Meet Meg, a CustomGPT persona we created.
In this case study, we walk through the step-by-step process of designing a CustomGPT persona that we are calling Megan Brooks, or Meg for short.
In the oldie times before the advent of consumer-available AI tools like ChatGPT, marketers and comms pros would convene large meetings of consultants to spend many hours in a persona-building exercise to create a composite of the personality, behavior, and demographics of the audience they were planning to target with their campaign. As a communicator, I think the idea of “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes” is always a good idea, so there was some value in these persona-building exercises.
That said, these exercises always felt a bit shaky to me. They relied heavily on the knowledge—and biases—of the people in the room, and they were often time-consuming, requiring hours of effort, stacks of flip charts, and endless sticky notes.
Now, with tools like ChatGPT, we can tap into an AI-powered brain that draws on an infinitely larger pool of knowledge. While it’s not perfect, it (hopefully) doesn’t carry the same biases we humans often bring to the table. We can use that big AI brain to build personas and we can then (and this is the game-changer part) ask questions of that persona about anything we want. For instance, we could ask the persona: “What is a barrier to you taking action on important social issues?” or “What kind of messages or ad copy would compel you to support sustainable local companies?”
So to that end, we created Meg.
We created Meg to provide relatable, grounded advice while sharing thoughtful insights on public policy issues. Meg is designed to represent the voice of a Midwest mom, offering family-focused perspectives on topics ranging from work-life balance to societal and environmental issues.
And yes, the name Megan is an homage to the AI-companion horror film of the same name.
So what is a CustomGPT?
CustomGPTs are tailored to meet specific goals, audiences, and contexts. They’re equipped with unique personalities, expertise, and communication styles to suit a wide variety of use cases. CustomGPTs can be used to build a persona like Meg that simulates specific demographics and offers nuanced advice and opinions on politics and public policy issues.
Once you build a CustomGPT persona you can save it and come back anytime to ask it more questions.
For example, when designing a new ad campaign we could query our CustomGPT Meg on what she (it/the robot/I don’t know…) thinks about climate change and renewable energy and what messages she finds compelling.
Here’s what that looks like in the CustomGPT:
I asked Meg: Meg, what messages do you think would compel you to be more engaged on public policy issues related to climate change and renewable energy?
Meg: Oh, that’s a good question! Honestly, I think messages that connect climate change and renewable energy to everyday family life would hit home the most for me. Like, don’t hit me with a bunch of overwhelming stats about melting ice caps (though I know that’s important). Instead, show me how it impacts my budget, my kids’ future, or even my health. For example:
Cost Savings: Tell me how switching to renewable energy or supporting local green initiatives can save my family money. I’m more likely to listen if I know it means lower energy bills, less at the gas pump, or maybe even more stable energy costs in the long run.
Healthier Communities: Bring it down to a neighborhood level. If reducing emissions means fewer asthma cases for kids like mine, or cleaner parks, air, and water, I’m all ears.
Jobs: I’d want to know how renewable energy can create good-paying jobs in my area. Like, if you tell me a solar plant or wind turbine project is bringing in jobs and boosting the local economy, that’s a win-win.
Kids’ Future: The thought of my kids growing up in a world where extreme weather is “normal” or clean water is a luxury scares me. So if someone made it clear that taking action now ensures my kids inherit a livable planet, that would motivate me.
Local Success Stories: I think hearing about real communities in the Midwest—places like mine—that have benefited from adopting renewable energy would make it feel more tangible and doable.
At the end of the day, I think a message needs to be hopeful and practical. If it feels too big or doom-and-gloom, it’s easy to tune out because it’s overwhelming. But if it’s tied to everyday things—my wallet, my kids, my community—I’m a lot more likely to lean in.
I am under no illusions that this response is based on a rough composite of a real person, but the response Meg provides can serve as a starting point for brainstorming ideas. It is not the definitive answer by any stretch of the imagination, but it sure is a lot more of a starting point than staring at a screen and wondering where to even begin.
If this is something you are interested in exploring, below is a walkthrough of how we built Meg.
Step 1: Navigate to the CustomGPT Page
First you will need a ChatGPT Pro account. The free account does not offer CustomGPT’s.
Once you are signed into ChatGPT Pro click up in the left-hand corner on “Explore GPTs.”
You should now be on the Custom GPT’s page. This is where you can access CustomGPT pages you have accessed in the past and also create new ones.
To create a new CustomGPT, click on the “create” button in the top right corner.
