AI Prompting Cheat Sheet: Master ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity & Grok in 2025

December 25, 2025

#AI Prompting #ChatGPT #Claude #Gemini #Perplexity #Grok #Prompt Engineering #LLM #Productivity

AI Prompting Cheat Sheet: Master ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity & Grok in 2025

Quick Reference Card

Platform	Best For	Key Strength	Avoid
ChatGPT	Writing, coding, brainstorming	Conversational flow, role-playing	Vague instructions
Claude	Complex reasoning, long documents	Nuanced analysis, safety-aware	Over-prompting (it's smart)
Gemini	Google ecosystem, multimodal	Large context (1M+ tokens), real-time	Verbose prompts
Perplexity	Research, fact-checking	Cited sources, live web data	Few-shot examples
Grok	Real-time trends, social context	X/Twitter integration, speed	Assuming it always has live data

Universal Prompting Principles

Before diving into platform-specific techniques, these rules work everywhere:

The CRISPE Framework

C - Capacity: Define the AI's role
R - Request: State what you want
I - Input: Provide necessary data
S - Style: Specify tone/format
P - Parameters: Set constraints
E - Examples: Show desired output

The 3C Rule

Clear - Say exactly what you want
Contextual - Provide relevant background
Constrained - Set boundaries on output

ChatGPT Prompting

What Makes ChatGPT Different

ChatGPT excels at conversational tasks, creative writing, and adapting to different personas. It handles multi-turn conversations well and responds to "act as" prompts effectively.

Essential Techniques

1. Role Assignment

Act as a senior DevOps engineer with 10 years of experience in Kubernetes. Review this deployment configuration and identify potential security issues and performance bottlenecks.

Then paste your configuration after this instruction.

2. Structured Output with XML Tags

Use XML-style tags to organize your request:

TASK: Write a product description for an e-commerce site
PRODUCT: Wireless noise-canceling headphones, 40hr battery, Bluetooth 5.3, foldable design
REQUIREMENTS:
- 150 words max
- Include 3 bullet points for key features
- End with a call-to-action
- Tone: professional but approachable

3. Chain of Thought

Tell ChatGPT to think step by step:

I need to decide between PostgreSQL and MongoDB for a new project. Think through this step by step:

First, consider the data structure requirements
Then, evaluate scalability needs
Analyze query patterns
Consider team expertise
Give your final recommendation with reasoning

Context: Social media app, expecting 100K users in year one, heavy read operations, user-generated content with comments and likes.

Real-World Prompt Templates

Code Review

Review this [language] code for:

Security vulnerabilities
Performance issues
Code style violations
Potential bugs

Format your response as:

Critical Issues (section)
Warnings (section)
Suggestions (section)

Then paste your code.

Email Writing

Write a professional email with these parameters:

Purpose: follow up on job interview
Recipient: hiring manager
Tone: confident but not pushy
Key points to include: thank them, reiterate interest, ask about timeline
Length: 3-4 paragraphs

Data Analysis

Analyze this dataset and provide:

Summary statistics
Key patterns or anomalies
Actionable insights
Visualization recommendations

Present findings in a format suitable for a non-technical stakeholder meeting.

Then paste your data or describe the dataset.

ChatGPT-Specific Tips

Do	Don't
Use "act as" for persona adoption	Leave format ambiguous
Provide examples of desired output	Ask multiple unrelated questions
Iterate and refine in conversation	Restart for every refinement
Use Custom Instructions for recurring needs	Forget to leverage memory features

Claude excels at nuanced reasoning, handling long documents (200K+ tokens), and providing thoughtful, safety-conscious responses. Modern Claude models (4.x) are trained for precise instruction following—less prompting is often more.

Essential Techniques

1. Direct Instructions (Less is More)

Summarize this legal contract focusing on:

Payment terms
Termination clauses
Liability limitations

Use plain language a non-lawyer can understand.

Then paste the contract.

