Which tool to choose
The tool is a format template written by you: a filled-in example that shows exactly how you want the answer — which sections, in what order, with which labels. Put it in the personal instructions if the format always applies, or at the start of the chat if it applies only to that job. In addition you can use structure keywords ("answer with these fields: ..."). Automatic memory doesn't guarantee the consistency of the format; an explicit template does, because the AI has something precise to imitate instead of reinventing the form every time.
How to do it
- Build an example of the exact format you want, with the right sections and labels.
- Paste it in and write "always use this layout for the answers, filling in the fields".
- Make a couple of requests and check that the format is respected.
- If it slips, put the template back in front of it or make it more explicit, indicating every required field.
A concrete example
Davide collects information on potential suppliers and wanted every card identical to the others, to compare them at a glance. He gave the AI a template: name, what it offers, indicative price, pros, cons, final rating. He wrote "always fill in this layout". Since then, for each supplier, he receives a card identical in structure, with the same fields in the same order. Before, he got answers all different, impossible to compare; now he has side-by-side cards, because he gave the AI a fixed form to fill in instead of letting it decide every time.
When it DOESN'T work (and how to fix it)
If the format changes from one answer to the next
Usually the template is described in words instead of shown. "Make me a tidy card" is vague; a filled-in example with the real fields is precise. Replace the description with a concrete template and the consistency improves right away.
If over time the AI returns to its own format
In long chats it tends to lose the layout. Put the template back at the top now and then, or remind it ("use the earlier layout"). For jobs where the format counts, it's worth pasting it again at every new session.
If the fields don't fit every case
Sometimes a field makes no sense for a certain answer. Tell the AI what to do in that case ("if a field doesn't apply, write: not available"), so the format stays the same even when a piece of information is missing, instead of breaking.
A tip from someone who really uses it
Show the format, don't describe it. It's the difference between getting consistency and chasing it. A filled-in template — even just with dummy, example data — communicates to the AI in one shot the sections, the order, the labels, even the style, far better than a paragraph of instructions. The assistant is brilliant at imitating a layout it has before its eyes and clumsy at inventing a coherent one from a description. If you find yourself repeating "no, put it this other way", stop and build the template once: from then on the answers arrive already in the right form, and you stop correcting the structure every round.
Frequently asked questions
What's the most reliable way to lock in a format?
Giving a filled-in example and saying "always answer like this". A concrete template to imitate beats any description: the AI reproduces a visible layout with great precision.
Can I have different formats for different uses?
Yes: keep a template for each type of job and indicate which to use each time. It's best not to mix them in a single instruction, or the AI produces a hybrid.
Does it work for lists, tables, and cards too?
Yes, for any structure: bullet lists, tables, field cards, section-based formats. The more clearly you show the form you want, the more the answer respects it.
Is it enough to ask it to "be tidy and consistent" to always get the same format?
No, and it's the request that disappoints the most. "Tidy and consistent" means nothing precise to the AI: each time it chooses a plausible structure, and plausible doesn't mean the same as yesterday. Without a template to imitate, it reinvents the form with every answer, and you end up with cards you can't compare and output to rearrange by hand. Consistency isn't born of an adjective, it's born of a concrete layout you put in front of it. Relying on a generic "be consistent" is the most common way to keep receiving answers that are all different.