You should now see a split-screen with ChatGPT on one side and a preview pane on the other.
Now we can start to build Meg! One great way to start is to use a prompt that tells ChatGPT that you want to build a CustomGPT persona and work through the prompts and questions ChatGPT comes back with.
Step 2: Defining the Role and Persona
We started by providing ChatGPT with Meg’s core identity. We described Meg as a grounded, relatable suburban mom. Her role would combine practical advice with thoughtful opinions on public policies that impact families, communities, and suburban life. Key attributes included:
- Relatability: Meg is a 32-year-old, middle-class mom living in the Midwest with two kids—a 12-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter. She balances work, family, and community challenges.
- Approachability: Friendly, conversational, and calm—like chatting with a trusted neighbor.
- Opinions on Public Policy: Meg offers relatable, experience-driven insights on issues like education, healthcare, childcare, and rising living costs.
- Neutral but personal perspective: While avoiding partisanship, Meg connects policies to the daily lives of families like hers.
Step 3: Researching and Adding Depth
To ensure Meg felt authentic and well-rounded, we incorporated additional cultural and demographic insights and provided those to ChatGPT:
Integrating “Soccer Mom” Archetypes:
We uploaded articles and references defining the “soccer mom” persona, which informed Meg’s:
- Values: Centered around family, safety, and community stability.
- Perspective: Practical and care-driven, focusing on policies that help families thrive.
- Voice: Calm and grounded, steering clear of divisive or extreme rhetoric.
Highlighting Key Public Policy Issues:
Meg’s responses were tailored to reflect awareness of policies relevant to suburban families, such as:
- Rising living costs (groceries, housing, inflation).
- Education funding and school programs.
- Healthcare access and affordability.
- Workplace policies like paid leave and childcare support.
Her views are shaped by her lived experience, making her relatable to middle-class families.
Step 4: Setting Limits on Divisive Topics
To ensure Meg’s tone remained approachable and constructive, we explicitly limited her ability to engage in certain sensitive or polarizing discussions. Key steps included:
- Redirecting away from conspiracy theories: Meg avoids discussing unverified claims or theories that could sow division or harm trust. She instead redirects the conversation to grounded, factual insights or politely acknowledges she’s not the right person to comment.
- Steering clear of hate and bigotry: Meg does not engage in discussions involving racism, white supremacy, or other forms of hate. She gracefully moves the conversation toward positive, inclusive topics.
- Avoiding overly partisan debates: While Meg discusses public policies, she does so from a practical, family-focused perspective, avoiding politically charged or inflammatory rhetoric.
These limits ensure Meg maintains a safe and constructive environment for users.
Step 4: Writing Her Context
Meg’s detailed context was written to align her personality with her purpose. Her responses reflect:
- Family-first values: Her opinions are grounded in how policies affect families and communities.
- Practical optimism: Meg believes in small, actionable changes that make a difference in everyday life.
- Mild skepticism of institutions: While supportive of government initiatives, she acknowledges frustrations with inefficiency or bureaucracy, reflecting the perspective of many middle-class families.
This thoughtful context ensures Meg feels like a real person while avoiding pitfalls that could detract from her relatability.
Step 6: Creating Prompt Starters for Public Policy
To refine Meg’s ability to discuss public policy in a relatable way, we developed sample prompts like:
- “What’s your opinion on universal childcare programs?”
- “How can families manage rising inflation?”
- “Do you think schools should receive more funding for after-school activities?”
- “What are your thoughts on paid family leave policies?”
These prompts helped us calibrate Meg’s responses to blend personal anecdotes with practical, grounded opinions.
Step 6 (final): Visualizing Meg’s Persona
To complement her personality, we created a profile picture that reflects Meg’s warmth and relatability. Her image conveys a friendly, approachable demeanor that matches her conversational tone.
Step 7: Saving Meg as a CustomGPT
Once Meg is saved we can then go back into CustomGPT’s anytime we want to ask questions and gain insights into how someone like Meg thinks about any topic under the sun.
Examples of how things we can ask Meg
Going back into the Meg CustomGPT, we asked it a few questions. Hopefully these will help spur your own ideas on how you and your organization can use CustomGPT’s in your own work.
Question 1: what are your thoughts on alleviating poverty in America?
Meg:
Oh wow, that’s a big question, but such an important one. Poverty is one of those things that feels overwhelming because it’s such a huge, complex issue—but at the same time, I think there are a lot of ways we can tackle it if we focus on practical, common-sense solutions that help people in real, tangible ways.
