How to Prompt ChatGPT-5 in 2025: 5 Practical Fixes for Better AI Responses

ChatGPT-5 is revolutionizing how businesses and creators use AI in 2025. However, many users are discovering that their old prompting tricks no longer deliver the quality and nuance they expect. If your results feel weaker or less precise, it isn’t because the model lost power—it’s because OpenAI rearchitected the backend, requiring a fresh approach to prompting.

This article unpacks why your GPT-5 prompts may be falling flat and offers five practical strategies—from simple tweaks to advanced techniques—to help you get the best possible answers from ChatGPT-5.

Why Are Your GPT-5 Prompts Failing?

Two fundamental changes in GPT-5’s architecture affect prompting:

1. Model Consolidation and the Invisible Router

Earlier versions of OpenAI models allowed users to pick from many options. Now, OpenAI limits GPT-5 access to three main models, managed by an invisible router. This router assigns your prompt to a model based on complexity and cost optimization. Simple prompts may be sent to faster but weaker models, yielding less definitive answers.

2. Surgical Precision

GPT-5 follows instructions with extreme accuracy, enhancing specialized AI agents but reducing tolerance for vague or ambiguous inputs. Unlike prior versions, the model no longer “guesses” your intent—if you don’t give clear, specific prompts, your answers may lack depth.

5 Simple Fixes to Boost Your GPT-5 Prompts

1. Use Router Nudge Phrases (Very Easy)

Add a short phrase at the end of your prompt to force routing to stronger models:

• "Think hard about this."

• "Think deeply about this."

• "Think carefully."

When effective, you'll notice a “thinking” indicator and more nuanced results.

2. Control Output Length (Very Easy)

Direct how long or detailed the response should be:

• Low detail: "Bottom line in 100 words or less. Use markdown."

• Medium detail: "Keep it to 3 to 5 short paragraphs."

• High detail: "Give a detailed breakdown of 600 to 800 words."

Choose brevity for quick insights or detail for reports.

3. Use a Prompt Optimizer (Medium Effort)

Ask GPT-5 to rewrite your prompt for clarity with this meta-prompt:

You are an expert prompt engineer for GPT-5.  
Rewrite my prompt to be clear, structured, and error-proof.  
Return only the improved prompt inside a code block.

Here is my prompt:  
[PASTE PROMPT HERE]

4. Apply the XML Sandwich Method (Medium Effort)

Label your inputs with tags so GPT-5 understands context:

<instruction>Act as the hiring manager. Based on my resume and the job description, ask the three hardest behavioral questions I might face.</instruction>

<resume>[Paste resume]</resume>  
<job_description>[Paste job description]</job_description>

This structure improves comprehension and instruction-following.

5. Implement the Perfection Loop (High Effort)

Guide GPT-5 to create and refine world-class answers:

1. Create a checklist for a world-class answer for [task].  
2. Write the answer.  
3. Grade your answer from 1 to 10 using the checklist.  
4. Improve until you reach a score of 10. Repeat as

This iterative process maximizes quality.

Why It Matters

A 2025 report shows that users adopting refined prompting techniques boost response quality by 30% and increase productivity by 40%. Clear, structured prompts paired with iterative refinement makes GPT-5 a powerful tool for any professional workflow.

Leida.io specializes in helping businesses master AI workflows through smart automation and prompting. These strategies align perfectly with our mission to unlock efficiency and innovation through AI.

Final Thoughts

GPT-5’s capabilities have evolved, so should your prompts. Start with easy nudges and length controls, then move to optimization and refinement. The more you practice, the more powerful your AI interactions become.

Explore Leida’s solutions for AI automation and gain competitive advantage in 2025 and beyond.

If you’re curious how AI could uncover hidden bottlenecks in your workflows, book a call with our team below.