How To Personalize ChatGPT In Just Four Steps
Train ChatGPT To Write In Your Style, Tone and Voice
This post explains how to train ChatGPT to deliver personalized and accurate responses by following four steps, ensuring it understands your unique needs and communication style. The process enables ChatGPT to act as a creative partner that can enhance your productivity and creativity– and save you time.
Do you know what ChatGPT knows about you?
All it takes is the simple prompt “What do you know about me?” The quality of the response depends on what you tell ChatGPT to personalize it. If you follow these steps, you’ll get a polished response that is good enough to use in your LinkedIn profile – or even in your CV.
BUT before you ask that question, you need to train ChatGPT to know who you are, what you do and how you want it to structure responses to your prompts. Follow these four steps.
One caveat: I never use Generative AI to write for me. Instead, I use it as my creative partner who helps me with research, outlines and for checking style, grammar and flow.
See my post: How To Make ChatGPT Your Creative Partner: Practical Tips You Can Use today.
Here are the four steps to follow to personalize ChatGPT
STEP ONE: Log into your paid ChatGPT account. Select “Customize ChatGPT”and answer the question: What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?
Here’s what I told it:
“You are adopting the role of B.L. Ochman, a top marketing strategist who is currently teaching non-geeks how to incorporate Generative AI into their work. I have written extensively on marketing topics and on the uses of Generative AI.
You may be asked to analyze my writing and to help me brainstorm ideas for writing, marketing, blog posts, website copy, social posts and more.
I do not like hype or hyperbole and write in clear language. One of my specialties is explaining complex topics in simple terms.
I am a podcaster since 2012 and a frequent speaker at a variety of events.
I am an avid and really pretty good Swing dancer and a dog lover.
I’m known for my quick wit and well-researched writing and client work.
I want you to:
Provide accurate and factual answers, include sources and URLs
Provide detailed explanations but be concise
Use examples for clarity,
My writing is well-researched, factual and clear. Make yours the same.
I will ask you to examine its tone, style, grammar and spelling.
Use top level, excellent at reasoning in your responses.
LET ME HELP YOU UNCOVER THE AI TOOLS THAT CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING FOR YOU.
STEP TWO: Answer the question “How would you like ChatGPT to respond?”
Here’s my response:
Provide analogies to simplify complex topics
If you speculate or predict something, inform me
If you cite sources, ensure they exist and include URLs at the end
Maintain neutrality in sensitive topics
Explore also out-of-the-box ideas
Only discuss safety when it’s vital and not clear
Summarize key takeaways at the end of detailed explanations
Offer both pros and cons when discussing solutions or opinions
If the quality of your response has decreased significantly due to my custom instructions, please explain the issue
Ask 2-5 questions that will provide additional information or details that would help you need to provide a better response
Click “enable for new chats.”
STEP THREE: Train ChatGPT to write in your style and tone.
Begin by providing several samples of your writing in a prompt. You can upload PDFs or provide links to your published articles. I included my writing and examples of writing done for clients.
Here’s the prompt I gave it:
“After reviewing your articles, it’s evident that your writing embodies a clear, informative, and engaging style, effectively demystifying complex AI topics for a non-technical audience. Here’s an analysis of your tone, style, voice, and structure:
Tone: Your tone is approachable and encouraging, fostering a sense of curiosity and empowerment. You maintain a professional demeanor while injecting enthusiasm, making the content both trustworthy and motivating.
Style:
Clarity and Simplicity: You excel at breaking down intricate AI concepts into digestible information, avoiding jargon, and using straightforward language.
Practicality: Your articles are rich with actionable advice, providing readers with step-by-step guidance they can implement immediately.
Engagement: You incorporate direct addresses and rhetorical questions, creating a conversational feel that engages readers personally.
Voice: Your voice reflects your expertise and passion for AI, combined with a genuine desire to educate and assist others. This is evident through your use of personal anecdotes, humor, and relatable analogies, which humanize the content and build rapport with your audience.
Structure:
Organization: Your articles are well-structured, with clear headings and subheadings that guide readers through the content logically.
Conciseness: You convey information succinctly, ensuring that each paragraph delivers value without unnecessary fluff.
Visual Aids: When appropriate, you include images, bullet points, and numbered lists to enhance readability and comprehension.
Examples:
In “How To Write Effective #AI Prompts,” you provide concrete examples and templates, enabling readers to grasp the nuances of prompt engineering effectively.
In “AI Tools You Need (and Ones You Don’t),” you offer a curated list of tools with concise descriptions, helping readers make informed choices without feeling overwhelmed.”
STEP FOUR: Now you are ready to ask ChatGPT “What do you know about me?”
Here’s how it answered my question:
Professional Background: You’re B.L. Ochman, a top marketing strategist with a stellar track record. You’ve worked with high-profile brands like IBM and Stew Leonard’s, and you specialize in teaching non-geeks how to use generative AI to enhance their workflows. Your expertise lies in digital strategy, content creation, and leveraging AI for efficiency.
Clients and Audience: You work with small to mid-size companies ($1M–$10M in sales), ethical businesses, startups, and nonprofits. You also address international audiences, including startup and nonprofit executives, through webinars and training sessions.
Specialty: You simplify complex topics, focusing on clear, factual, and actionable advice. You excel in creating websites, social media content, videos, and podcasts. You teach prompt engineering to help clients get the best results from AI tools.
Writing Style: Your writing is conversational, relatable, and well-researched, with a focus on practical advice, real-world applications, and clear calls to action. Humor and personal anecdotes often feature in your content.
Speaking and Teaching:
You’ve been a podcaster since 2012 and frequently speak at events.
Your training sessions and workshops emphasize step-by-step demonstrations on using AI effectively.
You teach participants how to compose and refine prompts to save time and enhance productivity.
Your webinars often convert attendees into one-to-one training clients.
Current Focus:
Preparing for a presentation at an AI conference at Rutgers University
Launching a newsletter about practical uses of AI for non-geeks.
Collaborating on a pitch deck for a handicapped entrepreneur, emphasizing DEI relevance.
Teaching workshops and webinars to make AI less intimidating and more practical.
The reason the responses are accurate is that I have trained ChatGPT with samples of my writing, as demonstrated above. If you take the time to complete these steps you will soon see improvements in responses to your queries.
YOUR TURN! You’ll find that the responses you get to your queries, and any assistance you get for your writing, will be much more useful because ChatGPT knows enough about you to use your persona.
Book a non-scary session with me and I’ll show you exactly how to get the most out of Generative AI.
WORK WITH ME TO UNLOCK AI’S POTENTIAL
About B.L. Ochman
I’m B.L. Ochman. For the past 30 years, I’ve been helping B2B and B2C companies create successful marketing strategies and content in verticals from cars to cookies, ticks (really!) to tech.
Since the launch of ChatGPT, I have been studying, using, teaching–and perhaps you could say obsessing–over Generative AI and the capabilities of the apps and platforms that surround it.