Which Prompt Packs Still Pay Rent After the Last Model Update

I launched my first prompt pack in early 2024, a grab bag of 200 ChatGPT prompts for every occasion. It earned 1,460 euros in its first quarter and looked like a tidy rail. Then the next frontier model shipped and revenue cratered inside three weeks, because the generic prompts no longer produced better output than a one line ask. The pack now earns less than it costs to store on Gumroad. The packs that survived are the opposite in almost every way, and that is the lesson I paid for twice.

What died, and why

Three of my five prompt packs are now unlisted. The common cause was that each prompt was a clever instruction string with no surrounding context. Once models got better at inferring intent from short requests, the marginal value of a twelve line prompt dropped to near zero. Buyers noticed within weeks. Refunds climbed from 1.8 percent to 9 percent on the catch all pack. I pulled it off the storefront the day refund rate passed the break even line on the monthly gross.

What still sells, and why

The two packs still earning share a structure: each prompt sits inside a named workflow. A workflow contains a before state, a target output, the prompt itself, a worked example using real data, and a short README that explains when to use it and when not to. My surviving B2B case study pack has nine workflows, not 200 prompts. It sells at 29 euros with a refund rate of 2.1 percent, and earns a steady 260 to 420 euros a month on passive traffic. The other survivor targets grant writing skeletons for non profits, priced at 39 euros, smaller audience but almost zero churn in the refund logs.

Revenue, month by month, before and after

  1. Catch all pack: 820 euros month one, 410 month two, 180 month three, 65 month four, unlisted month six.
  2. Creative writing pack: 340 euros month one, 110 month two, 40 month three, quietly retired month five.
  3. B2B case study pack: 290 euros month one, 220 month two, 260 month three, 310 month six, 340 in month twelve. The curve is flat to slowly rising, which is what I want from a product I refresh once a quarter.
  4. Grant skeletons pack: 190 euros month one, 210 month two, 240 month three, reached a 300 euros floor in month five and stayed there.

For the adjacent product that compounds on the same mechanic, the worked example plus README structure, see the Digital Products hub. For the discovery channel where most of my new prompt pack buyers actually arrive, the paid newsletter math post explains how the list feeds the shop. If you are thinking about the production rail that funds the next pack, the AI Side Hustles hub is the next corner to read.

John's rare tip

Bundle a worked example output file with every prompt

My highest converting sales page variant is the one that shows a screenshot of the output file alongside the prompt that produced it. Buyers pay for certainty that the prompt produces something they can use on Monday morning, not for the prompt string itself. The worked example file doubles as a refund killer; buyers who have seen the output rarely ask for a refund because the expectation was set before the purchase.

What I'd avoid

Do not release a prompt pack tied to a single model version. My catch all pack referenced model specific behaviours that evaporated the day the new release landed. The refund emails all cited the same line. If a prompt only works on one version of one vendor, it is a feature demo, not a product. Build for the job to be done, not for the chat window of the moment.

Frequently asked

Do prompt packs still sell in 2026?

The generic ones no longer sell at any price I respect. A pack of 200 catch all ChatGPT prompts earned me 84 euros in all of Q1 2026, below the Gumroad storage I pay on it. Narrow packs tied to a specific workflow, a specific tool chain and a specific output file still sell at 19 to 39 euros with healthy refund rates under 3 percent.

What format survives the next model release?

A prompt pack that is really a small system, prompt plus worked example plus output file plus a five step README, keeps selling through model updates. The buyer is not paying for the prompt string, they are paying for the workflow that the prompt slots into. Strings alone get copied and shared within a week. Systems do not.

Which niches still convert on prompt packs?

The ones where the buyer has a recurring deliverable and bills clients for it. Case study outlines for B2B consultants, grant writing skeletons for non profits, legal clause reviewers for contract paralegals. Avoid lifestyle and creative writing niches; the supply there is infinite and the price floor is near zero.