2. Explain Your Reasoning

Claude responds well when you explain why you need something:

I'm preparing for a technical interview at a FAANG company. I need to practice explaining complex concepts simply because interviewers test communication skills alongside technical knowledge.

Explain how a hash table works as if I'm explaining it to an interviewer. Include time complexity and real-world use cases.

3. Structured Analysis

Analyze this business proposal using the following framework:

Strengths (section)
Weaknesses (section)
Opportunities (section)
Threats (section)
Recommendation (section)

Be direct. If something is a bad idea, say so clearly.

Then paste the proposal.

Real-World Prompt Templates

Long Document Processing

I'm uploading a 50-page technical specification document.

Tasks:

Create a 1-page executive summary
Extract all API endpoints mentioned
List any undefined terms or ambiguities
Identify potential implementation challenges

Start with the executive summary, then proceed section by section.

Then paste or upload the document.

Code Generation

Write a Python function that:

Validates email addresses using regex
Handles edge cases (empty string, None, whitespace)
Returns a tuple: (is_valid: bool, error_message: str | None)
Includes docstring and type hints
Add 5 unit tests using pytest

Follow PEP 8 conventions.

Comparative Analysis

Compare React, Vue, and Svelte for a new enterprise dashboard project.

Evaluation criteria:

Learning curve for a team of 5 mid-level developers
Performance for data-heavy real-time updates
Ecosystem maturity and long-term support
TypeScript integration

Present as a decision matrix with scores 1-5 and brief justifications.

Claude-Specific Tips

Do	Don't
Be explicit about what you want	Over-engineer prompts with excessive structure
Explain the "why" behind requests	Use heavy role-playing (less necessary now)
Use Claude for complex reasoning tasks	Expect it to have real-time web access
Leverage its long context for document analysis	Break up content that fits in one message

Gemini Prompting

What Makes Gemini Different

Gemini integrates deeply with Google Workspace, handles massive context windows (1M+ tokens), and excels at multimodal tasks. Gemini 3 (November 2025) favors directness—elaborate prompts are now unnecessary.

Essential Techniques

1. Direct and Concise

Summarize the key points from this 200-page PDF. Focus on financial projections and risk factors. Output as bullet points, max 20 items.

Then upload the PDF.

2. Multimodal Prompts

Attach an image of a whiteboard diagram, then write:

Convert this whiteboard diagram into:

A clean Mermaid flowchart
A written description of the process
Suggested improvements for clarity

3. Google Workspace Integration

Review my last 10 emails in this Gmail thread and:

Summarize the key decisions made
List action items with owners
Draft a follow-up email to send to the team

Real-World Prompt Templates

Meeting Notes Processing

Here's a recording transcript from our planning meeting.

Generate:

Meeting summary (3-5 sentences)
Key decisions made
Action items table with columns: Task, Owner, Deadline
Open questions for next meeting

Then paste the transcript.

Code Explanation

Explain this codebase structure. I'm a new developer joining the project.

Focus on:

Entry points
Data flow
Key dependencies
Where to start making changes

Then paste the file tree and key files.

Research Synthesis

I'm attaching 5 research papers on transformer architectures.

Create a comparative analysis covering:

Key innovations in each paper
Performance benchmarks
Limitations acknowledged by authors
How each builds on previous work

Format as an academic literature review section.

Then upload the PDFs.

Gemini-Specific Tips

Do	Don't
Use for multimodal tasks (images, docs, video)	Write verbose, persuasive prompts
Leverage Google Workspace integration	Ignore its real-time data capabilities
Be concise—Gemini 3 needs less handholding	Provide anti-patterns (show what TO do instead)
Use for large document processing	Forget to specify output format

Perplexity Prompting

What Makes Perplexity Different

Perplexity is a search engine with AI synthesis, not a chatbot. It retrieves sources before answering and provides citations. Traditional LLM prompting techniques often backfire here.

Essential Techniques

1. Specific Search Queries

What are the three most significant commercial applications of generative AI in healthcare announced in the past 6 months?

