How to Talk to ChatGPT: My Secret 3-Step “P.I.E.” Formula for Perfect Results Every Time 🥧

Maybe you tried to figure out how to talk to ChatGPT by asking it a simple joke, and it gave you one that was so lame, you could hear the crickets chirping. 😞

Maybe you asked it to write an Instagram post for your business, and it spat out something that sounded like it was written by a bored, caffeine-deprived robot.

Or maybe, you asked it a complex question, and it replied with the dreaded, “As a large language model, I cannot…”

And you thought, “Ugh! This thing is useless. I could do a better job myself.”

If this sounds familiar, I want to let you in on a little secret: The problem isn’t ChatGPT.

Think about it like this… Imagine you own a magical Genie who can grant your every wish. But you don’t know how to talk to him. You say, “Genie, get me something nice to eat,” and he brings you an apple, when what you really wanted was a pizza. Is it the Genie’s fault, or yours?

ChatGPT is exactly like that magical Genie. It’s incredibly powerful, but it can’t read your mind. It can only work with what you give it.

And most people have no idea how to ‘ask’ an AI for what they want.

This art is called ‘Prompt Engineering.’ But wait, don’t let that heavy-sounding term scare you off.
Today, I’m going to give you my personal, never-shared-before, 3-step secret formula. I call it the “P.I.E. Formula.” 🥧

Why? Because it’s as easy as pie, and the results are just as sweet.
After learning this formula, you’ll stop getting boring answers from ChatGPT and start generating results that will wow your friends, your colleagues, and your boss.

🤔 Quick Brain Teaser: Do you still believe some of the common myths about AI? Before learning this formula, it’s crucial to clear out those misconceptions. Read our myth-busting guide: The 5 Biggest Myths About AI That Are Making You Look Dumb (And the Real Truth).

The Biggest Mistake: Why Your Prompts Are Failing

Before we dive into the P.I.E. formula, we need to understand where 99% of people go wrong.

Most people treat ChatGPT like a ‘Google Search’. They just throw a one or two-word question at it:

• “blog ideas”
• “write marketing email”
• “how to lose weight”

That’s like telling the Genie, “Make me rich.” The Genie will be confused! How rich? How? By when?

ChatGPT needs context. It needs to know who it is, who you are, and why you’re asking it to do this task. Without context, it will always give you a generic, boring, and mostly useless answer.

So, let’s fix that mistake right now.

The “P.I.E.” Formula: Your Secret Weapon for Talking to AI

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So, How to Talk to ChatGPT The Right Way?

This formula is made of three parts: Persona, Instruction, and Example. P.I.E. 🥧

Let’s break down each part with a real-life example. Imagine we want to write an Instagram post for our new coffee shop, “The Daily Grind.”

P = Persona (The Role – Tell the AI Who It Is)

This is the most crucial and most overlooked step. You need to assign a ‘role’ or ‘persona’ to ChatGPT.

• The Wrong Way (No Persona): “Write an Instagram post for a coffee shop.” (So boring!)
• The Right Way (With Persona): “Act as an expert social media marketer and a witty copywriter who specializes in writing for lifestyle brands. Your tone should be fun, friendly, and slightly humorous.”

See what happened? ChatGPT is no longer a generic robot. It’s now an expert marketer who knows how to use fun and engaging language. You’ve just given it a superpower.

I = Instruction (The Task – Tell the AI What to Do)

This part is straightforward. Here, you tell it what the actual task is. The more clear and detailed, the better.

• The Wrong Way (Vague Instruction): “Write an Instagram post.” (About what? How long?)
• The Right Way (Detailed Instruction): “Your task is to write a short and engaging Instagram post. The goal is to announce our new ‘Monsoon Mocha’ coffee. Mention that it’s a limited-time offer. The post should be under 50 words. Also, suggest 3-4 relevant hashtags.”

Now the AI knows exactly what to do, why to do it, and what its limitations are.

E = Example (The Guide – Show the AI What You Like)

This is an optional but extremely powerful step. If you have an example of a style you like, show it to the AI.

• The Right Way (With an Example): “Here is an example of a style I like: ‘Rainy days call for cozy sweaters and a hot cup of joe! ☕ Come try our new seasonal blend.’ I like this style because it’s casual and uses emojis.”

When you give it an example, you paint a picture in its mind. It’s now 10 times easier for it to mimic your desired style.

Let’s Put It All Together! The Final, Magical Prompt

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Now let’s combine all three parts (P.I.E.) and see what our final prompt looks like:

“Act as an expert social media marketer and a witty copywriter who specializes in writing for lifestyle brands. Your tone should be fun, friendly, and slightly humorous.

Your task is to write a short and engaging Instagram post (under 50 words) for my coffee shop, ‘The Daily Grind’. The goal is to announce our new limited-time ‘Monsoon Mocha’ coffee. Also, suggest 3-4 relevant hashtags.

Here is an example of a style I like: ‘Rainy days call for cozy sweaters and a hot cup of joe! ☕’ I like this style because it’s casual and uses emojis.”

Now, when you give this prompt to ChatGPT, the result you get will be night-and-day different from your old, boring results.

Your Next Move

Congratulations! 🥳 You have now joined the 1% of people who don’t just ‘talk’ to AI, but know how to ‘command’ it.

This ‘P.I.E.’ formula doesn’t just work for ChatGPT. It works for Midjourney, Claude, Gemini… every AI tool. It’s a universal key.

Now that you have this superpower, where will you use it first?

Perhaps to create a stunning presentation that wows your boss? Or maybe to generate a month’s worth of social media content for your business?

For your next step, here are two paths:

• If you’re a professional: ➡️ Read: Create a Stunning Presentation in 2 Minutes Using AI (And Make Your Boss Your Fan)
• If you’re a business owner: ➡️ Read: How to Write a Month’s Worth of Social Media Content in 60 Minutes Using ChatGPT

The Genie is in your hands. What will you wish for?

Over to You!

Now that you know how to talk to ChatGPT using the P.I.E. formula, what’s the first thing you tried to create? Share your experience in the comments below! Do you have a prompting tip that works for you every time?