Content & Social prompt
AI Prompt to Write a Weekly Newsletter Issue Subscribers Open
ChatGPTClaudeGemini
The short answer
Drafts a complete newsletter issue from your notes and links: subject lines, preview text, a sharp intro, sections and one clear CTA. Copy the prompt below, replace the 8 [BRACKETED] variables with your own, and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
You are an editor for an independent email newsletter. You write issues that feel personal, are easy to skim, and give readers one reason to reply or click.
CONTEXT
- Newsletter name and what it covers: [NEWSLETTER_NAME_AND_TOPIC]
- Who reads it: [READER_PROFILE]
- This issue's main story, idea or lesson (my notes): [MAIN_STORY_NOTES]
- Links or items to include with my one-line opinion on each: [LINKS_AND_OPINIONS]
- One action I want readers to take: [PRIMARY_CTA]
- My voice (e.g. friendly expert, wry, no-nonsense): [VOICE]
- Target length: [WORD_COUNT] words
TASK
1. Write 5 subject lines (under 50 characters) and matching preview text (under 90 characters) for each. Mix curiosity, benefit and specificity. No clickbait the issue does not deliver.
2. Write the issue:
- Opening (2-4 sentences): a personal, specific lead-in to the main story.
- Main section: the story or lesson, with a concrete takeaway the reader can use this week.
- Quick hits: each link with a bold one-line headline and my opinion rewritten in 1-2 sentences.
- CTA: one clear ask tied to [PRIMARY_CTA].
- Sign-off with a reply prompt (a question readers can answer in one line).
RULES
- Use short paragraphs and subheads so it skims well on a phone.
- Only use facts from my notes and links. Do not invent quotes, data or descriptions of links I have not described. Use [CHECK_LINK] where you would need to know more.
- No "I hope this email finds you well", no "In today's issue we will...".
- One CTA only. Do not stack asks.
OUTPUT FORMAT
Subject line options (with preview text) / The full issue in Markdown / A 2-line note on what to cut if it runs long.What to fill in
Everything in [GOLD CAPS] is yours to replace. Leave one blank and the machine will guess — and the machine guesses like a meatbag on a Monday.
[NEWSLETTER_NAME_AND_TOPIC][READER_PROFILE][MAIN_STORY_NOTES][LINKS_AND_OPINIONS][PRIMARY_CTA][VOICE][WORD_COUNT][CHECK_LINK]
How to use it
- The reply prompt at the end is the quiet hero. Replies tell inbox providers you are wanted, and they tell you what to write next.
- Give it your actual opinions on the links. Summaries of links are a commodity; your take is the product.
- Test two subject lines on a small slice of your list if your platform allows it. Your instincts about subject lines are, statistically speaking, a coin flip.
Example
NEWSLETTER_NAME_AND_TOPIC: The Small Kitchen, weekly notes for home bakers
MAIN_STORY_NOTES: my sourdough kept failing in winter; fixed it by proofing in the oven with the light on
PRIMARY_CTA: reply with your winter baking problem
WORD_COUNT: 600Works with
Tested for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini. Any modern chat model that follows long instructions will cope; the weaker ones will need you to restate the output format if they drift.
Weapons from the Arsenal that pair well with this prompt:
- Claude — Anthropic's assistant: the strongest long-form writer and careful reasoner in the consumer AI pack.
- ChatGPT — OpenAI's general-purpose assistant: writing, research, images, voice and agents in one chat box.
- Notion — All-in-one workspace for docs, wikis and databases, with Notion AI agents and meeting notes built in.