How to Get Your OpenAI API Key | Full Self Posting ← Back to All Tutorials

How to Get Your OpenAI API Key

Power GPT-5 content generation and DALL-E 3 image creation

The OpenAI API Key connects Full Self Posting to OpenAI’s powerful AI models. With this key, the plugin can write articles using GPT-5 and generate stunning featured images using DALL-E 3.

📋 What’s in This Guide

  1. What You Need the OpenAI Key For
  2. Create an OpenAI Account
  3. Add Payment Method
  4. Generate Your API Key
  5. Add the Key to Full Self Posting
  6. Understanding Pricing
  7. Troubleshooting

Time required: About 3-5 minutes

What You Need the OpenAI Key For

FeatureWhat It DoesModels Used
Content WritingGenerates full blog articles with headings and formattingGPT-5, GPT-5 Mini, GPT-4.1
Image GenerationCreates unique AI-generated featured imagesDALL-E 3

Note: If you prefer Google Gemini for writing, you still need an OpenAI key for DALL-E images. Gemini doesn’t have an equivalent image API.

1 Create an OpenAI Account

  1. Go to platform.openai.com/signup
  2. Sign up with Email, Google, Microsoft, or Apple
  3. Verify your email and complete phone verification

Create OpenAI Account →

Already have ChatGPT?

Your ChatGPT login works! Go to platform.openai.com and sign in with the same credentials.

2 Add Payment Method

OpenAI requires a payment method. You only pay for what you use.

  1. Go to Billing Settings
  2. Click Add payment details
  3. Enter your card information
  4. Add credits (minimum $5, recommend $10-20 to start)

Go to Billing →

3 Generate Your API Key

  1. Go to API Keys page
  2. Click + Create new secret key
  3. Name it: Full Self Posting
  4. Click Create secret key
  5. Copy the key immediately!
🚨 Copy It Now!

OpenAI only shows your API key once. After closing the dialog, you cannot view it again.

Go to API Keys →

4 Add the Key to Full Self Posting

  1. In WordPress, go to FSP Pro → Brain & API Keys
  2. Paste your API key (starts with sk-)
  3. Click Save Settings
✅ Done!

FSP can now use GPT for writing and DALL-E 3 for images.

Understanding Pricing

TaskModelCost
Write 1,200-word articleGPT-5 Mini~$0.01 – $0.03
Write 1,200-word articleGPT-5~$0.05 – $0.10
Generate featured imageDALL-E 3~$0.08

Typical cost per post: $0.10 – $0.15 (GPT-5 Mini + DALL-E)

Troubleshooting

Error: “Invalid API Key”

  • Make sure key includes sk- prefix
  • Remove any extra spaces
  • Create a new key if needed

Error: “Insufficient quota”

Quick Links

Create Account API Keys Billing

Next Steps

Set up Google Gemini (free alternative for writing) or connect Search Console for instant indexing.