OpenAI Setup
How to create an OpenAI account, get your API key, set up billing, and configure it in LinkedGrow for GPT-5, o4-mini, and other models.
Overview
OpenAI provides GPT-5.2, GPT-5, GPT-5 Nano, o4-mini, o3, and o3-mini models. These are versatile models that work well for LinkedIn content generation, with options ranging from ultra-affordable to premium quality.
Step 1 - Create an OpenAI account
- Go to platform.openai.com
- Click Sign up if you do not have an account
- Verify your email address
Step 2 - Set up billing
Before you can use the API, you need to add a payment method:
- Go to your OpenAI dashboard
- Navigate to Settings > Billing
- Click Add payment method
- Enter your credit or debit card details
- Set a monthly spending limit if desired (recommended - $10 is more than enough for most users)
OpenAI uses pay-as-you-go billing. You are only charged for what you use. There is no minimum deposit required.
Step 3 - Generate your API key
- Go to platform.openai.com/api-keys
- Click Create new secret key
- Give it a name (e.g., "LinkedGrow")
- Click Create
- Copy the key immediately - it starts with
sk-and will not be shown again
Important: Save your key somewhere safe. If you lose it, you will need to generate a new one.
Step 4 - Configure in LinkedGrow
- Go to Settings > AI API in LinkedGrow
- Click the OpenAI tab
- Paste your API key in the key field
- Select a model from the dropdown
- Click Save
Available models
| Model | Best for | Cost per post | Monthly estimate (30 posts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.2 | Highest quality content | ~$0.03 | ~$0.90 |
| GPT-5 | Balanced quality and cost | ~$0.02 | ~$0.60 |
| GPT-5 Nano | Fastest, most affordable | ~$0.002 | ~$0.06 |
| o4-mini (Recommended) | Best value for quality | ~$0.01 | ~$0.30 |
| o3 | Deep reasoning tasks | ~$0.02 | ~$0.60 |
| o3-mini | Fast reasoning | ~$0.005 | ~$0.15 |
Recommendation: Start with o4-mini for the best balance of quality and cost. It is marked as "Recommended" in LinkedGrow for a reason - it produces excellent LinkedIn content at a very low cost.
Key format
OpenAI API keys start with sk- followed by a long string of characters. If your key does not start with sk-, double check that you copied it correctly.
Monitoring your spending
Track your API usage and costs at platform.openai.com/usage. You can set monthly spending limits in Billing settings to prevent unexpected charges.
Image generation
OpenAI also supports image generation (GPT Image 1.5, GPT Image 1, GPT Image 1 Mini). The same API key works for both text and image generation. See Image Providers for details on setting up image AI.