Make ChatGPT interview you before it writes: the one-page cheat sheet

The template

I need [WHAT YOU NEED] for [MY BUSINESS]. Before you write anything, interview me: ask me up to 5 questions, one at a time, and wait for my answer before you ask the next one. Don't make assumptions. When you have enough, sum up what you understood in a few bullet points and wait for my OK. Then write it.

Save it in a Google Doc called Prompt Templates under the heading "Interview prompt".

Run it

1. Click New chat, so an earlier generic answer doesn't steer this one.
2. Paste the template with the two blanks filled in.
3. Answer each question in a sentence or two, with real names and numbers. Short is fine.
4. Read the summary line by line. Fix anything wrong, then reply "Looks right. Go ahead."
5. Check the finished answer for names, numbers and promises, then click Copy.

Why each line is there

Up to 5

It can stop when it has enough. In the lesson it asks four.

One at a time

Ten questions at once feels like a form, and you'd skip half.

Don't make assumptions

Stops it filling gaps with the most common answer.

Wait for my OK

The summary is the cheapest place to catch a mistake.

Use it for

• A job posting, a customer FAQ, a flyer, a quote email or a proposal intro.
• Anything where a generic answer won't do. It also works in Claude or Gemini.
• Real ChatGPT may word its questions differently or ask a different number. Answer what it asks.