The same prompt works fine in ChatGPT, but when you throw it into Claude or Gemini it suddenly “can’t understand,” and Midjourney even spits out an off-topic image—I've fallen into that trap too. Don’t rush to blame the model; a lot of the time it’s the wrong way of prompting.
Keeping prompts simpler is actually more reliable
I strongly agree with the KISS approach: the more complex it is, the more likely it is to drift. Breaking the goal into one main request + two or three constraints is far more dependable than piling up a long “epic copywriting” paragraph.
General template
What you want to do + Who it’s for + Output format + Constraints / boundary conditions
Go with each product’s little quirks
ChatGPT is good for multi-turn follow-ups—you can ask it to produce an outline first and then refine it. Claude is more sensitive to “long-form standards” and “don’t fabricate,” so remember to include “if you’re not sure, say you’re not sure.” When Gemini handles information-heavy questions, it’s best to add a line like “provide a verifiable bullet-point list.”
Midjourney is another species: it feeds on visual keywords and doesn’t really take “story-like long paragraphs.” Write the subject, camera, lighting, and style separately for more consistent results.
If it errors out or doesn’t respond
- API-related: check first whether the API key is wrong or permissions aren’t enabled—many “no response” issues are key problems
- Network-related: corporate networks or proxies can be flaky; switching networks is often faster than switching models
- Restriction-related: sensitive words may get blocked; rephrase instead of trying to brute-force it
If you want to save time on trial and error everywhere, you can check out Titikey for the tool links and quick-use notes I’ve compiled—it really helps you avoid detours.
