How to start using ChatGPT from scratch

No magic formulas: how to ask ChatGPT for something in four sentences, what not to paste into the chat and how to check what it gives you back.

Text drafted with artificial intelligence. The topic, the angle and the final review are Ibrahin's. How AI is used here

What has happened

Lists of “perfect prompts” and formulas like “act as the world's best expert” are everywhere. The word “prompt” just means the request you type. And OpenAI's official guidance doesn't talk about formulas: it recommends being clear and specific and improving the request step by step, without promising that a well-written request removes the need to check.

Why it matters to you

Because ChatGPT writes with great confidence even when it's wrong. Sounding right is a sign of good writing, not proof that it's true. And because, in a hurry, it's easy to paste things into the chat you shouldn't: names, phone numbers or other people's documents.

What you can do

1. Start with a small task you can check

No contracts, medical decisions or confidential documents for the first try. Better something you can check in a few minutes:

organising the ideas in an email;
turning notes into a to-do list;
summarising a public text;
preparing questions for a conversation.

2. Write the request in four sentences

“I want to achieve…”
“The important context is…”
“I need the answer as…” (a list, a table, a short text)
“Before you finish, check…”

An example: “I want to prepare an outline to explain a digital tool to someone who isn't technical. They need to get a specific task done and are short of time. Give me about 500 words with numbered steps and a clear warning about the limits. Flag any fact you can't check instead of making it up.” No jargon, and it already states the goal, reader, length, structure and when to trust it.

3. Give context, not the whole file

If you paste ten pages when two paragraphs will do, what matters gets lost in the noise. Before copying anything, ask yourself:

Is it needed to solve the task?
Does it contain names, phone numbers, addresses or ID numbers?
Does it include someone else’s information they haven’t allowed me to share?
Can I replace the name with “client A” and the figure with “amount X”?

4. Ask for an answer you can check

“Separate facts, decisions and doubts.”
“Mark anything you can’t confirm with [TO CHECK].”
“Don’t make up names, prices, dates or results.”
“Explain what you’re assuming.”

5. Work in short rounds

Ask for an outline.
Remove or fix what doesn’t fit.
Ask it to expand only the useful part.
Check facts, tone and length.
Prepare the final version outside the chat.

That way an early mistake doesn’t spread through the whole text.

6. Check what matters

Dates and figures, names of features and terms of services, links and sources, anything that could cost you money and anything about security, health or legal matters. For those, the original source wins, not how confident the answer sounds. And the final decision is still yours.

7. Review the data controls

Before using personal material, look at your account's data controls. In a personal ChatGPT account you can turn off “Improve the model for everyone”. Temporary chats work differently: OpenAI says they're deleted from its systems after 30 days, with the security exceptions described in its documentation.

The recommendation

Start today with a task you already know well. Write the result you want in one sentence, add only the essential context and ask for an output that's easy to check. Then check the important claims one by one. ChatGPT saves you preparation work; it doesn't save you the control.

Sources checked

Best practices for prompt engineering in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, checked on 2026-09-02.
ChatGPT data controls, OpenAI Help Center, checked on 2026-09-02.

Review

Responsible for publication: Ibrahin. Date: 2026-09-02. Last checked: 2026-09-02.