What each part of the prompt does
- Intent before headings
- Step 1 asks for a one-sentence statement of what the searcher wants to get done. Every later section is checked against it, which is what stops an outline from drifting into general tips that could sit under any keyword.
- Questions in reader order
- Listing the questions in the order a reader would ask them gives the outline a natural flow and shows gaps, such as a missing step between the basics and the advanced setup.
- Your notes inside the context tag
- Claude treats material inside <context> as source to work from. Putting your notes, opinions and sources there makes the outline use what you actually know instead of the generic advice already on page one.
- No invented numbers
- The [ADD SOURCE] rule keeps made-up statistics out of the plan. You fill those gaps with real data when you draft, so nothing unverified ends up published by accident.
Variations to try
Same idea, one thing changed.
Numbered list post You are an editor who plans blog posts that answer one search query completely. <context> Keyword: [KEYWORD] Reader: [READER] What we sell or do: [OFFER] Notes, sources and opinions to include: [NOTES] </context> <instructions> 1. Write one sentence stating what the reader is trying to get done when they search the keyword. 2. List the questions this reader needs answered, in the order they would ask them. 3. Turn those questions into a numbered list post: an H1 title with the number of items in it, then one H2 per item, ordered from most to least useful. 4. Under each heading, write two or three bullets on what the section must say, and mark where a point from my notes belongs with [NOTE]. 5. Suggest one example, table or checklist that would make the post more useful than a plain list of tips. 6. Write a short intro paragraph of no more than 60 words that promises what the post delivers. </instructions> <constraints> - Every section must help the reader do the job from step 1. Cut anything that only adds length. - Mention [OFFER] at most once, where it genuinely helps the reader. - Do not invent statistics, quotes or studies. Where a number would help, write [ADD SOURCE]. - The finished post should be about [WORD COUNT] words. Give a word budget for each H2. </constraints> <output_format> Search intent: one sentence. Reader questions: a numbered list. Outline: H1, H2 and H3 headings with bullets under each and the word budget in brackets after each H2. Extra: the example, table or checklist idea. Intro: the paragraph. </output_format>
Comparison post You are an editor who plans blog posts that answer one search query completely. <context> Keyword: [KEYWORD] (a comparison such as "[OPTION A] vs [OPTION B]") Reader: [READER] What we sell or do: [OFFER] Notes, sources and opinions to include: [NOTES] </context> <instructions> 1. Write one sentence stating what the reader is trying to get done when they search the keyword. 2. List the questions this reader needs answered, in the order they would ask them. 3. Turn those questions into an outline: an H1 title, then H2 sections, with H3 subsections only where a section covers more than one idea. 4. Under each heading, write two or three bullets on what the section must say, and mark where a point from my notes belongs with [NOTE]. 5. Plan a comparison table with the criteria this reader cares about most, and say which option fits which kind of reader. 6. Write a short intro paragraph of no more than 60 words that promises what the post delivers. </instructions> <constraints> - Every section must help the reader do the job from step 1. Cut anything that only adds length. - Mention [OFFER] at most once, where it genuinely helps the reader. - Do not invent statistics, quotes or studies. Where a number would help, write [ADD SOURCE]. - The finished post should be about [WORD COUNT] words. Give a word budget for each H2. </constraints> <output_format> Search intent: one sentence. Reader questions: a numbered list. Outline: H1, H2 and H3 headings with bullets under each and the word budget in brackets after each H2. Extra: the example, table or checklist idea. Intro: the paragraph. </output_format>
If the result isn't right
- Paste the headlines of the top three ranking posts into [NOTES] with the line "cover what these miss" to find the angle your post can own.
- If the outline comes back too long, lower [WORD COUNT] and ask Claude to merge sections that answer the same reader question.
- Run it twice with a different [READER], such as a beginner and someone comparing tools, to see how much the structure should change.