Last week, ChatGPT got an upgrade…

It’s called GPT5.

As a dedicated daily user, I was super-excited about this.

But when I opened the app on my computer, my heart sank.

You see, I’ve been using GPT4 on major projects where I’ve uploaded details of entire training programmes…. marketing strategies… customer service replies… and lots of other related stuff.

Basically, it allows me to ask AI anything about a specific project and get clear, detailed responses that are totally on-brief.

But when GPT5 appeared it forgot everything!

ARGH!

That meant everything I’d taught it, and trained it to do…

….was GONE!!

I spent the whole afternoon in a panic, believing that I would have to start everything again from scratch.

(And also reeling from shock about how much I now rely on AI as my co-pilot!)

Thankfully, OpenAI fixed the upgrade, and by Monday things were back to normal…

So now that I’ve relaxed (“Breathe, Nic, BREATHE!”) I can start to get a feel for what this heralded new upgrade can actually do.

Here’s what you should know about GPT5.

Content Creation

Okay, so first up, I wanted to test GPT5’s claims that it can:

• Write in a clearer, more natural style.
• Keeps the tone and style consistent over multiple pieces.
• Handle long drafts without forgetting earlier parts.

For example, I tried this prompt:

“Write a 1,200-word blog post about the benefits of working from home for parents. Make it friendly, encouraging, and include three personal-sounding stories.”

It actually gave me almost 1,400 words of content – which is a definite improvement, because usually Chat GPT would underdeliver in terms of length.

As a comparison, the same prompts in GPT4 delivered 300 fewer words.

There was also more depth to the information, with 7 detailed benefits of working-from-home described by GPT5 versus 3 from the old Chat GPT.

I then tried this:

“Create 3 Facebook posts across a week to promote my new home baking business. Each should have a catchy hook and call to action.”

The results were actually very similar.

GPT4’s posts were a little more product-driven, with product spotlights, and special offers. They used urgency (“limited slots”), community interaction (“drop a comment below”), and specific selling points (gluten-free, gift-wrapped).

GPT5’s versions were story-led, painting sensory pictures (“scent of freshly baked sponge”, “perfect toasted with a little butter”). They were more about relationship-building and trust, with product details woven into the narrative.

To be honest, which is better would depend a little on your competition on Facebook and what kind of thing you wanted to go for.

GPT4’s drafts were more ‘hard sell’, while GPT5’s were softer and more emotional.

Overall, I’d say that GPT5 had the slight edge in terms of the headline hooks. And while GPT4s were good, GPT5 were slightly more original.

(By the way, at the end of this email I’ve included a link so you can view all the results.)

Brainstorming Ideas

I next wanted to see how GPT5 fared with brainstorming.

OpenAI claims that this new version can…

• Produces more relevant, original ideas
• Refine ideas in stages, keeping your brand voice in mind.
• Handle “what if” scenarios with deeper reasoning.

So I tried this prompt:

“Give me 15 creative ideas for an online challenge I can run to grow my email list in the eco-friendly living niche.”

GPT5 divided the results into five thematic categories: Quick-Win Lifestyle, Seasonal/Themed, Money-Saving Meets Eco, Family Community Focus, and Creative Shareable.

On the other hand, GPT4 presented the results as a single, continuous numbered list with shorter descriptions.

GPT5 went a little broader with the suggestions, offering broader lifestyle challenges, whereas GPT4 focussed on classic eco-challenge formats (plastic-free, zero-waste, slow fashion).

So again, while both were good, GPT5 edged it, I’d say…

Then I tried this prompt:

“Suggest 5 angles for a YouTube video about making extra income from home that feel fresh and different from what’s already out there.”

Here’s where it got interesting…

GPT4’s list was actually more ready for YouTube production, including a fully fleshed-out structure and usable title ideas…

While GPT5’s list was more of an inspiration ideas board focussing on concepts that challenge ‘make money from home’ tropes….. but without fleshing out what the video would contain.

So in a sense, GPT4 delivered more – BUT actually not entirely what was asked for, which was ‘ideas’.

GPT5 focussed on the ideas – which was all I needed at that point. (I could ask it for specific titles and a structure later).

Market Research

Now I tried out some market research to see how the two different GPTs fared from this prompt:

“Summarise the main trends in online craft product sales in the UK for 2025, and suggest where the biggest opportunities might be for a beginner.”

Again the results were interesting….

GPT4 version presented a data-heavy, research report with lots of hard numbers, market growth percentages, and references to industry bodies.

It also highlighted trends like the rapid expansion of online craft sales, sustained demand for handmade and sustainable goods, and growth in jewellery, glass, and metalwork.

The GPT5 version took a more accessible approach…

Instead of heavy stats, it grouped trends by themes such as sustainability, nostalgia, tech-enabled crafting, heritage craft revival, and wellbeing.

It then explained the cultural and consumer motivations behind each trend, making it more relatable to beginners.

Its opportunities focussed on low-cost, low-skill entry points, like upcycled personalised gifts, crochet accessories and craft kits.

So while GPT4 came up with a serious-looking professional investor report….

GPT5’s result was more what you would be looking for as an entrepreneur starting from scratch, offering approachable ideas and practical actions.

As a bonus, it also gave links to 3 news articles for further reading, which I thought was great.

Business Planning

I now wanted to check out how both versions of Chat GPT dealt with planning.

The claim is that the new version organises complex information into step-by-step action plans.

So I tried this prompt:

“Create a 90-day action plan to launch a home-based bookkeeping service, including marketing ideas, pricing strategy, and daily tasks.”

GPT4’s version was a week-by-week checklist, including everything from registering with HMRC and building a website to printing flyers and running £25 Facebook ads.

GPT5’s version grouped the 90 days into three 30-day phases with goals for each stage. It covered the same essentials — compliance, pricing, marketing — but left some flexibility to adapt the tasks and the timing.

It’s as if GPT5 treats you more like an adult, where it opens up more ideas and possibilities… for you to then come back and work with it on the details later.

Whereas GPT4 is more like a spoonfeeder, who tells you exactly what to do and when.

The other big claim about GPT5 is that it is better at remembering a plan and being consistent when you refer to it later on.

However, this is something I’ll have to let you know about further down the line when I’ve used it more!

Making Chat GPT5 Results More Human

My overall view is that GPT5 seems smoother, faster and less prone to hallucination and forgetfulness…

But the tone is often less emotional and a little flat.

This is fine, as long as you remember to be more prescriptive by prompting it with a specific voice.

So don’t just prompt, “Write a blog post about gardening.”

Instead, try:

“Write a warm, encouraging blog post about gardening that feels like a friend talking to you over coffee. Use gentle humour, vivid descriptions, and personal touches.”

Or get it to role-play from the point of view of a character…

“Write as if you’re a middle-aged small business owner who’s been through this journey, sharing your challenges, failures and triumphs in a humorously world-weary way.”

You can also encourage it to be more emotive, by adding a prompt like this:

“Describe the sights, smells, and sounds so the reader can imagine being there.”

And if you get a draft that sounds a little robotic, or too obviously AI, you can always give it a second-draft prompt like this:

“Rewrite this to sound more personal and emotionally engaging. Shorten long sentences, add natural pauses, and make it sound like spoken conversation. Add in a few little imperfections, natural phrasing, and quirks.”

How to See My Results for Yourself

If you’d like to see what both versions of ChatGPT produced for each prompt in today’s newsletter, then take a look HERE.

Even better, if you have a GPT Pro subscription you can try them out for yourself!

If you want to directly compare GPT5 to GPT4 you can select which one you want for the chat by toggling the little drop down menu to the top left.

And I’ve left the best until last…

See Chat GPT5 Create an Ebook!

I had a go at using Chat GPT-5 to create an entire eBook from scratch – and the results from a handful of prompts were pretty impressive for a first draft.

This was with no extra editing and no modifications as I went along.

Obviously, if you were doing this for real you’d ask for improvements, tweaks and additions to make it more useful, unique and personal to you.

However, for an almost entirely automated first pass, this was good.

If you want to see it, you can see the complete process here.

Warning: this was just a first draft without any tweaks – if I was publishing this I would do some fact checking and change the author’s anecdotes – which while convincingly realistic… were made up. Despite all this, I think you’ll agree the potential is pretty amazing!

I’ll report back on any future developments with Chat GPT5, but in the meantime it would be good to know if you’re using AI for any projects?

I’d love to hear of your experiences, good and bad!