Custom GPTs vs. Projects: The New AI Workflow You Need

Most small business owners think they need to build complex "Custom GPTs" to get value from AI. But according to Brand Strategist Phil Pallen, for 95% of us, there is a much better way. In this episode, Phil and I break down why ChatGPT "Projects" (and similar features in Claude) are actually the superior workflow for entrepreneurs. We also discuss why the "perfect prompt" is a myth, how to audit your time to find "low-joy" tasks, and the specific tools Phil uses to automate his inbox. If you want to integrate AI without needing an enterprise budget, this episode is your blueprint. In this video, you’ll learn: 📂 Projects vs. GPTs: Why Phil prefers "Projects" for client management. 🚫 The Myth: Why you don't need to be a "Prompt Engineer." ⏳ The Audit: How to identify exactly what to automate. 📧 Inbox Zero: How to use AI to handle pitch emails effortlessly. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 02:15 - Phil’s journey: From media student to Brand Strategist 05:30 - How a YouTube video led to a book deal 14:15 - The "Small Wins" Strategy: Auditing your time 19:15 - Email Automation Hacks (SaneBox & AI drafting) 23:50 - Why the "Perfect Prompt" is a Myth 26:00 - The "Projects" Workflow: Organizing AI contexts 32:00 - Why Custom GPTs are a waste of time for 95% of people 35:45 - Pitfalls to avoid (Don't let AI stress you out) RESOURCES: 🔹 Phil’s Book: AI for Small Business: https://amzn.to/3M0Jalv 🔹 Phil's Website: https://philpallen.co Subscribe for More Digital Marketing Advice -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ https://www.youtube.com/nealschaffer?sub_confirmation=1 Grab My Free Stuff -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Maximizing LinkedIn for Business Ebook: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/linkedin-book-free-download/ Digital and Social Media Marketing Tools Buyer’s Guide: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/best-digital-marketing-tools-guide/ The Age of Influence (Free Preview): ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/age-of-influence-preview/ The Definitive Guide to Email Marketing: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/email-marketing-guide-ebook/ The Definitive Guide to Guest Blogging: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/guest-blogging-guide-ebook/ Sign Up to My Free Weekly Email Newsletter -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ https://nealschaffer.com/events/ Subscribe and Listen to the Your Digital Marketing Podcast: -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ YouTube: ➡︎ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhdxAC8UR7telkg-KFDpwaJyliMAEzXMi Apple: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/apple Spotify: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/spotify Other Option (Website)s: ➡︎ https://podcast.nealschaffer.com Work With Me -+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Join My Digital First Group Coaching Mastermind Community: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/membership/ Hire Me to Be Your Fractional CMO: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/cmo Book Me to Speak at Your Next Event: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/social-media-keynote-speaker/ Buy My Books on Amazon: ➡︎ https://amzn.to/41XLxIw Other Inquiries: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/contact/ My Digital Marketing Toolbox (Click on Links for Special Offers) -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+--+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- My social media scheduling tool SocialBee: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/socialbee My second social media scheduling which also has AI functionality Tailwind: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/tailwind My main A.I. content creation tool Jasper: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/jasper My SEO tool of choice SEMrush: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/semrush I don’t publish a blog post before reviewing in the A.I. tool Frase: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/frase My graphics creation tool Adobe Express: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/adobeexpress My YouTube tool of choice TubeBuddy: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/tubebuddy My marketing ROI dashboard Digivizer: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/digivizer My email marketing tool ConvertKit: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/convertkit My killer Twitter A.I. content creation tool TweetHunter: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/tweethunter My Twitter following management tool SocialDog: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/socialdog My podcast host AND AI show notes and transcript creation tool Buzzsprout: ➡︎ https://nealschaffer.com/buzzsprout If you subscribe through my link, hit me up if you need any help! Connect with Me in the Socials -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- LinkedIn: ➡︎ https://linkedin.com/in/nealschaffer Twitter: ➡︎ https://twitter.com/nealschaffer Instagram: ➡︎ https://instagram.com/nealschaffer Facebook: ➡︎ https://facebook.com/NealSchafferPage Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://tiktok.com/@nealschaffersocial Pinterest: ➡︎ https://pinterest.com/nealschaffer