How to Create a Custom GPT for Content Creation

In 2025, everyone’s using AI to write their content, but did you know most people are doing it wrong?

People approach AI content tools like they’re magic content vending machines. Type in a keyword, press a button, and out pops a mediocre, generic article that sounds exactly like what it is – something written by a robot trying to sound human.

But here’s the thing: customised GPTs can be an SEO copywriter’s best friend (when you use them strategically as collaborative tools, rather than replacements for human creativity and expertise). They’re like having a super-powered research assistant, brainstorming partner, and editor all rolled into one – if you know how to create and use them effectively without sacrificing the human touch.

Rather than opening up a new chat, spending ages on the perfect prompt, and feeding ChatGPT all the data it needs every single time, you can customise a GPT, so that it’s already loaded with your data, instructions, and extra capabilities to nail the task consistently.

What are custom GPTs?

Custom GPTs are personalised versions of OpenAI’s ChatGPT that you can configure to perform specific tasks according to the output you need. When used strategically, your GPT can help you break through creative blocks, maintain consistency across your content, and free up time to focus on the high-value aspects of copywriting that truly require human insight.

What makes custom GPTs particularly powerful is their flexibility. You can essentially ‘teach’ them by uploading examples of your best work, brand guidelines and providing context about your industry, target audience, and business objectives for more relevant content creation. For content creation, this data loads your GPT with details it needs to write in your writing style, stick to your formatting preferences and meet the brief of the task with minimal edits

Through prompt engineering, you can even incorporate those industry-specific terms to build trust with your audience that AI content writing tends to miss. Even better than that, training a custom GPT can help you avoid those overused AI words and phrases while maintaining the technical accuracy your readers expect.

How to Use Custom GPTs for Content Writing 

The most effective content creators use generative AI as a collaborative tool that enhances their work, not as a replacement for human expertise and creativity. Your custom GPT should complement your skills, not substitute for them.

Here’s five different ways you can incorporate a custom GPT into your content creation workflows: 

1. Research & ideation: Create a GPT that gathers information on specific topics, identifies trending subjects in your industry, or generates a list of potential content angles.
2. Detailed content outlines: Before writing anything, have a custom GPT develop your content outline to provide structure while letting you add unique insights and expertise.
3. Break through creative blocks: When you’re stuck on a particular topic or angle, use your custom GPT as a brainstorming partner to generate fresh perspectives. Ask it to provide counterarguments, alternative approaches, or creative analogies that might spark new ideas for your content.
4. Edit & refine content: A custom GPT that analyses your content to help polish your content can suggest improvements for clarity, identify repetitive phrases, or recommend stronger calls to action.
5. Repurpose content: If you’re publishing content for multiple platforms, create a GPT that transforms existing content into different formats, like turning blog posts into social media posts, newsletter content, or podcast scripts.

Remember, you will still need to humanise ChatGPT AI content by adding your personal insights, experiences, and voice to make it resonate with your audience and stand out from the increasingly common AI-generated material filling the internet.

How to Create Your Custom GPT for Content Creation

Creating your own custom GPT isn’t as complicated as it might sound. In fact, with the right approach, you can have a powerful content assistant up and running in less than an hour.

The key is being intentional about what you want it to do and providing it with the right instructions and examples to work from.

Here’s how to make your own custom GPT that builds upon your content writing workflow:

Step 1: Access the Custom GPT Builder

To get started, log into your ChatGPT account (you’ll need a ChatGPT Plus subscription to create custom GPTs), click on your profile icon in the top right corner, and select ‘My GPTs’ from the dropdown menu. 

Once you’re in the ‘My GPTs’ section, simply click the ‘Create a GPT’ button to start building your custom content assistant. This opens the GPT Builder interface, where you’ll make your new tool.

Step 2: Set Your Custom GPT’s Name & Description

Switch over from the create tab to the configure tab, and choose a clear, descriptive name for your GPT so you can easily find it later.

Pro tip: Naming them after their use case, like ‘Blog Post Outliner,’ ‘Social Copy Creator,’ or ‘Email Newsletter Assistant’ are much more helpful than generic names like ‘Content GPT’ or creative but vague ones like ‘WordWizard.’

The description should clearly explain the purpose of the GPT and how it helps with content writing. For example, if you’re creating one for blog writing, your description might be: ‘Content creation assistant specialised in crafting engaging blog posts with SEO optimisation. Helps with titles, outlines, drafts, and edits.’

