for, and even what kind of light and color palette to use.

This works great for:

• Product packaging concepts

• Instagram moodboards

• Etsy listing mockups

• Brand planning for visual consistency

Save this structure somewhere. It’s a visual prompt cheat code.

🤖 What the AI?!

I never knew ChatGPT was such a romantic at heart…

Prompt:

“write a love letter from pepperoni to a pizza”

And ChatGPT gave us:

Honestly? Beautiful. I’m not crying. You’re crying. And also, now I want pizza.

📬 Prompt Mailbag - Ask The Promptologist

Q: Why does ChatGPT keep ignoring my tone?

Great question. If you're only saying "make it fun," you're skipping too many parts of the formula.

Try this instead:

You’re a social media strategist writing Instagram captions for a playful and cheeky skincare brand. Keep the tone casual, fun, and light. Use puns and emojis, but still explain the product clearly. The context is a launch post for a new face mist called “Spritz Me Baby.”

Now ChatGPT isn’t guessing. It’s performing.

📬 Before You Go
Know someone who still treats ChatGPT like a magical intern that understands vague vibes and half-finished thoughts? Forward them this issue. Let them discover the power of five clear pieces: role, task, context, tone, and output.

Coming up next
How to Make AI Sound Like You — Because nobody wants to read corporate oatmeal.

Until next time,
🧠 The Promptologist