Include company names, specific products, and cite sources.

2. Research-Focused Prompts

Find peer-reviewed studies from 2024-2025 on the effectiveness of spaced repetition in language learning.

Focus on studies with sample sizes over 100 participants. Summarize methodology and key findings for each.

3. Competitive Analysis

Compare the pricing and features of the top 5 cloud Kubernetes management platforms as of December 2025.

Include: pricing tiers, key differentiators, enterprise features, and recent product announcements.

Format as a comparison table with sources.

Real-World Prompt Templates

Market Research

What is the current market size and growth projection for the AI code assistant market through 2028?

Include:

Market size figures with sources
Key players and their market share
Recent funding rounds in this space
Growth drivers and potential barriers

Technical Documentation Lookup

What's the correct syntax for implementing middleware in Next.js 14 App Router?

Include:

Official documentation references
Common use cases
Any breaking changes from Next.js 13

Fact Verification

Verify these claims about PostgreSQL vs MySQL performance:

PostgreSQL handles complex queries better
MySQL is faster for simple read operations
PostgreSQL has better JSON support

Cite benchmark studies and official documentation.

Focus Modes to Use

Mode	When to Use
Web (default)	General research, current events
Academic	Peer-reviewed sources, scientific data
Writing	Pure generation without web search
YouTube	Video content research
Reddit	Community opinions, troubleshooting
Wolfram	Mathematical and computational queries

Perplexity-Specific Tips

Do	Don't
Add time constraints ("past 6 months")	Use few-shot examples (confuses search)
Request specific sources	Ask "act as" role-playing prompts
Use Deep Research for comprehensive topics	Ask multiple unrelated questions
Have conversational follow-ups	Expect creative generation
Specify output format	Assume it knows your context

Grok Prompting

What Makes Grok Different

Grok integrates with X (Twitter) for real-time information, has a more casual/witty personality, and includes DeepSearch for current data. It's fast but requires explicit requests for live information.

Essential Techniques

1. DeepSearch for Real-Time Data

Use DeepSearch to find: What are the top trending topics on X right now related to AI regulation?

Summarize the main viewpoints and notable accounts discussing this.

2. Structured Output Control

Analyze the sentiment around [Company Name] on X over the past week.

Structure your response as:

Confirmed Facts (from verified sources)
General Sentiment (positive/negative/neutral with %)
Speculative Patterns (trends that may not be conclusive)
Key Influential Posts

3. Conversational Context

I'm building a SaaS product for freelance developers.

Context:

Target: solo developers making $50-150K/year
Problem: invoicing and contract management
Competition: Bonsai, HoneyBook, HelloSign

Based on current X conversations about freelance tools, what pain points are people actively complaining about that my product could address?

Real-World Prompt Templates

Trend Analysis

What programming languages and frameworks are developers on X most excited about this month?

Use DeepSearch. Focus on:

Emerging technologies getting buzz
Technologies losing favor
Specific features people are praising or criticizing

Include example posts where relevant.

Content Ideation

I write a tech newsletter. Based on what's trending on X in the developer community, suggest 5 article topics that would resonate this week.

For each topic:

Why it's timely
Angle to take
3 key points to cover

Competitive Intelligence

What are people saying on X about [Competitor Product] in the past 30 days?

Organize findings:

Common complaints
Praised features
Feature requests
Comparisons to alternatives

Grok-Specific Tips

Do	Don't
Explicitly request DeepSearch for current data	Assume it always has live access
Provide detailed context upfront	Be vague (may get humorous/off-topic responses)
Use for real-time social sentiment	Rely on it for academic research
Reset conversations for new topics	Mix unrelated contexts
Ask it to separate facts from speculation	Take everything as verified truth

Cross-Platform Workflow

Use multiple AIs strategically for maximum effectiveness:

1. RESEARCH PHASE → Use Perplexity to gather facts, citations, and current data

2. ANALYSIS PHASE → Use Claude for deep reasoning, document analysis, and complex logic

3. CREATION PHASE → Use ChatGPT to draft content, creative writing, and iteration

4. INTEGRATION PHASE → Use Gemini for Google Workspace integration and multimodal tasks

5. REAL-TIME VALIDATION → Use Grok for social sentiment and trending verification

Example: Writing a Technical Blog Post

Step 1 - Perplexity: Find the latest benchmarks and announcements about [technology] from the past 3 months. Include sources.

