This quick-start guide is intended for professional and trade associations, though anyone can use it. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the association world and have been experimenting with generative AI in marketing for a few years, so my examples primarily come from that perspective. 

More importantly, I write these guides to help my fellow association community, especially marketers and those in the C-Suite better understand the use generative AI tools. It’s a documentation of sorts of my own journey in AI. I don’t proclaim to be an expert, I just want to share what I learn in the hopes that it helps others leapfrog the learning cycle.

Here are some guardrails and tips for creating a custom GPT:

https://gamma.app/docs/How-to-Create-a-Custom-GPT-in-minutes-t1ydg154t209pd6

Note: this post and instructions for creating a custom GPT have been updated! As I learn more, I will continually refine my blog posts. I recently learned about the importance of formatting complex prompts with markdown code.

Imagine this…

You give directions like this:

That’s hard for anyone to follow—human or AI 😵

Now compare that to this:

You are a marketing expert for nonprofits.

Association members and executives.

• Increase engagement
• Drive conversions

• Write at an 8th-grade level
• Use friendly, confident tone

Much easier to follow, right?

Markdown gives prompts structure:

• headings separate tasks,
• bullet lists break up rules, and
• code blocks clearly mark examples or data.

That can reduce ambiguity and make long prompts easier to follow.

Is it necessary?

No. A plain-text prompt can work just fine, especially for simple requests. The main benefit of markdown is readability and organization.

When to use it

Use markdown when your prompt has multiple parts, constraints, examples, or code. For short questions, plain text is usually enough and often cleaner.

Practical rule

If markdown helps you separate instructions clearly, use it. If it adds clutter, skip it. The model generally cares more about clear wording and structure than about markdown itself.