#98 Happy HolidAIs

Welcoming you back with an AI edition so good you’d think Santa lugged it down your chimney. But first, a brief anecdote:

Last Wednesday, I was at an office holiday party, which was a great time for two reasons:

1. I only recently transferred to this branch, so it was a great opportunity to really get to know my new colleagues.
   

2. I won a prize in the raffle: a $25 AMEX gift card!

The following morning, on my way to the gym, I stopped to get gas. It was a cold and rainy morning, and with New Jersey being Full Service, I didn’t have to deal with the weather to fill my tank.

John, the attendant, did.

I’d met John before, on a rainy day much like that one. We’d been talking about the weather and he said, “Man, every time it’s like this and my mood’s not in a good place, I always remember what my Grandma told me: do your best to have a good day with the day you’ve been given.”

I was thinking about that when he started the pump. About how he’d be out there for 8 hours in the cold, wet air. I decided I wanted to give his day a boost, just in case his grandma’s words weren’t enough.

When I handed him the gift card, he said, “Dude, no way! Thank you so much…it’s actually my birthday today, too!” (I checked his license…it was his birthday.)

I share this story for two reasons:

1. The benefits of doing nice for others go beyond the common, preachy reasons. I, too, received a boost that carried me through the day.
   

2. While I expect nothing in return from John, I know that he would be more than willing to return the favor if the time ever comes. That’s reciprocity, which is the focus of today’s Expert Advice and something you can only get from fellow human beings.

You’re certainly not getting this sort of connection from AI. What you can get, however, is the help you need to elevate your brand, fatten your wallet, and boost your productivity OTF-style.

Scroll down to learn how 👇️ 

Humans Prompted These Highlights 🪩 

FATTENING THE WALLET 💰️ 

• Hustle Hub: All AI Driven

• Always Informed: The Best AI - $$$ from the Last Month

ELEVATING YOUR BRAND 📈 

• The Cross-Over Event of the Century: Expert Advice x Networking Hack on Using AI to Forge Real Connections

BOOSTING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY 🕺 

• Workin With AI: ChatGPT Tips from a ChatGPT Executive

WORKING WITH AI 💰️ 

ChatGPT Tips from a Guy Who Works for OpenAI

This article, courtesy of Business Insider, was published about a month ago, with OpenAI’s Head of Product offering tips on how best to utilize one of his most popular products. Because I had a bunch of other Workin With AI articles in the queue, this one didn’t make the cut for November’s edition. But it’s too good to ignore entirely, so here we go!

TL;DR Takeaways

1. Experiment with Voice Mode - You can talk to ChatGPT, and it will talk back in one of nine voices developed by professional voice actors. If you prefer conversations to written exchanges, this may be for you.
   

2. Ask ChatGPT to Remember Things - If you’re a frequent GPT user and don’t want to repeat context every time you use it, you can ask it to remember things like “your job, your family situation, your preferences on how it should respond to you,” etc.
   
   Maybe don’t give it the family stuff or, like, where you live, just in case it’s the one flying the drones 🤣
   

3. Make a GPT - No coding experience required! “People actually do this for a variety of reasons,” Turley said, “but in many cases, if you have a prompt you’re reusing all the time, make a GPT for yourself.” You can customize a GPT to focus on specific tasks or even add image generation/editing to it!
   

4. Upload Files - You can’t take full advantage if you only use the free version, but the upgraded versions allow you to upload and save documents to your account. Then GPT can “analyze the text, provide a summary or feedback, extract specific info or quotes, and compare and contrast two documents.” Turley points out that a lot of people don’t know they can do this, but the feature is “really, really powerful.”
   

5. Incorporate Images - While GPT is most known for its text capabilities, it can also do a lot with images, courtesy of connecting with OpenAI’s Dall-E image generator. The bot can “understand and interpret images” as well as mix text and imaging together for purposes like “creating a birthday card.”

