How to create your first ChatGPT skill: a step-by-step guide
CHAT GPT
Phillip Twyford
If you are regularly asking ChatGPT to do the same type of task every day, a skill can save you from having to explain your preferred process every time.
A skill is a reusable workflow that gives ChatGPT specific instructions on how to do a particular job. It can include the steps to follow, the result you expect, examples, templates and supporting resources. OpenAI describes skills as a way to capture a repeatable approach so that ChatGPT or Codex can follow it consistently. You can read OpenAI's overview of skills and plugins here.
In this blog, I show you the process I used to create an Instagram Reel Hook Generator. It is a simple example, but that is the point. Your first skill does not need to run a complicated automation. It only needs to make one repeatable task easier and more consistent.
The exact navigation and availability you see may differ by ChatGPT surface, plan or workspace settings. The process below follows the interface shown in my video.
What is a ChatGPT skill?
A ChatGPT skill is a set of reusable instructions for a focused task or workflow. Instead of pasting a long prompt each time, you create the process once and call the skill when you need it.
For example, you could create a skill that:
turns a meeting transcript into a structured summary;
improves a rough social media post in your preferred tone;
creates a weekly marketing report in a fixed format;
reviews a campaign brief against an agreed checklist;
generates email opening drafts using your brand guidance.
The key word here is focused. A skill called "run my entire marketing team" would be too broad to give reliable results. But a skill that creates six short Instagram Reel hooks from one supplied topic has a clear input, process and output.
That is why my example works well as a first skill. I provide a Reel topic. The skill creates several hook options using agreed approaches and recommends the strongest choice.
How to create a ChatGPT skill step by step
1. Open the Skills area
In the interface shown in my video at the top, I started by selecting Plugins in the left-hand menu and then opening Skills.
I selected the plus sign and chose the option to create the skill through chat. I think this is the easiest route when you have an idea but have not yet worked out every instruction. You can explain the task naturally and let the Skill Creator help you define it.
2. Start the Skill Creator
The opening instruction in my example was:
Use Skill Creator to help me create a skill. Keep it conversational and start by asking what the skill should do.
The current OpenAI guide to building skills recommends using @skill-creator in ChatGPT Work when you want to describe the workflow through conversation.
The skill creator then asked me to explain what I wanted the skill to do, even if the idea was still rough. My answer was simple: I wanted ChatGPT to create an Instagram Reel Hook Generator for my AI and digital marketing personal brand.
You do not need a polished specification at this stage. A clear description of the job is enough to begin.
3. Answer the follow-up questions
The most useful part of the process is the back-and-forth conversation you will have with ChatGPT.
It asked whether the skill should take a Reel topic and return six or seven short hook options using angles such as a warning, curiosity or a common mistake. I felt this was the right approach. It then suggested three additional output options, which I was also happy with.
Those questions helped me define details and instructions I had not included in my original request. This is one of the practical benefits of creating the skill conversationally. You can start with the result you want and refine the process as better questions arise.
ChatGPT also had context about my personal brand and positioning from the information I had already provided through my history of chats with it. Your result may differ depending on the context and instructions available in your own account. If the skill needs a particular voice, audience or format, state those requirements directly rather than assuming ChatGPT already knows them.
4. Review what the skill will do
Once the creator in ChatGPT has enough information, it builds the skill and explains what it is designed to produce.
Do not treat the first version as automatically finished. Check whether it has captured:
the task the skill should handle;
the information you will provide each time;
the steps or decision rules it should follow;
the format of the final result;
anything it should always include or avoid.
OpenAI's guidance recommends starting with one focused task, testing it with a realistic request and refining the instructions when the result misses a step or drifts from the format you want.
5. Confirm that the skill is installed
After ChatGPT told me the Instagram Reel Hook Generator had been created, I returned to Plugins, opened Skills and checked the installed list.
My new skill appeared alongside the other skills I had already created. It was then ready to use.
ChatGPT supports explicit skill selection with an @ mention. In my test, I selected the Reel hook skill and supplied a straightforward topic about ChatGPT Sites.
How to test your new skill
A skill is only useful if it works on a real task. My first test was intentionally simple. I asked it to create hooks for a Reel about ChatGPT Sites.
The skill returned several approaches rather than one generic answer. It also selected the strongest option and explained its reasoning, because that recommendation had been included in the skill's instructions.
When you test your own skill, check three things:
Did it understand the input correctly?
Did it follow the process and format you agreed?
Would you use the result without having to rewrite most of it?
If the answer to any of these is no, adjust the instructions. For example, you might need to specify a maximum length, ask for a particular structure, provide a good example or list phrases you want it to avoid.
I would also test it with more than one realistic input. A hook generator that works for one topic but fails on the next three still needs refinement.
How to choose a useful first skill
I would recommend you look at the work you repeat during an ordinary week. The best starting point is usually a task with a recognisable input and a fairly consistent output.
Ask yourself:
What do I ask ChatGPT to help with repeatedly?
Which long prompt do I keep copying into new chats?
Where do I spend time correcting the same tone, structure or format?
Which process relies on a checklist I do not want to forget?
For a business owner, this could be turning meeting notes into a customer email, producing a first draft of a weekly social post or checking a marketing brief before it goes to the marketing team or creative agency.
A skill should support your judgement and the work you are doing, not remove it. You still need to review factual claims, tone and business decisions. The value comes from giving ChatGPT a reliable starting process so you spend less time repeating instructions.
Start with one task and improve it through use
My Instagram Reel Hook Generator began with one sentence: I wanted a skill that could create hooks for my AI and digital marketing content. The follow-up conversation turned that rough idea into a more defined workflow.
That is a sensible way to create your first skill. Pick one task you already do, define what a good result looks like and test the skill with real examples. You can improve it when you see where the output falls short.
If you found this useful, read my other digital sparks.
Frequently asked questions
What is a ChatGPT skill?
A ChatGPT skill is a reusable set of instructions and supporting resources for a focused task or workflow. It helps ChatGPT follow the same process and output requirements when that type of task comes up again.
Do I need coding knowledge to create a ChatGPT skill?
No. You can use the built-in Skill Creator and describe the task through a conversation. Manual creation with a SKILL.md file is available, but it is not required for the conversational method shown in this guide.
What should my first ChatGPT skill do?
Choose one repeated task with a clear input and output. Good examples include creating social media hooks, summarising meeting notes, improving email drafts or reviewing a brief against a checklist.
How do I know if my ChatGPT skill works properly?
Test it with several realistic inputs. Check whether it understands the information supplied, follows the agreed process and produces a result you can use without extensive rewriting.