Hi everyone,
I’m trying to enforce a very specific text formatting rule when working with GPT-4.1, but the model doesn’t consistently follow it—despite very clear and repeated instructions.
Here’s the structure I want GPT-4.1 to follow:
— Each section starts with a bold title on its own line.
— The paragraph should begin immediately after, with exactly one line break (1x Enter) between the title and the paragraph—no extra blank line, and the title and paragraph must not appear on the same line.
I’m using this format to present content in clean, readable blocks (like mini text “cards” with title + paragraph). It’s especially important for writing with clear structure—both for human readability and for post-processing.
I’ve tried:
— Explaining the rule with detailed prompts.
— Providing correct and incorrect examples.
— Rephrasing the request in multiple formats (Markdown, plain text, lists, etc.).
Still, GPT-4.1:
— Adds an extra blank line between the title and paragraph, or
— Places the title and paragraph on the same line.
My questions:
Is there a prompt structure or system message that reliably enforces this format?
Or is this a known limitation of GPT-4.1’s text generation or rendering behavior?
Thanks in advance for any tips or workarounds.
Gus
