"Use ChatGPT to write your content!" is advice from someone who has never tried to use AI-generated content and not immediately regret it.
The prompts that actually work aren't about generating finished content. They're about handling the ugly middle parts — repurposing, structuring, optimizing — so the creative work you do is the part that actually needs you.
Here are the seven I keep coming back to.
1. Repurposing One Piece of Content Into 5 Formats
You wrote a 2,000-word article. Now what?
Most creators leave 80% of the value on the table because repurposing feels like a second round of work. This prompt collapses that.
Take the following piece of content and repurpose it into 5 formats: (1) a 280-character Twitter/X post that captures the most contrarian or surprising insight, (2) a LinkedIn post with a hook, 3 bullet points, and a question at the end, (3) a YouTube video script outline with timestamps, (4) an email newsletter intro (150 words max) that teases the main insight without giving it away, (5) 3 short-form video hooks (15 seconds each) starting with a strong visual or conflict setup.
Original content: [paste your article or video transcript]
The 280-character Twitter constraint forces the model to find the actual point. That constraint alone is worth using.
2. Writing YouTube Descriptions That Rank
YouTube descriptions are SEO real estate that 90% of creators waste. The algorithm reads them. So do people who are deciding whether to click through from search.
Write a YouTube video description optimized for search and click-through. Include: (1) first 150 characters that work as a standalone hook (visible before "show more"), (2) a 2-paragraph summary using natural language that includes the primary keyword [KEYWORD] and 3 related terms, (3) timestamps for the key sections, (4) a single clear CTA at the end. Write in first person, not third. Avoid keyword stuffing.
Video title: [title]
Video summary: [what the video covers]
Primary keyword: [keyword]
The "first 150 characters" instruction matters because that's what shows in search results. Most descriptions bury the lede until paragraph two.
3. Content Calendars From a Single Topic Idea
Starting a content calendar from scratch is the creative equivalent of a blank page — paralysing. This removes the paralysis.
I have one core topic idea: [topic]. Generate a 4-week content calendar with 3 posts per week across [platforms]. For each post: title/hook, format (article, short video, carousel, etc.), the specific angle that makes it different from a generic post about this topic, and which audience pain point it addresses. Vary the content types — not every post should be educational. Include at least one controversial take and one personal story angle per week.
My audience: [describe your audience]
My existing content pillars: [list 2-3 recurring themes if you have them]
The "controversial take" instruction isn't about being inflammatory. It's about forcing the model out of the generic educational format that every content calendar defaults to.
4. Email Newsletter Intros That Get Opened
The first three lines of a newsletter either earn the scroll or lose it. This prompt optimizes for that moment.
Write 5 different opening paragraphs for an email newsletter about [topic]. Each should use a different hook technique: (1) a counterintuitive stat or claim, (2) a personal story that connects to the topic, (3) a specific scenario the reader has experienced, (4) a direct challenge to conventional wisdom, (5) a question that reveals a problem the reader hasn't named yet. Each opening should be 2-4 sentences. No "In today's newsletter" or "Welcome back" openers.
Newsletter topic: [what this issue is about]
Audience: [who reads this]
Run all five and pick the one that makes you want to keep reading. That's the one your readers want too.
5. Turning Transcripts Into Blog Posts
Raw transcripts are chaotic. Spoken language doesn't read well. Cleaning them manually takes forever.
Convert the following video/podcast transcript into a structured blog post. Do not summarize — preserve all the key ideas, examples, and specific details from the transcript. Remove filler words, false starts, and repetition. Add subheadings every 200-300 words. Preserve the speaker's voice and vocabulary — don't make it more formal than the original. The post should feel like the speaker wrote it, not like it was transcribed.
Transcript: [paste transcript]
Target length: [word count]
"Preserve the speaker's voice" is the critical instruction. Without it you get a sanitized corporate version of what was said. With it, the post sounds like the creator — which is the whole point.
6. Social Captions That Match Brand Voice
Generic captions that could belong to any account in your niche don't grow an audience. This prompt trains the model on your voice before asking it to write.
Analyze the following examples of my best-performing social captions and identify my writing patterns: sentence length, tone, how I use punctuation, how I start and end posts, whether I use humor or seriousness, and any signature phrases or structures. Then write 5 new captions for [topic] that match this style. Show me your analysis before writing the captions.
My example captions:
[paste 5-10 of your best captions]
New topic: [topic for new captions]
Platform: [Instagram / LinkedIn / Twitter]
The "show me your analysis" instruction is doing a lot. It forces the model to articulate what it learned before applying it — which means you can correct misunderstandings before you get five captions in the wrong voice.
7. Video and Article Titles Using Psychological Triggers
The difference between 500 views and 50,000 views is often just the title. This prompt generates options using the patterns that actually drive clicks.
Generate 10 title options for the following piece of content. Use a different psychological trigger for each: curiosity gap, specific numbers, contrarian claim, fear of missing out, how-to promise, personal story frame, authority signal, challenge to the reader, social proof reference, and transformation promise. After the 10 titles, tell me which 3 you'd recommend and why.
Content topic: [what the content is about]
Main insight or takeaway: [the one thing you want people to get from it]
Target audience: [who this is for]
The "tell me which 3 you'd recommend" instruction is the one most people skip. The model's recommendation is often right, and it saves you from A/B testing 10 options when 3 are clearly better.
The pattern across all of these: constraints and format instructions do more work than clever prompting. Tell the model the audience, the format, the length, and what bad output looks like (so it avoids it). Vague prompts are for people who have time to iterate 8 times.
If these were useful — I have 500+ prompts organized by use case including a full creator section with prompts for YouTube, newsletters, social, and long-form content. $27, instant download: https://toshleonard.gumroad.com/l/rzenot
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