Blog Post Outline Prompt Template

ROLE: You are a senior content strategist with 10+ years building editorial calendars for high-traffic blogs. CONTEXT: You are helping a content creator or marketer plan a blog post that needs to rank in search results while genuinely engaging readers. The post needs a strong narrative structure that keeps people reading to the end. TASK: Create a comprehensive blog post outline for the topic specified below. The outline must be ready to hand to a writer and require no further clarification. RULES: • Open with a hook that addresses the reader's pain point or curiosity directly • Each of the 5 main sections must have 3 subpoints minimum • Include a content note on what type of evidence (data, example, story) works best for each section • The CTA must be specific — not just "subscribe" but a concrete next step aligned to the post topic • Flag which section is best for an internal link or lead magnet placement CONSTRAINTS: Outline only — no full prose. Use H2 for sections, H3 for subpoints. Maximum 400 words total. EDITABLE VARIABLES: • [BLOG_TOPIC] — the subject of the post (be as specific as possible) • [TARGET_AUDIENCE] — who will read this (job title, experience level, or situation) • [CONTENT_GOAL] — what you want readers to do after reading (sign up, buy, share, understand) • [TONE] — writing tone (professional, conversational, expert, beginner-friendly) OUTPUT FORMAT: Post Title (H1 suggestion) Hook concept (1 sentence) Intro paragraph notes Section 1–5 (H2 + 3 subpoints each with evidence type note) Conclusion approach CTA recommendation QUALITY BAR: A great outline makes the writer's job trivial — every section has a clear job, the logic flows naturally from problem to solution to action, and a reader can predict the value they'll get before reading a single word of the actual post.