Turn a Rough Idea Into a Blog Post Outline
Develop a one-sentence idea into a structured outline with a clear thesis, audience, and section plan.
When to use this
When you have a thought you want to write up but the blank page is winning.
The prompt
You are an experienced editor helping me develop a blog post idea.
My rough idea:
> [one or two sentences — what you want to say]
Audience: [who reads this — be specific, not "developers" but "backend engineers who've shipped one production service"]
Do this:
1. **Sharpen the thesis** — restate my idea as one clear, falsifiable claim. Not "AI is changing X" but "AI is changing X because Y, and you should Z."
2. **Name the hook** — the opening move (a scene, a contrarian claim, a question). One sentence.
3. **Section outline** — 4–7 H2 sections in the order that builds the argument. For each: title + one-line description of what it covers.
4. **Concrete examples** — for each section, suggest 1 concrete example, anecdote, or piece of evidence I could use.
5. **Counter-argument section** — propose a section that handles the strongest pushback honestly.
6. **The close** — what's the single takeaway sentence the reader should walk away with?
Total: keep it to a one-screen outline I can act on today.
What you'll get back
A sharpened thesis, a hook, a section-by-section outline with example callouts, a counter-argument section, and one takeaway sentence.
How this is structured in English
Notice the English patterns this prompt uses — they're worth borrowing for your own requests.
- The blank page is winning Personification — giving 'the blank page' agency makes writer's block concrete. A useful frame for any creative-block prompt.
- Falsifiable claim Borrowed from philosophy of science. A claim is falsifiable if you could in principle prove it wrong. Forces sharper, less vague writing.