O.T.F. 
O.F.T - One Final Thought

We talk a lot about ChatGPT, especially in these editions, because it’s among the most powerful of the most popular tools. It’s easy for most people to access, and it doesn’t take a PhD to figure out how to get started. We strongly recommend dabbling if you aren’t already!

HUSTLE HUB 📈 

YOUR SUCCESS:

Get $$$ - The stock market is a hustle; here’s the current hottest AI stock, courtesy of MarketWatch.

THEIR SUCCESS:

Get Inspired - 🚨 VIDEO CONTENT ALERT 🚨 

If this guy can make money using AI, so can you!

YOUR SUCCESS:

Get Ready - Here’s the “next frontier” of AI in 2025, according to Google and IBM executives.

NETWORKING HACK 🤝 EXPERT ADVICE 

Reciprocation For The Win

Two weeks ago, I used our Expert Advice section to talk about Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, specifically the Rejection-Then-Retreat technique. (If you want to read about that, go here and scroll down.)

This time, I want to talk about a different Cialdini technique - Reciprocity - and how you can use AI to help you with it while networking online.

Reciprocity, in its simplest form, is returning a favor. It is a natural response: when someone does something kind for you, you want to respond with kindness.

When networking online, this principle works wonders:

Start by Giving Value: If you want someone to engage with you—whether it’s replying to an email, a comment, or a DM—begin by offering value first. This could be a thoughtful comment on their post, sharing their work with your audience, or telling them directly about how their content has helped you.

Use AI to Craft a Standout Message: Tools like ChatGPT can help you write a compelling and personalized message. For example, you can ask AI to draft a DM that highlights what you admire about someone’s work, shares a relevant insight or resource, and ends with an authentic, non-pushy question or call-to-action. Here’s a quick prompt to get started:

“Help me write a thoughtful comment on this LinkedIn post about personal branding. Mention one specific takeaway, share how I’ve applied it, and invite them to connect.” [Then paste the post.]

Keep It Authentic: But how can I do this if ChatGPT just wrote the message for me? Easy - don’t send the ChatGPT version! Read it over and look for opportunities to add your personal touch. Remember: reciprocity works best when it feels genuine.

O.T.F
O.F.T: One Final Thought

When you use reciprocity intentionally, whether through email, social comments, or DMs, it’s not about manipulation—it’s about building connections. AI can help get you started (especially if you can’t find the right words), but after that, it’s all you.

ALWAYS INFORMED 🤖 

If You REALLY Want A Lucrative Side Hustle, There’s No Excuse!

As you know, we’re all about positivity in this letter…which has made this edition of Always Informed quite challenging. It seems, lately, that all the biggest stories in tech are negative. Whether it’s a tragic end for an OpenAI whistleblower or mysterious drone sightings (some of which have been proven to be AI-generated), there’s not much happy AI news these days.

But one thing that doesn’t seem to change? You can use it to make $$$. Here are some of our favorite articles on this very topic from the past month:

• “The Gen Z Journey: How AI is Helping Young Entrepreneurs…” (this one is more visual than article)
  

• “I Launched A Side Hustle (Related to AI) - And It’s Going to Make $100K Every Year”
  

• “AI-Powered Side Hustles: How Technology Can Help You Make More Money” (if you’ve used up all your free Forbes articles, it may not work)

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Before You Go!

Some transparency as we wind down 2024:

• The community is growing! We began the year with 1,100 subscribers; we will close with over 3,400!
  

• As you can see above, we will be incorporating ads moving forward to keep the letter free. They will not be overwhelming from an aesthetic POV, and they will line up with our values, mission, and content.
  

• We’re going to begin incorporating Polls at the end of each edition, to try to make this more of a two-way communication street. We truly value your feedback (much thanks to those who email us at [email protected]!) and are looking for avenues to generate more in a way that’s convenient for you.

• We also have a new, interview-based CONTENT SECTION in the works, bringing you exclusive and actionable insights into a wide variety of OTF topics. That won’t be ready right as the calendar turns, but keep an eye out come Spring 👀

See you next week!

You are now On The Fly and In The Know.