How to Start with ChatGPT in 2024: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide

Your first four steps of using ChatGPT that will put your interaction and value from ChatGPT on steroids. Not what people usually talk about.

Step 1: Create Your Account

This might seem obvious, but it's important to start right. Go to chat.openai.com and create a free account. You can use Google, Microsoft, or email to sign up.

The free version is powerful enough for most users. You can always upgrade later if needed.

Step 2: Download the Mobile App

This is often overlooked, but the mobile app is a game-changer. Why?

Voice input - Talk to ChatGPT like you're having a conversation
Camera access - Take photos and ask ChatGPT about them
Always available - Ideas come at random moments

The voice input feature alone will change how you interact with AI. Instead of typing, just talk. It's faster and feels more natural.

Step 3: Set Up Custom Instructions

This is where most beginners miss out. Custom instructions tell ChatGPT about you so it can provide better, more relevant responses.

Why Do You Need Them?

To make AI responses more relevant, consistent, and efficient.

You set custom instructions once, and they are automatically applied to all new chats. This includes basic information that ChatGPT already knows about you and your preferences, which you don't need to repeat each time.

To fill in custom instructions, you need to answer two questions:

What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?
How would you like ChatGPT to respond?

Of course, I will not ask you to answer those questions yourself. It might take a lot of time, and how on earth are you supposed to know what to put there?

Here we go, time for the first real interaction with ChatGPT – your first use case!

Open a new chat and copy-paste this prompt:

"In ChatGPT, there is an opportunity to create custom instructions which will be applied to all new chats:

What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?

How would you like ChatGPT to respond?

Character limit is 1500 for each of the questions.

Suggest what is best to indicate there for me. Assume the role of a coach who is helping me to identify what is best to fill in here.

Operate in the cycle: 0. Give the best recommendation from what you already know about me, what can be filled in there.

Ask one question that will help you move forward to give an even better recommendation in the next cycle.

Move to point 0, where you give the best recommendation, what to fill in into these fields from what you already know about me."

During this conversation, ChatGPT will ask you questions. You can respond using voice input, and quickly you'll have a set of custom instructions ready to be copy-pasted into the needed fields.

Congrats, my friend! You're already ahead of the majority of people using ChatGPT. You have your first use case (filling in custom instructions), first hack (use voice input), and first meta-strategy (operate in logical cycles) under your belt – all within the first hour of deciding to use ChatGPT. What a speed!

Step 4: Enable Memory Setting

The Enable Memory setting allows ChatGPT to remember information across multiple conversations (chats) for a more personalized and continuous experience. It "remembers" what you told it in one chat and brings this knowledge to subsequent chats.

This function is not available in all regions yet. For example, in Europe, it's not working at the moment but should be rolled out at some point. However, if you are just starting out with ChatGPT, you can go a long way just with custom instructions alone for now.

Now you are all set!

Enjoy! Create a new chat and ask your new friend about anything.

Stay tuned for the next article where we'll dive into meta-strategies to unlock even more capabilities of ChatGPT.

A quick note on data privacy: OpenAI claims to take our privacy seriously. Still, you might want to opt out from "improving model for everyone" in settings (i.e. allowing OpenAI to train its model on your data) and think twice before sharing sensitive data.