Hey there, AI enthusiasts and innovators! 👋

Welcome to Babgverse — your insider guide to leveraging artificial intelligence to advance your career, improve content creation, and start or scale your business.

First up – our high school AI curriculum officially launched, and it was an absolute BLAST! 🎓 These kids showed up with energy that would put most tech conferences to shame. We covered the basics of how AI models work (not just the magic handwaving you see online) and their questions. Mind-blowing! One student asked if AI would replace me, and that had me scrambling to keep up but excited to address the real questions! 😅. We plan to share some of the teaching materials and student projects in the coming weeks, which is perfect if you want to help your team or family understand AI beyond the buzzwords. The genuine curiosity these students bring is contagious!

Speaking of inspiration, I took my advice this weekend and completely unplugged for a day trip to Dia: Beacon Art Museum. 🎨 Listen, I know we’re all about the tech hustle, but let me tell you – stepping away from screens to stare at massive Richard Serra steel sculptures does something magical to your creative thinking! The scale, the negative space, the way light plays with materials... it hit differently. I came back with fresh perspectives on design thinking that I couldn’t have found staring at my MacBook!

Quick reminder: Your brain needs these breaks to make those unexpected connections that lead to breakthroughs. When was the last time you completely disconnected from art, nature, or just... nothing? 🧠✨

On the content front, those code demos I’ve been dropping on YouTube and TikTok are hitting a nerve! The Claude API vs. ChatGPT breakdown went semi-viral (by nerdy dev standards 😂), so expect TONS more coming your way. We’re getting requests for everything from prompt engineering deep dives to step-by-step system architecture walkthroughs. Is there any specific tech you’re dying to see broken down? Hit reply and let me know!

Now, let’s dive into some news and then this week’s big topic: how custom GPTs transform lead generation for businesses of ALL sizes! This one’s a game-changer you absolutely cannot miss...

WHAT’S CATCHING MY EYE THIS WEEK

Hey, fam! So, I was doom-scrolling through product launches last night when I stumbled on some UX and AI patterns that made me put down my coffee and take notes. I had to share these gems with you all! ☕

The “Ungated Illusion” Trick That’s Converting Like CRAZY

Okay, so how are we always hunting for those sneaky-good conversion tricks? I just spotted something brilliant on Lovable’s site (that AI no-code builder that launched last month).

Instead of the usual “Sign up to try” button, they’ve got this super inviting chatbox front and center that LOOKS completely ungated. The psychology is chef’s kiss:

You type your app idea, get invested in seeing the result, hit enter, and BOOMsignup—a popup appears!

I’ve been testing this on Curation Lounge, and the early results are promising! Users are WAY more committed to completing signup because:

• They’re already emotionally invested in seeing their result.

• They’ve shown real intent (not just casual browsing)

• The value feels tangible since they’ve already started using it.

Text me if you’ve seen other sites doing this – I’m building a swipe file of examples! 📱

Netflix Just Quietly Revolutionized Content Sharing

Have you all seen Netflix’s new “Moments” feature yet? This is low-key brilliant.

They’re now letting users clip and share moments from shows directly on social media. I told my team last week that we need more shareable moments in our products, and here’s Netflix reading my mind!

The fascinating part? About 60% of their catalog (roughly 4,000 titles) are Netflix originals, so they own the IP rights. Quibi tried something similar in 2020 and crashed hard, but Netflix is playing a different game—they’re weaponizing their existing fandoms rather than building new ones.

It makes me wonder: What shareable moments could we build into our products? Could your AI tool generate highlight reels or key takeaways that users would WANT to share? My brain’s spinning with ideas! 🤔

I Just Saved $430/Month With This Claude API Hack.

For my developer peeps, you will NOT believe the price gap I uncovered between Claude’s subscription and API costs!

I was building out a feature for Curation Lounge and compared both routes:

• Claude Pro subscription: $20/month

• Same usage via direct API: $450+

That’s a wild 22.5x difference! Showed the whole implementation during my livestream.

Unless you need the customization, the subscription is a no-brainer for most use cases. But if you DO need the API (like we did for particular features), implement these two strategies ASAP:

• Prompt caching (cuts token usage by 50-90%)

• Batch processing (automatic 50% discount from Anthropic)

What conversion tricks are you testing right now? Hit reply and let me know—maybe we can feature some community examples next week!

Custom GPTs: Your Secret Weapon for Lead Gen in 2025

What if I told you there’s an AI tool you can set up in minutes (zero coding!) that works 24/7 to convert casual browsers into high-quality leads? That’s precisely what custom GPTs are delivering right now!

Why This Matters For You:

Content marketing is DOMINATING lead acquisition (51.5% of all methods), and custom GPTs let you deliver personalized, value-driven content at scale without burning out your team.

The Stats Don’t Lie:

• 96% of marketers report personalization drives repeat business

• 72.5% see blogging significantly impact lead generation

• 62% of potential customers access content on mobile devices

💡 Real Implementation I’m Testing Right Now

I’ve built a custom GPT for my Curation Lounge style recommendation service that gives users immediate style advice based on their preferences and occasion needs.

Here’s the magic: It provides genuine value upfront (solving a real problem), then naturally guides users toward the complete platform for enhanced features. The conversion pathway feels natural, not forced.

🛠️ Your Custom GPT Lead Gen Playbook:

1️⃣ Define Your Value Hook: What specific problem can your GPT solve immediately?

2️⃣ Craft Your GPT’s Personality: Make it feel like talking to your best team member

3️⃣ Upload Your Knowledge Base: Feed it your best content, FAQs, and product info

4️⃣ Design Natural CTAs: Create conversation flows that lead to signups without feeling pushy

5️⃣ Test Like Crazy: Refine based on actual conversations (this part is key!)

💎 Pro Tips You Won’t Hear Elsewhere:

• Conversation Banking: Save successful conversion paths and replicate them

• Problem-Solution Pairing: Program your GPT to identify specific pain points and offer your product as the logical next step

• Cross-Platform Integration: Connect your GPT interactions with your CRM to create seamless follow-up workflows

⚡ Quick-Start Action Plan:

1. Go to ChatGPT (you’ll need Plus), and click “Create a GPT.”

2. Define what problem your GPT solves for potential customers.

3. Give specific instructions on how to guide users toward becoming leads.

4. Test with five potential customers and refine based on feedback.

🧠 Remember This:

The businesses winning with custom GPTs aren’t just using them as fancy chatbots. They’re creating genuine value engines that naturally convert interest into action.

Excited to see what you create! Drop me a reply if you build something awesome – I’d love to check it out and maybe even feature it in an upcoming newsletter! 🙌