Ep 87 - Using Projects in ChatGPT

Summary

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The ChatGPT Experiment – Ep 87: Using Projects in ChatGPT

Host: Cary Weston
Release Date: September 24, 2025

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Overview

This episode of The ChatGPT Experiment focuses on demystifying the “Projects” feature in ChatGPT, catering to beginners and professionals eager to make the most of their AI assistant. Cary Weston breaks down how projects offer organization, customization, and consistency, and he shares actionable tips for maximizing value. Real-world examples and best practices provide listeners with a blueprint for integrating projects into their workflows.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is a ChatGPT “Project”?

• Projects are a new organizational feature for paid ChatGPT users, found in the sidebar above regular conversation history ([01:20]).
• Not available on the free version (as of recording date).

  “If you are logging on and you’re in the free version and you don’t see anything about what I’m talking about, that’s probably why.” — Cary ([02:15])

• Intended for recurring work streams or specialized use cases (e.g., marketing campaigns, writing projects).

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2. Core Components of a Project

• Naming

  • Each project needs a clear, specific, and meaningful name.

  “The more specific you can be with the name here, the more you’re going to understand where it is and how to use it.” ([03:03])

• Files Section (Knowledge Base)

  • Ability to upload resource documents—company background, style guides, templates, etc.
  • Adds depth and authenticity; files are referenced within project instructions for improved output.

  “It’s a very powerful way to be adding additional information to the project so you can get the best out of it.” ([03:29])

• Instructions

  • Think of instructions as a “job description” for your AI intern.
  • Here you outline the project’s purpose, desired tone, approach, and when/how to use the uploaded files.

  “Instructions is the place where you tell ChatGPT… you’re going to tell the intern… what it is, what it’s for and how it’s going to add value.” ([04:02])

  • Example: For a marketing assistant project, spell out job role, goals (e.g., generating authentic copy), and strategic approaches ([05:04]).

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3. Best Practices: Working with Files & Instructions

• Explicit Cross-referencing

  • Mention the names of uploaded documents within instructions.
  • Specify when and how each file should be used, i.e.,

    “You have a document called Voice, Tone and Style… use this when you’re writing for me because I want you to be consistent and authentic each and every time.” ([07:25])

  • Prevents confusion and ensures reliability.

• Granularity

  • Make each project as focused as possible (avoid the “Swiss Army knife” trap).
  • Tips for specialization:
    • Have a “Copywriter” project and a separate “Editor” project, each with tailored instructions/resources ([13:15]).
    • Segment projects by function, not by generality, for organizational clarity and enhanced results.

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4. Example Workflow (Marketing Project)

• Setup:
  • Name: e.g., “Spring 2026 Campaign”
  • Files: Company Overview, Customer Profile, Voice, Tone and Style, LinkedIn Templates.
  • Instructions:
    • Clarify purpose (“You are my strategic marketing partner…”)
    • Define outcomes (“Move prospects towards trust, confidence, and actions…”)
    • State when to use which files.
    • Avoid resource overload by specifying scenarios for each file.

      “If we use LinkedIn templates or LinkedIn posts, I want you to go use that document as your guide. That does a couple things… it doesn’t mean that the instructions are going to look at the LinkedIn resource every time because it’s not always relevant.” ([10:40])

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5. Projects vs. Custom GPTs

• Projects keep conversations organized within each project, unlike custom GPTs which scatter dialogues across the conversation list ([15:21]).

  “With projects, every conversation that you create using the project shows up in the project itself. So it’s a really nice organizational system.” ([15:21])

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Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Think of it as the amazing intern. Think of it as a new person. Give it instructions, background, clarity, purpose, and then tell it how to use the resources.” ([15:45])
• “The more definition you can give somebody as to what they’re here for… the more successful and helpful that assistance is going to be. And that’s literally what you’re doing with your instructions.” ([13:40])
• “You can’t break it. Try it out, ask it, talk to it, have fun with it and good luck. … Do stay curious.” ([16:47])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:59 — Introduction to Projects & why they’re useful
• 02:15 — Paid vs. Free: Access requirements
• 02:36 — Project components: name, files, instructions
• 05:04 — Example: Creating a Marketing Assistant project
• 07:25 — How to reference documents in instructions
• 10:40 — Using files contextually to avoid confusion
• 13:15 — Hyper-focusing vs. the “Swiss Army knife” approach
• 15:21 — Projects’ organization advantages over custom GPTs
• 16:47 — Cary’s closing advice: Stay curious

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Final Thoughts

Cary encourages listeners to experiment, treat projects like onboarding a new team member, and remain curious. Lean into projects for consistency, clarity, and authentic AI collaboration. Instructions and carefully labeled files are the secret sauce to getting the most out of ChatGPT projects.

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Resources & Additional Links

• Episode show notes include sample instructions and webinar recording
• More guides & contact at chatgptexperiment.com

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Transcript

[A]

Hey, it's Carrie.

[B]

Hey.

[A]

I've had a lot of people ask me about projects inside ChatGPT recently. So this week we're going to look at projects, what makes up a project, and how to use the elements together to get the most out of it. I'm going to share a few tips that I found to be terrifically valuable in getting better output from it. And I've got a resource, I've got a recording of a recent webinar in the show notes that you can see on projects. So if that sounds interesting, stick around and I'll see you on the other side of the music. Hey, welcome to the ChatGPT experiment. This is a podcast designed to help you better understand what ChatGPT is and find a nugget or two that you can use for your personal or professional needs. My name is Kerry Weston. I am your host. Glad you're here. How you doing? Hey. This week I want to tackle something that took me a little bit of time to start getting used to and finding value in. But that's the project inside CHAT GPT, and I'm using the project inside Claude as well these days. But the project, it is something that the more folks that I talk to, both in trainings and workshops, isn't really understood either what it is or how to use it. So I thought I'd just break down a couple things, just kind of go through the components with you so you can understand what makes up a project. And then I want to share a couple nuggets that I have found makes meaningful difference in getting consistent and repetitive value out of the use of the projects. Okay, so the first thing I would say is you need a paid version of ChatGPT at the time of recording this. And things change so fast at the time of recording this. Projects are not available in the free version. So if you are logging on and you're in the free version and you don't see anything about what I'm talking about, that's probably why. But the paid version, marketing projects. So you're going to find projects in your sidebar, and it's just above if you've been using ChatGPT, it's just above your string of normal conversations, right? It's going to be a new project. Call there in your, in your menu bar. And so when you do that, when you create a new project, it's going to ask you. Now this, this has changed over the past couple weeks. So I'm just going to give you generic information because if I try to give you Specifically, the layout. This thing could change real quick because it did that in the middle of a workshop. Actually, one day it looked one way and I practiced. And when I opened it up the next day for the workshop, the online workshop, it looked different.

[B]

Right?

[A]

So let's just stick to the high points here. So every project has a name. Now, this name is for your purpose. You are going to come back to it. So the name should be something that means something to you, right? It should be a title that means something to you so you can come back to it over and over again and understand what it is. As you have more conversations and you have more projects, the more specific you can be with the name here, the more you're going to understand where it is and how to use it.

[B]

Right?

[A]

So that's the first thing. The second thing is files, okay? So as you create the name, you're going to see a little button that says add files. This is going to be your knowledge base. This is going to be a place for you to add resources and documents. Right? And I'm going to explain to you in a second what that means. But it's a very powerful way to be adding additional information to the project so you can get the best out of it.

[B]

Right?

[A]

We're talking about consistency and maybe even authenticity. We'll talk about that in just a second. There. At the moment it's upper. It's three dots in the upper right hand corner, but it changes. So there is a place in a project currently three dots in the upper right hand corner, but it could change tomorrow, right, where you can add instructions and you can edit the instructions. And this is where we are going to start. The instructions is the place where you tell ChatGPT. Think of it this way. I want to go back to our philosophy of what AI stands for when we use ChatGPT instead of artificial intelligence. This is amazing. Intern. And this is where you're going to tell the intern, right? You're going to tell the project. You're going to put the instructions in to tell it specifically what it is, what it's for and how it's going to add value. Okay, so you are a. Let me just go down an example. That's close to what I do on a weekly basis. I'm going to say that I'm going to create a project that would be for a marketing initiative. I want a marketing assistant, right? I want my intern to be a marketing assistant. So I'm going to tell it. You are a marketing assistant for this company. Your job is to help me create meaningful copy and insights when it comes to things like website copy and social media copy, and creating email and creating messages and creating hooks for campaigns and those things.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So I want to explain it to you just like I would, you know, just like I would a job description. This is where I'm going to explain to it what it is, some of the things that it's going to do, and I want to tell it how it's going to do it. So we want it to be strategic. Do you want it to be friendly? Do you want it to be succinct? You're going to give it kind of the overview on how you want it to work with you. So instructions is where you identify. Think of it as a job description. This is where you identify why you exist, what the role is for.

[B]

Right.

[A]

What they're going to do and how you're going to do it. Now, I told you a minute ago that you also have a section where you can add files. And files is where I have found in my own experiments, I have found that is where I put the granular specifics of something specific and I reference it in the instructions. So one of my early podcast episodes talks about how to help ChatGPT write like you. How do I find my voice, tone and style? Okay, so if you go through that exercise, if you've created kind of a recipe, if you will, for your voice, tone and style, I call them attribute lists.

[B]

Right?

[A]

So if you've got a document that would help ChatGPT understand what your voice, tone and style is, then that would be one document. And I would call that document voice, tone and style, and I would upload that document to the project. And then in my instructions, this is how this would work, as I'm telling it, why it exists, and some of the things it's going to do with me. And for me, I would say, you have documents in your knowledge center that I want you to use.

[B]

Right.

[A]

When it makes sense, here are the documents and here's what you'll use them for.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

And for me, I didn't do this at first. I just kind of trusted that if I were to upload a document, it would know what it is and what to do with it. And sometimes it did and sometimes it didn't. But here's the one tip that has really served me well. Inside the documents, I mean, inside the instructions, I tell the project that you have files, and I want you to use those files when it's appropriate. Okay? So, for instance, voice, tone and Style in the instructions, I would say one of the documents you have is called. And then insert the name here. Let's say it's called Voicetone and Style. So literally give it the name of the file, right? So you have a document called Voice, Tone and Style. And then I would give in the instructions, I would say a couple sentences. This is the information I want you to use when you're writing for me because I want you to be consistent and authentic each and every time. These are the guidelines. These are the rules, right? Voice, tone and style is the voice. And then you just tell it. If we're going to write, I want you to refer to that document for the voice, tone and style. That's really all you need to say for each document that you put into your project. And then if you go to that document, Voice, Tone and Style, you can have a very long and very specific set of instructions and attributes and details. And you don't have to put those into their project instructions. If you merely. Just like you would an intern, hey, listen, if you ever need to write, I want you to write in my voice, tone and style. And you do that by following the instructions I've put in this document. The document is called this, and this is what I want you to do with it.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

So that's how the instructions can be used to go hand in hand with the files. Okay, so what are some of the things. Let's keep going on that marketing project. What are some of the things that I would include in the instructions and what are the some of the things that I would add for resources? Okay, and so let me go through just a sample set of instructions here that I've used in my demos so you can understand. And I'll put this file. I'll put this file in the show notes so you can see it. Okay, So I tell it the purpose of the project. You know, you're my strategic marketing partner. Your role is to make marketing and communications efforts as effective as possible by creating authentic copy. We want to help the company connect with our customers. I want you to act as a second marketing brain. I want you to help me improve efficiency. I want you to help me sharpen strategy. I want you to help me maximize ROI from everything we do in marketing. Always write with the goal of moving the prospects towards trust, confidence, and actions.

[B]

Right?

[A]

And so you can see I'm setting it up again. This would be how I would talk to an intern. And this is literally what's going into my instructions. And then I say, you know, you've got some documents, okay. In your, in your files. One of those documents might be Company overview, right? And so I'd say use this for company background and descriptions. And then my document would describe my company in a meaningful way, right. I might talk about my ideal customers. So one of your documents might be Customer Profile. And I would tell the instructions, use this to understand my best fit customers, their needs and their triggers.

[B]

Right?

[A]

And then the document could be very detailed again, voice, tone and style. Use this to shape the personality of every response.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Some other things that I've shared. So in this instance, if I'm talking about creating a marketing project, one of the things I might do with my marketing project is create some social media posts, let's say LinkedIn posts, okay? And so I would tell my instructions, listen, one of your documents is called LinkedIn templates. And I want you to use this document as a starting point for when we create LinkedIn posts together. That's all I got to tell it. Now, in that document, by the way, I may put three different templates, right? I may put three different formats or formulas or whatnot that I want to use each time I create LinkedIn posts. And I might put in that document that I want you to ask me, you know, which template I might want to use and what the goals might be. Right. And what my call to action might be. But you can see how just one quick reference in the instructions saying, hey, listen, if we use LinkedIn templates or LinkedIn posts, I want you to go use that document as your guide. That does a couple things that lives there. And it doesn't mean that the instructions are going to look at the LinkedIn resource every time because it's not always relevant. So if we're creating an email or creating website copy or whatnot, yes, that LinkedIn template resource is still in the, in the file center, but it's not needed. And so if you set the instructions up the right way, it doesn't look at all the documents all the time, right? It only looks at it when the specific use is needed. And that's if you were to utilize your instructions the right way, you can tell it when those resources are needed. So if you eliminate, and that's a goal here, if you're adding resources to your project, the more you can do up front in your instructions to not only give clear guidance as to what it has in its resource center and when to use it, but even maybe even when not to use it. So you're eliminating frustration, you're eliminating confusion. And you're giving it the opportunity of having more clarity. And if we back out and we look at an amazing intern, working with an assistant, bringing somebody new isn't that important, right? We want to eliminate confusion. We want to create more clarity. The more definition you can give somebody as to what they're here for and what they're doing, what success looks like, where the resources are, if they need it, the more successful and helpful that assistance going to be. And that's literally what you're doing with, with your instructions. So that's how I have found the instructions and the files work together, right? So I hope that's helpful. Those were marketing instructions. But you may have different. You may have different need, right? Here's another tip. I try not to have one project be a Swiss army knife so that it waters down. You can have it be hyper focused. There's no limit I haven't found yet on the number of projects you can create. So why not be hyper focused, right? So for instance, you may have a copywriter project that might be writing for your company, right? And you can give it voice, tone and style and templates and all that things, you know, company background, customer background. But then you might have an editor project and you can take the work from the copywriter and bring it over to the editor. And the editor's sole job could be specifically to review based on the parameters that you give it. So you could give it style guides and examples if you want, in the resources, right? In the files and in the instructions for the editor, you can give it exactly what you want it to do and how to use the resources that you've created, right? So that's a great way for you to think about this as a collaboration between the resources that you might need and build a project for each one. You might be able to create a project for each member of a team that you would put together, right? I think the benefit for me is the hyper focus ability of creating meaningful instructions and linking it to the files so that you can have those two work together. Now here's the difference that I have found and it's a meaningful difference between ChatGPT or custom GPTs and projects. Because everything I've shared with you sounds pretty similar to custom GPTs. But if you were to create a custom GPT just like this, every conversation that you have using that custom GPT just flows into the sidebar, meaning all of the conversations with custom GPTs get added to the list of all your normal conversations. And so there really isn't a really nice organization or way to find a sort and filter.

[B]

Right?

[A]

With projects, every conversation that you create using the project shows up in the project itself. So it's a really nice organizational system. So it's good for you to come back to and see quickly the conversations that you've had using the project. So you might want to reuse a conversation just like you would in ChatGPT or start a new one. But anyway, they're going to be there for you so you can clearly see them. Okay, so I'm going to put the instructions example that I was just talking about in the show notes so you can see it and try it out. Have some fun. You know, the ability for you to get hyper focused. Think of it as the amazing intern. Think of it as a new person, give it instructions, background, clarity, purpose, and then tell it how to use the resources. When you do that, you're going to test and learn, but you're going to see that it can give you terrific value in a consistent and authentic way. And I think you're going to get a little bit more out of the time you spend working with ChatGPT. Okay? Hey, I hope that was helpful. ChatGPT experiment.com is the website you can find ways of Contact me there. There's training for individuals and businesses and conferences and workshops or some guides and tips and all the fun stuff. And check it out. Let me know if you have any questions.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Okay, that's it for this week. And as I always say, the most important thing to anything you do with ChatGPT is your own curiosity.

[B]

Right?

[A]

You can't break it. Try it out, ask it, talk to it, have fun with it and good luck. Okay, so until we talk again, do stay curious.

[B]

Bye. Bye.

[C]

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