substack-ghostwriting

Skip this phase if ghostwriting (the Ghostwriting Workflow handles voice separately).

Ask the user for their existing Substack URL. If they have one, recent posts are a valuable source of tone markers — formality level, sentence rhythm, humor style, paragraph length, how they open and close, recurring phrases. Summarize the voice in 5-7 bullet points and confirm with the user before writing.

If they don't have an existing Substack, ask: "How do you want to sound? Casual and conversational, professional and authoritative, or something else?" Use their answer plus any other writing samples they can share.

Stop and ask. Present the intake questions below to the user and wait for their answers. Do not skip this phase, do not infer silently, and do not start drafting until you have explicit answers or confirmation on every item.

1. Topic: What's this about? If vague, ask what specific angle or story the reader should walk away with.
2. Format: Newsletter issue (email-first) or web post (web-first)? See mode detection above.
3. Audience: Who reads this? (developers, founders, marketers, general tech, niche community...) A newsletter for junior devs reads very differently than one for CTOs.
4. Objective: What's the concrete goal?
   • Grow subscribers (free or paid)?
   • Drive signups/traffic to an external product (SaaS, course, tool)?
   • Establish authority / thought leadership?
   • Nurture existing subscribers toward a paid tier?
   • Something else? The objective shapes the CTA, the hook angle, and where depth goes vs where the paywall or link sits.
5. Context: Part of a series? What have recent posts covered?
6. Length: Short (500-800 words), Standard (1000-1500), Deep dive (2000+)

If critical pieces are missing (especially topic, audience, objective, or format), ask and wait — don't guess. A wrong assumption wastes an entire draft.

If the user has Notes data (which Notes got engagement), use that to validate topic selection. Notes function as a cheap testing pipeline for long-form content.

Generate 5 title/subject line variants and 3 hook options (opening 2-3 sentences each). Present them together and ask the user to pick or remix before proceeding. Do not write the body until the user has validated a title and hook direction.

Title principles:

• Specificity beats vagueness
• Promise a clear benefit or reveal
• 6-10 words (readable on mobile and in search results)
• For dev audiences: technical keywords filter for the right audience; "How to" and numbers perform well; avoid urgency/scarcity tactics

Hook types — write 3 distinct hooks using different strategies (e.g. credibility, counter-narrative, curiosity, surprise, data). Each hook should be 2-3 sentences that could open the piece. Present them labeled (Hook A, Hook B, Hook C) with a brief note on the strategy used.

Newsletter issue — subject line + preview text:

• The subject line is the headline. The preview text (first ~90 chars of the email) is the subhead. Together they determine open rate.
• Preview text should complement, not repeat, the subject line.

Web post — SEO + discoverability:

• Keep the main title punchy for the feed. Use the separate SEO title field for a keyword-rich version (under 60 chars).
• Write a dedicated SEO description (150-160 chars) — don't rely on the subtitle fallback, it's usually too short.
• Suggest a URL slug: short (3-6 words), keyword-rich, no dates.
• Assign to a publication section if applicable.
• Read references/web-post-formatting.md for detailed SEO guidance.

Wait for the user to choose a title and hook before moving to Phase 3.

Using the chosen title and hook, write the full piece. The hook opens the article, then continue with:

1. Hook (chosen from Phase 2)
2. Context (1-2 paragraphs): Why this matters now. What prompted this.
3. Body (bulk): The actual content. Structure depends on content type.
4. Takeaway (1-2 sentences): The one thing the reader should remember.
5. CTA (1-2 sentences): Ask for a specific action. Questions that invite replies are strongest (replies are an algorithm signal).

Newsletter issue formatting — read references/email-formatting.md for full rules:

• Paragraphs: 2-3 sentences max (email clients make long paragraphs feel like walls)
• Code blocks: < 10 lines (link to Gist for longer code)
• Images: sparingly (many email clients block them by default)
• TL;DR at top for issues > 1500 words

Web post formatting — read references/web-post-formatting.md for full rules:

• Paragraphs: 3-4 sentences acceptable (full-width web rendering is more forgiving)
• Longer code blocks OK (up to 30-40 lines with full syntax highlighting)
• Images and embeds render reliably — use more liberally
• Table of contents for posts > 2000 words

Shared formatting rules:

• Subheadings every 200-400 words. Bold key phrases so skimmers catch the argument.
• Descriptive anchor text on links, not "click here."

Add elements that leverage the Substack algorithm. Read references/substack-algorithm.md for the full mechanics.

1. Reply prompt: End with a genuine question. Replies signal engagement to the algorithm.
2. Share prompt: "If you found this useful, forward it to a colleague who [specific situation]." Specificity increases share rate.
3. Recommendation hook: If the user has recommendation partnerships, weave in natural cross-references.
4. Notes teaser: Write a 2-3 sentence version for Substack Notes. Notes should stand alone as valuable, not just be a link to the issue.

If the user has a paid tier, advise on the free/paid split:

• Free issues should be your best work (they drive growth and recommendations)
• Paid issues should offer depth, exclusivity, or access (not just a paywall on normal content)
• The most effective model: free issues that demonstrate value so clearly that readers want more

Common mistake: paywalling too early. At < 1000 subscribers, everything should be free. Growth compounds faster than paid conversion at small scale.

Invoke a humanizer skill (e.g. "humanize", "humanizer", "de-slop", "natural writing check", "AI detection cleanup", "rewrite like a human") to strip AI-generated patterns — filler words, predictable cadence, over-hedging, hollow transitions, inflated language. Substack readers pay for authentic voice; AI-sounding prose kills trust and cancels subscriptions.

Preserve hooks and subject lines. The hook and title/subject line (Phase 2) were deliberately engineered for open rate and curiosity. Instruct the humanizer to leave them intact — rewriting them for "naturalness" destroys the copywriting structure that drives opens and first-scroll retention.

After the content is drafted, suggest 1-3 images with specific placement. For each image, provide:

• Placement: Where in the issue (e.g. "as the cover image", "after the hook", "between section X and Y")
• Purpose: What the image adds (set the tone, break up a long section, illustrate a concept, reinforce the emotional beat)
• Description: What the image should depict

For newsletter issues: use images sparingly — many email clients block them by default. Prioritize a strong cover image and at most 1-2 inline images. For web posts: images render reliably — use more freely (diagrams, charts, screenshots).

Offer to generate a Midjourney prompt for each suggested image. If the user accepts, use the latest Midjourney model conventions to write the prompt.

• Use --ar 16:9 or --ar 3:1 for cover images and wide illustrations (optimal for Substack headers and social sharing), --ar 3:2 for smaller inline images.
• Refer to up-to-date Midjourney documentation for current prompt syntax and parameters.

After the content is written, ask the user if they want social distribution posts. Do not generate them automatically.

• If accepted, write a LinkedIn post and/or a Twitter/X post to promote it.
• These are not summaries — they are standalone pieces of content that create enough curiosity or value to drive clicks.

Read references/social-distribution.md for LinkedIn and Twitter/X post templates.

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