Claude AI: FULL tutorial
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Claude is my fave AI tool of late. I’ve been testing Claude extensively, and the results are superior for content projects and for transforming ideas into finished pieces. Getting started with Claude is straightforward. Sign up with your Google address and try it for free on iPhone or Android. Access to all the latest models is included, but if you start using Claude seriously, you’ll want to upgrade to Pro. Pricing matches ChatGPT at $18/year or $20 monthly. There’s a team option, but it requires five members minimum at approximately $125/month, which is pricey for adding just one or two team members. Once you’re set up, head to settings to optimize your experience. Add preferences about what you expect from Claude—I keep it simple with “be concise, direct, encouraging, and avoid waffle and filler” because AI tends to ramble. Enable Claude artefacts if you want to share text documents or website designs. Connect Google Drive if you have lots of content there—it’ll simplify document uploads. GitHub integration is available for coders. Claude 3.7 is the latest model, and I’ve found it surprisingly good. In many cases, the responses far surpass ChatGPT. Pay attention to the style settings. “Normal” generates standard output, but Claude sometimes defaults to “Concise” which can be too brief. You can also create custom styles by describing your objective, audience, tone of voice, and uploading writing samples. Using Claude follows the ChatGPT pattern: tell it who it is, what you want, and provide examples of ideal output when possible. You can copy results to your clipboard for further editing in Google Docs or other writing apps. The file upload feature is particularly useful. You can upload files from your computer, attach screenshots for interpretation (great for wireframes), connect to GitHub for coding, and access Google Drive documents. I tested this by having Claude analyze an email I wrote to my list. It summarized what was working, suggested improvements for my subject line, introduction, content structure, and CTA, plus gave additional content ideas. When I asked for better subject lines, it immediately produced ten alternatives, dramatically reducing time spent on this mundane task. Finding past conversations is intuitive. Use the left sidebar, check recent chats at the bottom, or click “view all” and search through your entire history. Claude Projects is where this AI tool really shines. This feature lets you set up specialized workspaces for repetitive tasks. I’ve created projects for daily notes, Substack writing, SEO descriptions, email analysis, offer creation, and niche website content. To set up a Claude project, give it a title, explain your goal, and write detailed project instructions. I recommend creating a persona (e.g., “You’re a copywriter”), defining the task (“Write direct response emails”), providing context (“I’m selling a new course”), and specifying format (“Refer to uploaded training data”). Upload 5–10 examples of ideal output to get maximum value. For instance, I created a project that transforms my daily emails into LinkedIn posts by uploading well-performing examples. When I paste an email, it generates three different LinkedIn versions I can choose from, plus Twitter variations. Review your project instructions regularly to refine the output. I’ve improved one of my email analysis prompts over months, uploading sample emails that resonated with subscribers. Claude can also clean up transcripts, turning them into publishable content with bullet-point summaries of key takeaways. It works as a writing assistant, highlighting spelling mistakes, grammar issues, and typos. For research, Claude summarizes PDFs effectively. I uploaded a copywriting course PDF and received a concise snapshot of the ideas inside. If you’re going to use Claude as a creator, gather examples of your writing to train it on, use Projects for repetitive tasks, and let it help iterate your ideas into first drafts before adding your personal touch. Claude excels at collaboration, and the latest model provides outputs that surpass ChatGPT in my experience. However, it’s not as good at generating images and lacks something comparable to ChatGPT’s canvas mode. ​Watch the full tutorial​
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