Step 2 - Claude: Based on this research (paste it), create an outline for a technical blog post. Identify which points need deeper explanation for a mid-level developer audience.

Step 3 - ChatGPT: Write the full blog post following this outline. Tone: authoritative but accessible. Include code examples.

Step 4 - Grok: What are developers on X saying about [technology]? Any controversies or hot takes I should address?

Step 5 - Gemini: Proofread this post, check technical accuracy, suggest a featured image description.

Common Prompting Patterns

The Mega-Prompt Structure

When writing complex prompts, use this structure:

CONTEXT: Background information, who you are, what you're working on

TASK: Specific thing you want done

REQUIREMENTS:

Requirement 1
Requirement 2
Requirement 3

CONSTRAINTS:

What to avoid
Limits on length, format, etc.

OUTPUT FORMAT: Exactly how you want the response structured

EXAMPLES (optional): Show what good output looks like

Build up your request in rounds:

Round 1: Write a function that does X
Round 2: Add error handling for edge cases Y and Z
Round 3: Optimize for performance, current complexity is O(n²)
Round 4: Add comprehensive docstring and type hints

The Critique Pattern

Here's my [code/writing/plan].

I want you to:

First, acknowledge what's working well
Identify the top 3 issues (ranked by importance)
Suggest specific fixes for each issue
Rate the overall quality on a 1-10 scale

Be direct and critical. I want honest feedback, not encouragement.

Quick Copy-Paste Templates

Code Debug

This [language] code throws [error].

Expected behavior: what should happen
Actual behavior: what happens instead

Find the bug, explain why it happens, and provide the fix.

Then paste your code.

Explain Like I'm Five

Explain [complex concept] in simple terms.

Use analogies from everyday life
No jargon or technical terms
Max 3 paragraphs

Refactor Request

Refactor this code for:

Readability
Performance
Maintainability
Testing

Keep the same functionality. Explain each change.

Then paste your code.

Writing Improvement

Improve this text for [audience].

Goals:

Clearer structure
More engaging opening
Stronger call-to-action

Keep the core message. Track all changes made.

Then paste your text.

Decision Matrix

Help me decide between [Option A] and [Option B].

My priorities (ranked):

Most important factor
Second most important
Third most important

Create a weighted decision matrix and give a recommendation.

Platform Selection Cheat Sheet

Task	Best Platform	Why
Write a blog post	ChatGPT	Creative flow, iteration
Analyze a 100-page document	Claude	Long context, reasoning
Find current statistics	Perplexity	Citations, live search
Process Google Docs/Sheets	Gemini	Native integration
Check social sentiment	Grok	X integration, real-time
Debug complex code	Claude	Nuanced understanding
Generate images from text	ChatGPT (DALL-E) or Grok	Native image generation
Academic research	Perplexity (Academic mode)	Scholarly sources
Quick Q&A	Any	Personal preference
Multimodal (image + text)	Gemini	Best multimodal handling

Final Tips

Don't tie yourself to one platform - Each has killer features for different tasks
Iterate, don't restart - Refine prompts in conversation instead of starting over
Show, don't tell - Examples beat abstract descriptions every time
Be specific about format - "Output as JSON" or "Use markdown table" eliminates guessing
Verify critical information - All AI can hallucinate; cross-reference important facts
Save your best prompts - Build a personal library of templates that work
Update your techniques - Prompting best practices evolve as models improve

Resources

Related Articles:

Recommended Courses: