AI Mini-Me: My Secret Time Saver!

July 17, 2025
AI, Introverts, LinkedIn, Personal Branding & Thought Leadership, Productivity, Social Media

Let me guess: You tried ChatGPT once or twice, maybe asked it to write a post about your industry, and what you got back was… meh. It didn’t sound like you at all (but it did sound like a corporate intern who just discovered “synergy”).

In AI’s early days (read Q1-Q3, 2022…), all of the AI content read like that.
You see, we assumed AI tools like ChatGPT were mind-readers. We thought they were magic wands. But they need a bit more finessing than that. They’re collaborators. And when we treat them as such, that’s when the magic starts to happen.

AI isn’t supposed to do the work for you. It’s supposed to do the work with you. But only if you feed it the good stuff first.

Your Brand Voice Is the Magic Wand…

The turning point for me? When I finally sat down and wrote my brand voice guide. I mean everything:

My tone (empathetic, slightly sarcastic, nurturing)
My ICA (introverted, thoughtful professionals in B2B)
My values (simplicity, authenticity, empowerment)
My Story Brand alignment
Even the exact words and phrases I use on repeat (“You. Amplified.”, “no shouting, no cringe”, IRL and, my personal fave, AF)

Because when I poured all of that into one guide, and then provided it to my AI – everything clicked. It felt like I could finally hand over my voice to ChatGPT and say, “Here—this is me. Use this.”

So I did more than just upload the guide. I created a custom GPT tailored specifically to me and my brand.

What is a custom GPT?

A custom GPT is a personalized version of ChatGPT designed to align with specific goals, tone, workflows, or audiences. Think of it as ChatGPT with a focused personality and purpose — like a niche expert trained in your style, audience, and content strategy.

What I Put in My Custom GPT Primer

Instead of handing over a generic branding doc, I built something that truly reflects how I work and what I expect from the AI. Here’s what went into it:

My Brand Voice: Empathetic, slightly sarcastic, nurturing, and conversational. Think Laura Belgray meets thoughtful strategist.
My Audience: Introverted professionals in B2B sales, consulting, and client-facing roles who want visibility without shouting.
The Job I Want This GPT To Do: Help me write emails, blog posts, and social media content that sounds like me, connects with my audience, and simplifies storytelling.
The Approach: Story-first. Every piece of content should open with a relatable personal or observational story, followed by a value-packed takeaway and a natural CTA. No fluff. No filler. Just honest, empowering, personality-packed writing.

I also trained it to ask me story-prompting questions like:

“What’s a recent moment when you felt [insert emotion tied to theme]?”
“When did you first learn this lesson yourself?”
“What’s a real-life situation that illustrates this idea in action?”

Because great AI content starts with great human input.

Prompts That Save Me Hours Each Week

So now, I have workflows that look like this:

I drop my messy story notes into a prompt.
My Custom GPT builds a full blog or LinkedIn post from it.
I tweak. (Because it’s still a co-writing process, not magic.)

This means what used to take me 3 hours now takes 30 minutes.

And because the GPT knows my brand voice, the content sounds like me. Not like a bot. Not like a corporate brochure. But like the real me, showing up for my audience.

Here’s the Catch: You Have to Teach Your AI

It’s tempting to think that AI will just get you out of the box. But like any relationship, it takes time. You have to teach it who you are, what you stand for, how you speak, and who you serve.

So yes, I spent time up front crafting my Custom GPT primer. Yes, I overexplained things in the beginning. And yes, it was absolutely worth it.

Because now? Now the tool saves me time instead of wasting it.

The Power of Tweaking as You Go

One big lesson? You’re never done crafting your AI prompts or brand primer.

Every week, I edit my GPT. add new phrases. remove outdated stuff. refine how I ask for things. Because I’m always learning more about how I write and what resonates with my people.

Just like a human assistant, your AI will get better the more you work together. But you have to invest in that working relationship.

That means:

Updating your primer when your tone evolves.
Rewriting prompts when your content strategy shifts.
Repeating what works and ditching what doesn’t.

And if you’re wondering whether it’s worth the effort? Trust me: It is.

Real Results: Full Blog Posts + Social Media in 30 Minutes

Since building my custom GPT and refining my workflows, I can crank out a blog post and matching social post in under an hour. Sometimes even faster.

Before, I’d spend 45 minutes just thinking about what to write. Now I get to focus on the parts I love: the stories, the message, the connection with my audience.

And best of all? I actually enjoy the process.

Because it doesn’t feel like starting from scratch every time. It feels like collaborating with a teammate who knows me.

Here’s What You Can Do Next

So yes, you can use ChatGPT to write your content. But only if you invest in:

Clear, descriptive primers and prompts
Sharing your real-life stories and experiences
Tweaking over time to evolve with your brand voice

Do that, and you’ll stop getting meh. You’ll start getting, “Wow, that sounds just like you!”

Even better? You’ll feel less overwhelmed, more focused, and ready to show up consistently.

Your Next Step: Bring AI Into Your Team’s Workflow

Curious how this could look for your team?
I offer ChatGPT for Small Teams trainings to help thoughtful pros like you build AI workflows that save time and sound like you.

Let’s chat.

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