Should I Create a Project or a Custom GPT?

You know AI can save you time with content creation. You want to feel confident using ChatGPT instead of second-guessing every response. You want to stay ahead of the curve and make marketing feel easier, not harder.

But then every time you hear a new term, it feels like just another thing to figure out.

So let’s make this simple. Just exactly what you need to know to customize ChatGPT so it actually sounds like you.

This Post Will Answer These Questions:

• Where do you find Custom Instructions in ChatGPT?
• How do you turn on and off ChatGPT Memory?
• What is a Project, and when should you use one?
• What is a Custom GPT, and what are the pros and cons?
• What are the key differences between Projects and Custom GPTs?
• How do you decide between using a Project or a Custom GPT?
• How do you get the best outputs from a Project or Custom GPT?

By the end of this post, you’ll have clear answers to these questions—so you can stop feeling overwhelmed by AI and start using it strategically.

Note: most of the features described in this blog post are only available for paid (‘Plus’) ChatGPT accounts. 

Where do I find Custom Instructions in ChatGPT?

When you are logged into your ChatGPT account and click on your profile icon in the upper right corner, you will see an option to “Customize ChatGPT.” 

This will open up settings where you can answer questions like:

• What should ChatGPT call you?
• What do you do?
• What traits would you like ChatGPT to have?
• Anything else ChatGPT should know about you?

The exact questions in the settings may be different for you than at the time of writing this post, but the idea is the same. 

→  These custom instructions guide how ChatGPT will interact with you anytime you are using the default chat in your account (not a Custom GPT, which we cover later). 

If you are a health and wellness practitioner using AI primarily to write content for your business, you can use these settings to establish the role you want ChatGPT to play (“expert copywriter’), who your ideal clients are (“young exhausted professionals with digestive problems”), and your area of expertise (“functional lab testing and holistic nutrition”). 

These custom instructions will directly affect the vibe of your content.

If you want your messaging to feel personal, relatable, and uniquely YOU, you have to tell ChatGPT how to do that. Otherwise, you’ll get the same old generic stuff everyone else is pumping out. 

How do you turn on and off ChatGPT Memory?

While the exact location to find this setting may not always stay the same, here’s where you can find the memory feature at the time of this writing: 

When you are logged into your ChatGPT account and click on your profile icon in the upper right corner, you will see an option called “Settings.” 

This will open up a box with several more options, where you will choose “Personalization.” 

Here is where you have the option to toggle memory on or off, delete memory, or manage memory. 

→  If you choose to turn memory on, ChatGPT will remember information and interactions from your chats to inform future chats.

This essentially allows the AI tool to learn about you or get to know you. With memory turned on, you don’t have to start from scratch every time you open ChatGPT.

Memory can be extremely useful if you primarily use your ChatGPT account for a single purpose (e.g., copywriting for your wellness business).

However, if you use your account for many different purposes (e.g., workout ideas, song writing, and party planning)—memory may not work well for you. 

What is a Project and when should you use one?

When you are logged into your ChatGPT account, navigate to the left sidebar to find “Projects.” 

If you have never created a project before, there will be none listed there, but there will be a plus (+) sign you can tap to create a new project. 

→  Projects allow you to group and organize related chats into one place. 

This is a massive bonus that was never previously possible in ChatGPT (anyone else hate the long list of growing chats in the left sidebar that is impossible to navigate??). 

But there is another benefit to Projects that is really exciting: 

You can add instructions and upload “Project Files” to provide more context and background information that will be available for every chat in the Project. 

So, let’s say you use ChatGPT primarily for copywriting and content creation for your wellness practice, and you want to be able to train it more thoroughly and intentionally than what you can do with the general settings.

You can create a Project and upload documents that provide information on your brand message, example writing style, offer sales pages, you-name-it!

When you upload these as “Project Files,” ChatGPT can access them anytime you create a new chat (or pull up an old chat) inside of that Project. 

Some helpful things to know about Projects: 

• If you created a chat in the default ChatGPT window, you can drag it into any Project to stay organized. 
• Project chats DO access your account’s Memory (see above)
• You can edit Project instructions or upload new Project Files anytime as your brand changes
• Projects are for personal use and cannot be shared with other accounts

The Project feature is fantastic, but there is still one other option you should consider before choosing which ChatGPT features will work best for you:

Custom GPTs. 

What is a Custom GPT, and what are the pros and cons?

A Custom GPT is a specific tool you can create inside your ChatGPT account that is trained to perform specific tasks or respond in specific ways.  

A Custom GPT is similar to a Project (described above) in that you can upload documents and input instructions that are always accessible to your Custom GPT and will ensure your content is consistently on-brand. 