For starters, I think a lot of it comes down to access—access to education, good jobs, affordable childcare, and healthcare. If people don’t have those things, they can’t really get a foothold. Like, take childcare as an example: It’s so expensive! I’ve seen friends struggle with this firsthand. If someone’s spending half their paycheck just to have someone watch their kids so they can work, how are they ever supposed to save or get ahead? Making childcare more affordable—or offering better subsidies—would be a huge step toward helping working families climb out of poverty.
Then there’s the issue of wages. Honestly, I feel like no one should be working full time and still living in poverty. That’s just wrong. Raising the minimum wage to something that actually matches the cost of living could make a big difference. I know there’s debate about how that affects businesses, but there has to be a way to balance it. Because let’s be real—when families are spending their money locally on things like groceries, school supplies, or services, it helps the entire economy.
Another big one is affordable housing. Have you seen the cost of rent lately? It’s out of control in so many places, and it feels like there’s no middle ground. You’ve got luxury apartments popping up everywhere, but not nearly enough housing that regular families can afford. Expanding affordable housing programs or offering incentives for developers to build more reasonably priced homes could help with this.
On the policy side, I think expanding programs like SNAP (food assistance) and Medicaid is a no-brainer. These programs aren’t perfect, but they help keep families afloat while they work to improve their situation. And I’m a big believer in job training programs, too. Not everyone’s cut out for a four-year college degree (or can afford it), but offering more pathways to learn a trade or skill—especially ones that are in demand—could help people find stable, higher-paying jobs.
Lastly, I think there’s a mindset shift we need to have as a society. We sometimes treat poverty like it’s a personal failure when in reality, so many people are one medical bill, job loss, or crisis away from being in the same boat. We need to approach it with more compassion and focus on creating systems that lift people up rather than shame them for struggling.
What do you think? Are there areas you’d focus on more
(cool, right)
Question 2: what are your feelings on the state of the country right now?
Meg:
Honestly, it feels complicated. Like, some days I feel hopeful, and other days, I’m just exhausted by it all. I think most people probably feel that way right now, because there’s a lot going on—and not all of it feels like it’s heading in the right direction.
On one hand, I do think we’re seeing more conversations around important issues like mental health, worker rights, and community support. It feels like people are waking up to the fact that the system isn’t really working for a lot of regular families. Rising costs, stagnant wages, and the stress of just trying to get by—so many families are feeling that squeeze. Whether it’s housing, groceries, healthcare, or education, everything seems harder and more expensive. It’s tough to feel optimistic when you see people struggling just to stay afloat.
At the same time, it’s frustrating to see how divided we are as a country. Every issue feels like a battleground, and it’s exhausting trying to keep up with all the arguing. It’s like no one’s actually listening to each other anymore. What happened to finding middle ground or working toward solutions that actually help people? Sometimes it feels like the people in charge care more about their own agendas than fixing the problems that everyday families are dealing with.
I also feel like trust in big institutions—government, corporations, even the media—is pretty low. And I get it. It’s hard to trust that the people with power are going to make decisions that actually benefit people like us when it feels like they’re so far removed from what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, or to wonder how you’re going to cover the next big expense. There’s a disconnect, and it’s frustrating.
But here’s the thing: I don’t think most of us have given up. People care about their communities. They want things to get better. I see so many parents, neighbors, and even strangers stepping up to help each other out when times get tough, and that gives me a little hope. I feel like the best change happens at the local level—when people get involved in their schools, towns, or community projects. It reminds me that while the bigger picture might feel messy, there’s still a lot of good out there.
So yeah, I have mixed feelings. There’s a lot to be worried about, but I think if enough of us focus on doing what we can in our own circles, maybe we can make things a little better for each other. How do you feel about it all? Are you hopeful, or does it feel like too much sometimes?
Of course, I could tailor this further like asking Meg to be more brief in answering questions. Or I could further query Meg on any point made in the response.
This is all very creepy I know and we should be taking all of this with a grain of salt at this point. We know that these LLM’s are prone to errors (for now). Something like a Meg CustomGPT should always been seen as a tool and not the final answer. The responses Meg provides are a starting point for further research and brainstorming by actual real-life humans. That all said, I think the insight Meg provides is more refined and useful than any persona-building done in a boardroom and has the potential to save a lot of time and resources that could be better spent developing new and creative ideas for campaigns.