Start Here: What ChatGPT Needs to Know About Your Business
Ever opened up ChatGPT and thought, "Why is this so off?" Maybe it gives you awkward responses, irrelevant ideas, or content that just doesn't sound like you. That frustration? Totally normal. And totally fixable.
Before ChatGPT can give you anything useful, it needs to know who you are, what you do, and how you want to show up. Most people skip this part and wonder why the tool "doesn’t work."
Here’s the good news: You don’t need fancy prompts or tech skills to fix it. You just need to introduce your business to ChatGPT the right way. This is what we call the Pre-Bake the Oven Method — and it’s the first step in making ChatGPT sound like you, work faster for you, and support your content strategy.
Step 1: Answer These 3 Foundational Questions
Before you type anything into ChatGPT, grab a notebook or your notes app and jot down these three things:
Who are you? (Describe your business like you're explaining it to a new hire.)
What do you offer? (Be specific about services, products, and how people benefit.)
Who is your ideal client? (Include pain points, needs, and common phrases they use.)
Quick Tip: Use the same language you’d use in a conversation. No need for polished marketing copy here.
Step 2: Create Your Intro Prompt
Take what you just wrote and combine it into a simple paragraph you can feed into ChatGPT:
"Here’s what I want you to know about my business before we get started..."
Quick-Start Template:
You can copy, paste, and customize this:
"Hi! I’m [Your Name], and I run [Business Name]. We help [Ideal Client Type] solve [Key Pain Points] by providing [Products/Services]. My brand tone is [Professional, Playful, Bold, etc.]. I want your responses to reflect that voice, keep things [Simple, Empowering, etc.], and help me [Goal – save time, generate ideas, write content, etc.]."
This is your "Pre-Bake the Oven" moment. You’re warming ChatGPT up with context so future responses are tailored, accurate, and in your voice.
Take what you just wrote and combine it into a simple paragraph you can feed into ChatGPT:
"Here’s what I want you to know about my business before we get started..."
Example Without Pre-Baking:
Prompt: "Write a social media caption about my services."
ChatGPT says: "Discover our professional offerings to elevate your brand today!"
Example With Pre-Baking:
Prompt (after intro): "Write a social media caption about my services."
ChatGPT says: "If your event business is buried in tech overwhelm, I can help simplify your marketing with clear strategies that save you time."
See the difference? One sounds generic. The other sounds like you.
Step 3: Reuse and Refine
Save that intro as a reusable prompt. Every time you start a new chat, paste it in first. Over time, tweak it based on what works (and what doesn’t).
Key Insight: Treat ChatGPT like a virtual assistant. The more you train it on your world, the better it supports you.
Bonus Tip: Save your prompt in a pinned note, Google Doc, or CRM for easy access. Or, if you’re using a custom GPT, you can add it to your memory or instructions.
Why This is Just the Beginning
This step is just the beginning of a bigger system we call the Pre-Bake the Oven Method. It's a strategic, repeatable way to make sure AI tools like ChatGPT actually sound like you and work for your business. Here's an overview of the full method:
Step 1: Share Your Business Identity – Get clear on who you are, what you offer, and who you serve (what this post covers!)
Step 2: Define Your Brand Voice – Capture the tone, language, and vibe that reflect your style
Step 3: Set Clear Output Goals – Identify what you want ChatGPT to do and how you want it delivered
Step 4: Provide Support Content – Feed in brand statements, bios, FAQs, testimonials, and more
Step 5: Test, Refine, and Save Your Prompt – Polish your setup to create consistent, reusable prompts
Each of these layers ensures that AI becomes a powerful tool in your marketing—not a roadblock.
This step is the entry point into a bigger system we call the Pre-Bake the Oven Method. It’s how you turn ChatGPT into your marketing sidekick instead of a frustrating guessing game.
New to the method? Start here: 10 Reasons to Pre-Bake the Oven with ChatGPT
Stay tuned—in future posts, we’ll walk through the next steps in the method, including how to:
Organize your brand tone and voice
Generate content faster (that still sounds like you)
Use your baked-in prompts across social media, email, blogs, and more
Q&As
Do I have to do this every time I use ChatGPT?
Only at the start of a new chat or project. Think of it as setting the stage.
What if I serve multiple types of clients?
Create a separate intro for each. That way, ChatGPT can tailor responses by audience.
Can I make this faster?
Yes. Download our free Pre-Bake the Oven Guide to turn your answers into a ready-to-use AI training doc.
Is this the same as fine-tuning?
Nope. This is a low-tech, beginner-friendly way to personalize ChatGPT without code.
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