Intro — Build Your First Custom GPT

A Custom GPT is the most useful AI feature most people don’t know how to use. It’s a version of ChatGPT you’ve configured for one specific job — like “my resume coach,” “my recipe planner,” “my customer service drafter,” or “my class tutor.”

By the end of this course, you’ll have built one that:

• Has your reference materials baked in (no copy-paste every time)
• Speaks in your voice (or your brand’s)
• Behaves predictably (no random tone shifts)
• Handles the boring stuff so you don’t have to

Why this is the highest-leverage AI skill

Regular AI use: paste context → ask question → get answer → close chat → next time, paste context again.

Custom GPT use: open the GPT → ask question → get answer that already knows your context, voice, and rules.

Multiply that by 100 conversations a month and you’ve saved hours.

What you can build

Real examples our community has built:

• Personal recipe planner — knows your dietary restrictions, what’s in your pantry, your kid’s preferences, and how much time you usually have on weeknights
• Cold email coach — knows your offer, your tone, and the kind of prospect you target
• Resume drafter — knows your career story and the kinds of roles you target
• Class tutor (see AI for Students)
• Customer service drafter (see AI for Small Business)
• Therapy journal companion — knows your goals, your patterns, and asks reflective questions
• Travel planner — knows your travel style, budget, and dietary restrictions
• Brand voice writer — knows your brand’s voice doc and writes any copy in your tone

The pattern: anything you do repeatedly where the same context matters every time.

What you’ll need

• ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo) — required for Custom GPTs. Claude Pro is an alternative (“Projects”).
• 30 minutes per lesson.
• One specific job you want to build for. Pick now — don’t worry about picking the perfect one.

Course outline

• Lesson 1 — Pick the Right Job: How to choose a Custom GPT idea that’s actually worth building. Most people pick wrong.
• Lesson 2 — Write Strong Instructions: The system prompt is everything. We’ll write yours together.
• Lesson 3 — Test, Refine, Ship: Get it from “kinda works” to “actually useful.” Plus how to update it as you learn what works.

A note on Claude alternatives

If you use Claude instead of ChatGPT, the equivalent is “Projects.” The concepts in this course translate directly — instead of “Custom GPT,” substitute “Claude Project.” Setup is similar: name, instructions, knowledge files.

We’ll use ChatGPT terminology throughout because that’s what most people use, but everything works in Claude.

Where to start

Lesson 1 — Pick the Right Job →