There are also some specific things that make a Custom GPT unique:

• A Custom GPT does not access your account’s Memory (described above)
• You cannot move chats between your Custom GPT and default chat account (like you can with a Project)
• You can edit Custom GPT instructions or upload new documents anytime as your brand changes
• You can share a link to your Custom GPT with team members to keep all your content aligned

→  While you can create a Custom GPT to be the “Copywriter” for your brand, you can also create Custom GPTs to perform very specific tasks.

I have set up Custom GPTs, for example, with my frameworks and templates to quickly write practitioner bios, social media hooks, and emails.

These types of Custom GPTs are becoming more and more popular with marketers because they can be shared with clients for quick content creation—based on proprietary or proven formulas. 

What are the key differences between Projects and Custom GPTs?

Let’s keep it simple. 

Here are the main differences between Projects and Custom GPTs:

• Projects are for personal use (you cannot share outside your account), whereas Custom GPTs can be shared. 
• Projects tap into your general account settings (including Memory), whereas Custom GPTs function independently. 
• Projects help keep chats organized (they auto-save inside the Project), whereas chats in your Custom GPT just auto-save in the left sidebar without organization. 

There are also some important ways that Projects and Custom GPTs are the same: 

• Both Projects and Custom GPTs allow for documents to be uploaded and saved for reference. 
• Both Projects and Custom GPTs allow for custom instructions.
• Both Projects and Custom GPTs can be edited at any time. 

So, how do you choose? 

How do you decide between using a Project or a Custom GPT?

As with all things in marketing, business, and life—there is no one-size-fits-all, and what works for me is not necessarily what will work for you.

Here are some questions to help you choose which features will help you most in training ChatGPT to sound more human and more like you: 

Do you want to be able to share your custom settings with assistants or team members? 
If yes, you need to go with a Custom GPT. This is the only way to create a shareable tool. If not, keep reading. 

Do you use ChatGPT for multiple purposes (trip planning, sermon writing, and business copywriting)?
If yes, I strongly recommend that you go with a Custom GPT for each purpose. If you try to do a bunch of unrelated tasks in your ChatGPT account, it will be hard to clearly train ChatGPT in your business brand and voice. Projects tap into your general settings and Memory, whereas a Custom GPT stays clearly separate. If not, there’s just one last question:

Do you primarily use ChatGPT for the sole purpose of copywriting for your business and love organization? 
If yes, go with a Project. You can create a project that is trained in your brand message and voice, and it can continue to learn from having Memory turned on in your general account settings. 

In other words…

Choose a Project if:
✔  You want to keep all content for your brand in one place
✔  You don’t need to share settings with a team
✔  You want to build on what ChatGPT remembers over time

Choose a Custom GPT if:
✔  You need to share your AI assistant with a team or clients
✔  You want a version of ChatGPT that is completely separate from your personal chats
✔  You need a GPT trained for a specific task (e.g., social media hooks, bios, sales pages)

How do I get the best outputs from a Project or Custom GPT?

It’s one thing to choose the right customization option.

It’s another thing entirely to train ChatGPT to sound like you—so it doesn’t spit out content that feels stiff, awkward, or overly polished.

And this is the part no one is talking about.

Maybe you’ve tried using ChatGPT before, and the results felt…off.

It sounded too generic. Too much like a robot—or worse, like someone trying too hard to sell.

Here’s why that happens:

→  If ChatGPT is giving you generic outputs, it’s because you’re expecting it to understand your brand voice and vibe without clearly defining it first.

What needs to happen first is for you to get crystal clear on your brand message, voice, and style—and then structure that information in a way ChatGPT can actually use.

Take a deep breath.

This is way easier than it used to be.

It used to take a weekend-long training and a 20-page workbook to nail your brand messaging.

Now? We can work through it with ChatGPT itself—as long as we feed it the right information.

But..

ChatGPT won’t do this for you—it needs the right setup from you.

And that’s exactly what I help you do in the BrandVibe AI™ Starter Pack.

Inside, you’ll learn how to:

✔ Set up ChatGPT for aligned, on-brand messaging
✔ Format your brand voice and message in a way ChatGPT understands
✔ Cut through the tech overwhelm and start using AI strategically

Let’s make AI work for you—not the other way around. 

And remember:

You may not be the loudest voice in the room, but your message has the power to change someone’s life.

When you set up ChatGPT the right way, you can show up consistently, create content with ease, and spend more time doing what you do best.

Grab the Free Guide!

If you want the specific instructions (including screenshots in the app!) on how to customize ChatGPT, download the free guide here.