Some of the links on this website are affiliate links. This means a commission may be earned if you click through and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.
ChatGPT is an AI-powered tool created by a company called OpenAI.
It’s designed to generate human-like text in response to the prompts you give it.
Think of it like a virtual assistant that can help you write blog posts, come up with marketing ideas, answer customer questions, write emails, translate text, summarise documents, and much more.
The main product is a chatbot interface where you type something in, and ChatGPT gives you a response within seconds. It’s especially helpful for small business owners, marketers, freelancers, and creators who need to write content, brainstorm ideas, or speed up admin tasks without hiring a full team.
Key features and services
Here’s what ChatGPT can do:
- Content creation – It can help write blog posts, social media captions, website copy, newsletters, product descriptions, YouTube scripts and just about anything you can think of that uses words.
- Idea generation – Need blog topic ideas or help brainstorming business names? ChatGPT is great for that.
- Customer service help – You can use it to draft replies to common customer queries or even help build a chatbot for your website.
- Learning and research – It can explain complex topics in simple terms or summarise long documents.
- Translation – It supports multiple languages, making it easier to reach a global audience.
- Coding help – If you’re dabbling in web development or using WordPress, it can help with basic code snippets.
One standout feature is the ability to remember things during a conversation, making the chat feel more natural and tailored to your style (especially with the newer versions). As you have more conversations, ChatGPT’s memory gets bigger. Although it does sometimes forget things you’ve mentioned, so a gentle reminder is required.
How long has ChatGPT been around?
ChatGPT was first launched by OpenAI in November 2022, though OpenAI itself has been around since 2015. The company was co-founded by well-known tech figures, including Elon Musk and Sam Altman.
Since its launch, ChatGPT has grown rapidly, gaining millions of users in a matter of weeks. It’s been integrated into apps, browsers, and tools like Microsoft Word and Excel (under the Copilot branding). The technology is now used by individuals, startups, large corporations, and even teachers and students.
Reputation and reviews
Overall, ChatGPT has a strong reputation. It’s often praised for being fast, easy to use, and incredibly versatile. Users say it helps save time, improve productivity, and reduce mental load. Especially when it comes to repetitive writing tasks or planning.
That said, it’s not perfect.
It can sometimes “hallucinate” information (in other words, make stuff up), especially if you don’t double-check its output. It also doesn’t always understand very specific instructions unless you’re clear and detailed.
Still, most users find it incredibly helpful once they learn how to prompt it properly.
Pricing and plans
ChatGPT offers both free and paid versions:
- Free version – Uses GPT-3.5, which is still very good and can handle most everyday tasks.
- ChatGPT Plus – Costs $20/month (USD) and gives you access to GPT-4 (specifically GPT-4-turbo), which is faster, more accurate, and better at understanding context.
With the Plus plan, you also get access to extra tools like image generation, file uploading, and memory features that can remember your preferences.
There’s no long-term contract, so you can try it for a month and cancel if it’s not for you.
Ease of use and user experience
ChatGPT is very beginner-friendly. The interface is clean and simple: just a big text box where you type your prompt, and it replies underneath. You don’t need to install anything—just log in and start chatting.
You can create and organise chats, use custom instructions to tailor responses to your style, and even use pre-made GPTs for specific tasks (like writing social media posts or debugging code).
There are some known limitations:
- It occasionally misinterprets vague instructions.
- You may need to reword your prompt or guide it through more complex tasks.
- The free version can be slower during busy times.
But for most everyday tasks, it’s quick and straightforward.
Who it’s best for?
ChatGPT is a good fit for:
- Solo creators and freelancers – For writing, brainstorming, research, and improving workflows.
- Small business owners – To draft marketing copy, customer replies, product descriptions, and even business plans.
- Bloggers and niche site owners – For generating ideas, speeding up content creation, and fixing writer’s block.
- Agencies and marketers – To support content planning, create outlines, generate variations of copy, and automate admin.
If you do a lot of writing or planning, or if you’re often switching between different tasks, ChatGPT can help you work faster without compromising quality.
My own experience using ChatGPT
I’ve used ChatGPT almost daily since early 2023 and for most of that time, I’ve used the paid version, both for my own projects and client work. I originally signed up out of curiosity but quickly realised how much time it saved.
It helps me:
- Draft outlines for SEO articles
- Brainstorm catchy headlines and product names
- Reword tricky paragraphs
- Write basic code and CSS snippets for WordPress
- Come up with structured workflows and SOPs
What I like most is that it’s like having a second brain on call 24/7. But it’s not perfect. Sometimes I need to fact-check or rewrite sections if the tone feels too robotic or if it gets a detail wrong.
Still, it’s been one of the most useful tools I’ve added to my toolkit in years.
Final thoughts
If you write, plan, or market anything online, ChatGPT is absolutely worth trying. Whether you stick with the free version or upgrade to Plus, it can save hours of work each week.
Just remember—it’s a tool, not a replacement. The more specific and thoughtful you are with your prompts, the better the results.
Would I recommend it? Yes—especially if you’re a small business owner or solo creator trying to do more with less.
