# Blog post outline prompt: free ChatGPT template > Plan a blog post around real customer questions and your own experience. This ChatGPT outline prompt flags every point that needs a source you supply. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/blog-post-outline-prompt · Updated 2026-10-01 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Marketing and social](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#job-marketing-and-social) · Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot Updated October 1, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Use this before you write a blog post or hand one to a writer, so the post answers the questions your customers really ask. An outline is cheaper to fix than a draft: if the structure is wrong, you find out in two minutes. This prompt builds the outline around real questions and what you know from your own work, and flags every spot where the post would need a fact or source you'll have to supply. ## The prompt Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every `[BLANK]` with your own details. It uses the four parts from [Prompt Writing 101](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Role, Context, Task and Format. Copy prompt ```text Role: You are a content editor helping [BUSINESS] plan a blog post that our own team will write. Context: The reader is [READER]. The topic is [TOPIC]. Questions customers ask us about it: [QUESTIONS]. What we know from our own work: [OUR EXPERIENCE]. Don't add statistics, costs, codes or rules; where the post would need one, mark it instead. Task: Create an outline for a helpful, practical post that answers those questions in the order a reader would ask them. Format: A working title, a one-sentence answer to the main question, then 5 to 7 section headings. Under each, 2 or 3 bullet points of what to cover, with "SOURCE NEEDED" next to any point that needs a fact we haven't given. End with a list of the SOURCE NEEDED items. ``` ## Fill in the blanks **`[BUSINESS]`** Your business name and what you do. **`[READER]`** Who will search for this and what situation they're in. **`[TOPIC]`** The subject in a phrase, the way a customer would type it into a search box. **`[QUESTIONS]`** Real questions from calls, emails or job sites, in the customer's words. **`[OUR EXPERIENCE]`** What you see on the job: how long things take, what you usually recommend and why. This is what makes the post worth reading. ## Example, filled in **A made-up example** from the free lesson [Build a Custom GPT Plumbing Quote Writer](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/plumbing-quote-writer-custom-gpt). Blue Maple Plumbing, the made-up plumber in the plumbing quote writer lesson, wants a post on repairing versus replacing a water heater. Copy example ```text Role: You are a content editor helping Blue Maple Plumbing, a small residential plumbing company in Lancaster County, PA, plan a blog post that our own team will write. Context: The reader is a homeowner whose water heater is acting up. The topic is whether to repair or replace a water heater. Questions customers ask us about it: How old is too old? Is rusty water a bad sign? Is a leak always the end? How long does a replacement take? What we know from our own work: most replacements we do take about half a day; when the tank itself leaks, we recommend replacing, because the tank can't be repaired; a leaking valve or fitting can often be fixed. Don't add statistics, costs, codes or rules; where the post would need one, mark it instead. Task: Create an outline for a helpful, practical post that answers those questions in the order a reader would ask them. Format: A working title, a one-sentence answer to the main question, then 5 to 7 section headings. Under each, 2 or 3 bullet points of what to cover, with "SOURCE NEEDED" next to any point that needs a fact we haven't given. End with a list of the SOURCE NEEDED items. ``` ## What a good answer looks like - Sections that follow your customers' questions, not "What is a water heater?" filler. - Your experience placed where it helps, such as the tank leak versus valve leak point. - SOURCE NEEDED next to things like typical lifespan or cost, instead of a confident made-up number. - A one-sentence answer at the top, which keeps the whole post focused. ## How to check it before you use it An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the [Reply Faster lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out. - Check every claim in the outline: anything that sounds like a fact should come from your experience or carry SOURCE NEEDED. - Fill each SOURCE NEEDED from a source you trust, such as the manufacturer's manual or your own job records, or cut the point. - Make sure every question you listed is answered somewhere. If one went missing, ask for a revised outline. - Cut sections that only exist to add length. ## Why this prompt works Splitting "what customers ask" from "what we know" lets the AI arrange your knowledge instead of replacing it. The SOURCE NEEDED marker is a simple guard against [hallucination](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/hallucination): the model may notice a gap, but it's not allowed to fill it. ## Practice it in the free lesson **[Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format)**: Ask ChatGPT for the same customer email twice, once vaguely and once with a four-part prompt, and see exactly why structure gets a better answer. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/prompt-writing-101) ## Terms used here [Hallucination](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/hallucination) · [Output format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/output-format) · [Prompt template](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt-template) ## Related prompts - [Blog post to social posts prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/repurpose-blog-into-social-posts-prompt): Turn one blog post into several social posts with a ChatGPT prompt that quotes the line each post is built on, so nothing new… - [Social post ideas prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/social-post-ideas-prompt): A four-part ChatGPT prompt for social post ideas built on your services and real customer questions: platform, hook and call to… - [FAQ from customer emails prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/faq-from-customer-emails-prompt): Turn a batch of customer emails into an FAQ: the questions people really ask, in their words, answered only from your facts… - [Content calendar prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/content-calendar-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt that turns one campaign into a dated email and social calendar: one row per item, a cap on emails, and only the… ## Frequently asked questions **Can the AI write the post from the outline?** Yes, one section at a time works best. Paste the approved outline and your answers to the SOURCE NEEDED items, ask for one section, and check its claims before moving on to the next. [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)