Step 3: Add Conversation Starters

Below the description, add 3-4 conversation starters that users (including yourself) can click to immediately instruct the GPT. These starters save time and demonstrate the capabilities of your GPT right from the beginning. Good examples are:

• ‘Create an outline for a blog post about [topic]’
• ‘Help me brainstorm catchy headlines for an article about [topic]’
• ‘Review this draft and suggest improvements’

Step 4: Configure Your GPT’s Custom Instructions

This is the most important step when you craft custom GPTs. Here, you’ll provide detailed instructions that guide how your GPT responds, its functionalities, and the specific tasks it can perform. 

The more detailed your instructions, the more consistent and valuable your GPT will be for content creation. 

Prompt engineering and customisation really make a difference in the quality of your content output, so be thorough and specific with your instructions. For example, instead of ‘Write good blog posts,’ try something like:

‘You are a content creation assistant specialising in blog posts for the digital marketing industry. When asked to create content, follow this process:

1. Ask clarifying questions about the target audience, key points, and tone if not provided
2. Generate an SEO-friendly title with 60-65 characters
3. Develop a detailed outline with H2 and H3 headings
4. Write content that maintains a conversational but authoritative tone
5. Include a clear call to action at the end of each post

This is also where you’ll refer to your knowledge files to guide the GPT about how to use the data you’ll be uploading in the next step.

Step 5: Upload Knowledge Files

This is where your custom GPT truly becomes specialised for your content needs. Upload relevant documents, files, and resources that will inform how it creates content for your brand, such as:

• Brand style guides
• Past content examples that represent writing tone and style
• Industry glossaries or terminology guides
• Competitor analysis documents
• Content briefs or templates you frequently use

Your GPT will use these materials as reference points when generating content, helping it align with your brand voice and incorporate accurate information. This is particularly useful for making sure you’re consistent across different content pieces and avoiding the generic AI tone that so many readers can spot a mile away.

Pro tip: For natural language processing, include our overused ChatGPT phrases cheat sheet with examples of generic AI phrasing to avoid. 

Step 6: Select Capabilities Your GPT Needs

Select which capabilities your custom GPT should have access to. OpenAI has several options that can add to your AI copywriting process:

• Web Search: Enable this if you want your GPT to access current information from the internet for content that needs to reference trending topics or include up-to-date statistics.
• Canvas: This presents chat outputs in a visual workspace rather than the standard chat interface, which helps you better organise and format structured content like articles or outlines.
• DALL-E Image Generation: If your content requires custom images or illustrations, this capability means you can make them on demand based on your descriptions.
• Code Interpreter & Data Analysis: If your GPT needs to analyse data, create charts or perform calculations to create content, you’ll want to switch this on.

Only choose the capabilities that align with your GPT’s tasks. Adding unnecessary features might make your GPT more complex without adding real value to your workflow.

Step 7: Test Your Outputs

The GPT builder includes a testing panel where you can interact with your GPT to see how it behaves and make sure the outputs reflect what you need.

Don’t rush this step – thorough testing is important because it allows you to identify and fix any issues with your GPT before you start using it. If you notice problems, the issue usually lies with your instructions or knowledge files, so refine these and test again until your GPT gets it right. 

Step 8: Save & Share Your GPT

Once you’re happy with how your GPT performs, click the ‘Save’ button to finalise your new assistant.

At this point, you’ll need to decide whether you want to keep it private or share it with others:

• Private: This option keeps your GPT accessible only to you. It’s the best choice if your resources contain proprietary information or brand-specific guidelines that shouldn’t be shared outside your organisation.
• Share with specific people: If you’re working with a team, you can share it with select colleagues using their email addresses. This is useful for content teams who want to maintain a consistent voice and style.
• Public: You can also make your GPT publicly available for anyone to use. This might be appropriate for more general content tools that don’t contain sensitive information.

If you’re using your GPT for professional content creation, remember that the quality of your output reflects on your brand. Take the time to perfect your it before sharing it broadly, and consider starting with private access until you’re confident in its performance.

Making the Most of Your Custom GPT

Creating a custom GPT for content creation can transform your content workflow into one that is much more efficient and effective. Start small by integrating your GPT into one specific part of your content process, then gradually expand its role as you become more comfortable with the collaboration. Pay attention to what works well and what doesn’t, and continue refining the instructions and capabilities over time.

The future of content creation isn’t about choosing between human creativity and AI efficiency – it’s about finding the sweet spot where they complement each other. With a well-designed custom GPT in your toolbox, you’re well-positioned to craft more impactful content without sacrificing quality.

Need help building effective AI systems for your content marketing? Our AI automation services create custom solutions that deliver real results for your business. We can design and build custom GPTs tailored specifically to your brand voice, content requirements, and workflow needs – helping you create better content faster while maintaining your brand’s identity.