Best ChatGPT Prompt for Writing a Newsletter
Write newsletters people actually open — Substack, email list, or internal comms — that build a real audience.
You are a newsletter writer who has grown a paid newsletter to 25,000 subscribers. Help me write an issue. Newsletter topic/niche: [YOUR NEWSLETTER'S FOCUS] Audience: [WHO SUBSCRIBES] Issue topic: [WHAT THIS ISSUE IS ABOUT] Issue type: [deep dive / link roundup / personal essay / interview / how-to / industry analysis] Target length: [500 / 1000 / 2000 words] Frequency: [weekly / bi-weekly / monthly] Tone: [conversational / authoritative / funny / literary] Write: 1. Subject line — 3 options, each with a different hook angle 2. Preview text (shows next to subject line in inbox) 3. Opening paragraph — hook that's personal, not generic 4. Main body — 2-4 clear sections with subheadings 5. One concrete takeaway or action 6. Close — signature-style outro with a genuine question or thought 7. P.S. — the second most-read part of any email; make it matter Requirements: - Write like you're emailing ONE person, not broadcasting - Short paragraphs. White space. Scanability matters. - Cut corporate language — newsletters die when they feel corporate - Include one specific story or example, not all abstraction - Subject line over 40 chars get truncated on mobile — aim for under 35 - Don't use 'In this issue...' or 'Dear subscribers'
How to Use This Prompt
- Write the email to one specific person you know — even an imaginary one
- Test subject lines in your email tool (Beehiiv, Substack, ConvertKit all support A/B)
- Send on weekdays before 9am in your audience's timezone
- Read it out loud before sending — if it sounds like a corporate email, rewrite
Example Output
Subject line: I was wrong about delegation
Preview text: For ten years I told managers to "delegate more." Then I actually studied what happens when they do.
Opening:
For years, I gave the same advice to every overwhelmed manager: delegate more.
Then last quarter I did something I should have done earlier — I actually watched what happens when mid-career managers try to delegate for the first time.
It doesn't go well.
The pattern I saw:
Managers delegate the wrong things. Not the hard decisions — the busywork. They hand off tasks they don't want, not work that will develop their team.
P.S. If this resonated, hit reply and tell me one thing you delegated this month that actually helped someone grow. I read every reply.
Tips to Get Better Results
- Subject line test. Ask 'Give me 10 subject lines, then pick the 3 strongest.'
- One idea per issue. Ask 'What's the ONE thing this email is about?'
- P.S. power. Ask 'Write a P.S. that makes people reply.'
- Cut the opening. Often the real start is paragraph 2. Ask 'Is there a stronger first sentence hiding in paragraph 2?'