The "About Me" File: Make AI Actually Know You
Free guide by AI with Zana · Works in ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini · 12-minute setup
Every time you open a new chat, the AI meets you for the first time. So you explain yourself again: your business, your audience, your tone, what you hate. An About Me file fixes that. It's one short document you write once and give to AI whenever it needs context.
It takes 15 minutes, and every answer after that gets better.
What goes in it (7 sections)
Keep it to one page. Short and specific beats long and vague.
1. Who I am Role, what you do, how long you've done it. One or two lines.
2. What I'm working on right now Your 1–3 main projects or goals for the next few months.
3. Who I serve Your customer or audience: who they are, what they struggle with, what they want.
4. How I sound 3–5 words for your tone (e.g. warm, direct, a little funny, never salesy) and words you'd never use.
5. How I like answers Length, format, level of detail. "Short answers first, details only if I ask."
6. My no-go list Things AI keeps doing that annoy you. "No emojis. No 'In today's fast-paced world'. Don't invent statistics."
7. Useful facts Time zone, tools you use, language, anything AI keeps getting wrong.
The starter template
# About Me
## Who I am
I'm [name], a [role] who [what you do] for [who].
## Current focus
- [Goal 1]
- [Goal 2]
## My audience
[Who they are, their biggest problem, what they want]
## My voice
Tone: [3–5 words]
Never use: [words/phrases]
## How I like answers
[Length, format, level of detail]
## Please don't
- [habit 1]
- [habit 2]
## Good to know
[Tools, time zone, language, etc.]
Don't want to write it? Let AI interview you
Paste this and answer out loud using voice mode. It's the fastest way:
Interview me to build my "About Me" file for AI assistants.
Ask ONE question at a time, 12 questions max. Cover: who I am,
current goals, my audience, my tone, how I like answers, and
what annoys me in AI replies. If an answer is vague, ask a
follow-up. When done, write the file using clear headings,
under 350 words.
Where to put it
- Custom Instructions / Personalisation in your AI app's settings, so it applies to every chat.
- Project instructions, if you use projects for different parts of your life (one for business, one for home).
- Attach it at the start of an important chat.
Keep it alive
Update it once a month. When AI gets something wrong about you twice, that's a line missing from your file.
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BROWSE FREE GUIDESCheck whether your context file helps
Reading is the first step. Use this mini-workshop to leave with something you can try today.
Try the same request with and without it
Ask for a short email introduction both ways. Compare the audience, tone, facts and forbidden phrases. If the second answer is still generic, add a real writing sample and a sentence explaining what you like about it.
Illustrative example, not a claim about results.- Start with your current work, not your whole biography.
- Include a short approved writing sample.
- Update changed facts and delete what no longer applies.
Your personalised prompt
HOW TO KNOW IT HELPED.
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