How to Create a Custom GPT that Pulls Your Raindrop.io Bookmarks for a Newsletter

If you love organizing information and sharing it, you might have already discovered Raindrop.io, a popular tool for collecting and categorizing bookmarks. But did you know that you can connect it to a custom ChatGPT and automatically turn your latest bookmarks into a beautifully formatted list for your newsletters? Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide on how to make it happen — no deep technical knowledge required!

Step 1: Collect Your Bookmarks with Raindrop.io

Before you begin, make sure you have a Raindrop.io account set up. You’ll want to use Raindrop.io to collect articles, videos, and other resources that you find online. Think of it as a digital library for all your favorite content.

  • Create a Raindrop.io Account if you haven’t already.
  • Install the Raindrop.io Browser Extension to save new bookmarks on the go.
  • Organize your bookmarks into folders if you want to keep track of topics (optional).

Step 2: Set Up the Raindrop.io API

You’ll need access to the Raindrop.io API to let ChatGPT communicate with your bookmarks.

  1. Go to the Raindrop.io Developers Page and sign in.
  2. Click on Create a New Application.
  3. Name your app (e.g., “Newsletter Assistant”) and click Create.
  4. Copy your Access Token. This is what ChatGPT will use to pull your bookmark data.

⚠️ Note: Keep your Access Token private, as it provides access to your bookmarks.

Step 3: Set Up a Custom ChatGPT

Now it’s time to connect Raindrop.io to a custom GPT model. OpenAI offers a way to set up custom models using external APIs.

  1. Go to the OpenAI Platform and Create a Custom GPT.
  2. Under the API Calling section, add the Raindrop.io API:
   {
     "type": "openapi",
     "url": "https://api.raindrop.io/rest/v1/raindrops",
     "http": {
       "method": "GET",
       "headers": {
         "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_RAINDROP_ACCESS_TOKEN"
       }
     }
   }
  1. Replace YOUR_RAINDROP_ACCESS_TOKEN with the token you got from Step 2.

Step 4: Write the Prompt for Your Custom GPT

After configuring the API, create a prompt that tells ChatGPT how to use the bookmarks. This is where you’ll customize how you want the data to appear. Use the following prompt as a base:

"Format the latest bookmarks into a bullet list with hyperlinks. Include the title of each bookmark and the URL, formatted like this:

- [Title of Bookmark 1](URL of Bookmark 1)
- [Title of Bookmark 2](URL of Bookmark 2)
- [Title of Bookmark 3](URL of Bookmark 3)

Output in Markdown format."

Step 5: Test Your Custom GPT

  1. Ask your custom GPT something like:
    “Show me my latest bookmarks formatted for a newsletter.”
  2. If configured correctly, you should see an output that looks like this:
   - [How to Use Raindrop.io Effectively](https://example.com)
   - [Top Marketing Strategies](https://example.com/marketing-strategies)
   - [Understanding AI Models](https://example.com/ai-models)
  1. Now, simply copy the markdown text and paste it directly into your newsletter or content editor.

Step 6: Automate the Process (Optional)

For an even more streamlined workflow, consider using tools like Zapier or Make (Integromat) to automatically trigger this process whenever you add a new bookmark. This way, your newsletter list is always up to date without lifting a finger!

Congratulations! You Did It! 🎉

You’ve just created a smart, efficient way to turn your favorite web content into newsletter-friendly bullet lists. This setup lets you focus more on creating and less on formatting. As your library of content grows, you’ll always have the latest resources at your fingertips, formatted perfectly for your audience.

Let me know how this worked for you, and feel free to share your newsletter if you implement it!