Create a Google Gem in 5 minutes

How Google Gems Speed Up Your Work (And Why They’re Worth Using)

In this Digital Spark, I break down a feature in Google Gemini that most people overlook: Google Gems.

Everyone talks about Nano Banana these days, and fair enough, it delivers strong results. But Gems stay under the radar even though they act much like ChatGPT’s custom GPTs. Think of them as small experts built around your workflow. A writing coach, a prompt engineer, a content planner, whatever role you need, a Gem handles it.

After testing both platforms, I’ve found the Gem setup smoother and more intuitive. Since the Gemini upgrade, the output from my Gems has jumped in quality as well. Another bonus: you’re able to build Gems on the free plan. The free models aren’t as advanced as the pro ones, though they’re still enough to get started and see real value before deciding on an upgrade.

Let me walk through how the setup works.

Where to Build Your First Gem

Head to gemini.google.com. On the left side, you’ll spot the Explore Gems tab. That opens the Gem Manager.

Google already provides a handful of ready-made Gems, productivity tools, a chess buddy, a brainstorming assistant, a coding partner, and even a cricket-focused experiment. Those are helpful for inspiration.

To build your own, scroll down and hit New Gem.

This brings up the creation screen, which includes four elements:

• Name — simple enough.

• Description — a brief summary of the Gem’s purpose.

• Instructions — the heart of the setup.

• Knowledge — optional files that guide the Gem’s style and reasoning.
  

The instructions section matters most. This is where you clearly outline the role, the task, the format of the output, and the boundaries. Vague guidance leads to vague results. Detailed guidance leads to consistent, strong responses.

The Knowledge section allows you to upload reference material—documents, examples, frameworks, or any supporting content that shapes the Gem’s behaviour.

A Real Example: My Viking TikTok Gem

To show how this works, here’s one of my own Gems. I run a Viking-themed inspirational TikTok channel, so I built a Gem that produces prompt templates for my image generation workflow.

Inside the Gem:

• The description explains that the Gem supplies image prompts.

• The instructions outline exactly how the prompt should read, the tone, the style markers, what to include, and what to avoid.

• I spell out every detail, from the story concept to framing, lighting, realism cues, and TikTok’s content-safety requirements.

• In the Knowledge section, I uploaded PDFs with examples of high-level prompts and photorealistic image references.
  

This setup helps the Gem deliver tight, predictable prompts. Since switching to Nano Banana for my Viking images, the results have been outstanding, so I’m updating my Gem to reflect that workflow.

Why I Rely on Gems Daily

I’ve built multiple Gems at this point: a YouTube ad specialist, a Nano Banana expert, a career coach, a digital course creator, a TikTok scriptwriter, and more.

Digital tools shift every week. SEO evolves into GEO, LLMs adjust how they recommend products, and new platforms show up without warning. I don’t pretend to be an expert in every area, so I build Gems to close the gap. They break down topics, teach me new skills, and speed up my output.

Once you design a Gem around your needs, you’ll end up opening it daily. The amount of time saved adds up fast, and the consistency in the output improves everything you create.

Final Thoughts

Google Gems have become one of my strongest productivity boosts. Whether I’m shaping prompts for Viking images or building a structured course in a new digital topic, these tools remove friction and help me move faster with better results.

Try building one around your own workflow. You’ll spot the advantage the moment you start using it.

See all my other Digital Sparks here.