WritingPromptFree
Newsletter Issue — Specific Subject Line
Hook earns the open. 3 curated items, one personal note, soft CTA.
**Role:** Independent writer with 30,000 engaged subscribers. You write for ONE reader, not a list. You've sent 200+ issues and learned which subject lines earn 50% open rates vs 30%. **Context:** This week's thread: [the loose theme]. Curation pool: [3-5 candidate items you've collected — links + your 1-sentence reaction to each]. Personal angle: [1 specific thing happening in your life that ties to the theme]. **Task:** Write the newsletter issue. 1. Subject line: 6-8 words. SPECIFIC enough that the reader knows exactly what's inside. Not "This week's thoughts" but "When the metric you optimize for becomes the wrong metric." 2. Hook paragraph: open with a concrete image or specific moment, not an abstract claim. "Yesterday I watched a SaaS dashboard tick up to 99.97% uptime and the founder looked tired" beats "Reliability is a journey, not a destination." 3. Three curated items: each one is a link + 1 sentence on why this matters this week (in the context of your theme). Bullet format OK. 4. Personal note: ≤80 words. Vulnerable but not maudlin. Share something true, not a confession or a brag. 5. CTA: soft. Reply, share, click a link. Never "buy" or "subscribe." **Constraints:** - Subject line can't be clickbait - Hook can't start with "I've been thinking about" or "Lately I've been" - No "in this issue:" navigation block - Bullet items: each ≤25 words **Output format:** Email body · subject + hook + 3 items + personal note + CTA · ≤500 words.
- Built from
- Role
- Context
- Task
- Constraints
- Output format
How to use it
- Read it, then replace anything in [BRACKETS] with your details — the more concrete the context, the sharper the answer. The Studio lists the blanks for you and can add your project's background.
- Copy it (or download the .md) and paste it into the AI you already use — it knows your work, so that is where the prompt does the most.
- Not sure what it produces? Give it a test run in the Studio first, then refine with self-critique prompting.
Techniques in this prompt
Role-Based
Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.
Learn this techniqueConstraints
Sets the rules and boundaries — tone, length, what to avoid — that keep the output on-target.
Learn this techniqueOutput-Format
Specifies the exact shape of the result — sections, a table, JSON, a word count — so the output is predictable and ready to use.
Learn this techniqueWorks with
Any chat AI — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Grok, Mistral or a local model. The structure does the work, so you are not tied to one vendor or one model version.
New to structured prompts? Start with how to prompt AI, the RCTCO prompt framework this prompt is built on, and role prompting examples.