# What are conversation starters in a Custom GPT? > Conversation starters are the suggested prompt buttons in a Custom GPT. Why they help your team use it well, and how to write good ones for real tasks. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/conversation-starters · Updated 2026-10-01 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [AI assistants](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary#topic-ai-assistants) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) Updated October 1, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Conversation starters are the suggested prompts shown as clickable buttons when someone opens a Custom GPT. You write them in the GPT builder to show people what the GPT is for and to hand them a well-phrased first request. ## Why it matters for a small business A Custom GPT only pays off if people know how to ask it for things. New users often open one, type something vague, get a vague answer and decide it doesn't work. A few good starters prevent that: they show the jobs the GPT is built for and model the details a strong request includes. Starters are also quiet training. If your SOP writer works best when given a manager's rough notes, a starter like "Turn these notes into an SOP: [paste notes]" teaches that habit every time someone clicks it, without a memo or a meeting. ## In a real lesson: Build an AI SOP Writer with a Custom GPT The Stepthrough Custom GPT lessons don't set conversation starters; they focus on the name, the instructions and one knowledge file. The [SOP writer lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-sop-writer-custom-gpt-operations) shows where starters would earn their place. You build **SOP Writer** for Ridgeline Supply Co., a made-up warehouse and distribution business, with rules like the SOP code and title first, one action per step starting with a verb, the role in brackets, and [CONFIRM] wherever a detail is missing. The lesson tests it with **Write an SOP for receiving an inbound shipment at our warehouse**. For a shift lead who has never opened the GPT, that exact request makes a natural first starter. Others could come straight from features the instructions already support: "Turn these notes into a checklist" (the rules switch to check boxes for checklists) or "Rewrite this SOP at a 6th-grade reading level". In ChatGPT's builder, starters are entered on the **Configure** side next to the instructions and knowledge, and they show up in the preview so you can click each one to test it. [Try this lesson free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/chatgpt-custom-gpt-operations) or [read the step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-sop-writer-custom-gpt-operations). ## Common confusions ### Conversation starters vs instructions Starters are only suggestions a user can click. They don't change how the GPT behaves. The rules belong in the [GPT instructions](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/gpt-instructions). ### Conversation starters vs prompt templates A [prompt template](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt-template) is a reusable request with blanks that you keep in a doc. A starter is a short template built into the GPT and visible to everyone who opens it. ## Tips - Write starters as real requests your staff would make, with a placeholder like [paste notes] for the details they add. - Make each starter a different job rather than four versions of the same one. - Click every starter in the preview to confirm the answer follows your format. - Update the starters when the GPT gains a new job or a rule changes. ## Related terms [Custom GPT](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/custom-gpt) · [GPT builder](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/gpt-builder) · [GPT instructions](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/gpt-instructions) · [Prompt template](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt-template) · [Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt) ## Where to learn more [ChatGPT tutorials](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/chatgpt) · [Part 1 · AI Automation for Beginners](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/part-1-ai-automation-for-beginners) ## Frequently asked questions **Do conversation starters change the GPT's answers?** Only in that clicking one sends its text as the first message. The GPT still follows its instructions and files; starters add no rules. **How many conversation starters should I add?** A few clear ones beat many. Each should show a different job the GPT does well, phrased the way your team would actually ask. [All AI glossary terms, A to Z](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) · [Free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts)