Most people are using AI wrong.
They treat GPTs like a content shortcut:
Type in a prompt, copy and paste the output...
Job done.
But if that's your approach, you're missing the real power.
The best GPTs can be infrastructure.
But in order to build one this way,
You first need to understand its anatomy.
Let's break it down 👇
1️⃣ Instructions
↳ Tell it what to do (and what not to do)
This is the format I use:
1. Role - E.g. "You are a founder specialising in [X]."
2. Input → Its main function, who it's for + define relevant terms.
3. Output → The specific results you want (include examples of good output).
4. Guidelines → What it should ignore or not do too.
2️⃣ Conversation Starters
↳ Prompts for utility
Shows users exactly what your GPT can give them.
Some examples:
- "Help me generate thought-leadership hooks"
- "Help me ideate topics for a carousel"
- "Draft a CTA post to sell the following:"
Make it easy to start and hard to mess up.
3️⃣ Knowledge Base
↳ The most important input
Upload:
✅ Kickoff calls → for tone, positioning, ICP
✅ Performance data → hooks, formats, CTAs
✅ Brand memory → past posts, Notion docs, founder voice
✅ Content reviews → what worked (and what flopped)
Some things to note:
- There's a hard limit of 512MB per uploaded file.
- PDFs are usually best, but research depending on your context.
4️⃣ Choosing a Model
↳ Make sure you're using the best brain
If you’re not sure, select GPT-5o as it’s best for general use.
5️⃣ Capabilities
↳ Pick features you actually need
- Web browsing → timely, trending content
- Code & image → charts, carousels, quote cards
- Canvas → space for newsletters and posts
💡 Bonus tip:
Within a prompt, you can @ a different GPT to ‘stack’ GPTS.
This way, you use both of their specialised knowledge to improve your output.
Think of it as amplifying strategy rather than automating creativity.
Right now, most people use custom GPTs as 'fun experiments'.
In a year, they'll wish they'd set them up properly.
Because the ones who take the time to build rules, context and prompts today
will have systems that save them 100s of hours tomorrow.
