A 3-Prompt Pipeline for AI-Assisted Content Repurposing

The 3-Prompt Pipeline: From Substack Article to LinkedIn Post (Without Losing Your Voice)

TLDR: The author presents a three-prompt AI pipeline to streamline content creation without sacrificing authenticity. The system uses AI "at the edges" for idea validation, draft refinement, and social media angle extraction, leaving the core writing and thinking to the human author.

Summary: This article presents a compelling alternative to both fully-automated content generation and completely manual writing. The author, Ben, advocates for a hybrid approach he calls "AI at the edges, you in the middle." He identifies three common pain points for writers: validating ideas, refining prose, and repurposing content for different platforms. Instead of letting AI handle the entire workflow, he has developed a system of three distinct prompts to assist at these critical stages, ensuring the final product retains his unique voice and perspective.

The first prompt, the "Audience Validator," is used before writing to determine if an idea is worth pursuing. It analyzes a topic against pre-defined audience segments, assessing its relevance and potential for virality. This prevents writers from wasting hours on articles that won't resonate. The second prompt, the "Pencil Sharpener," acts as an editor after the draft is complete. It reviews the text against a checklist of 10 writing techniques—such as using the active voice and cutting intensifiers—to tighten sentences and improve clarity without altering the author's style. This is particularly useful for catching personal writing blind spots, like over-explaining or using filler words.

The final piece of the pipeline is the "Angle Extractor." This prompt is designed to solve the "now what?" problem after publishing an article on a primary platform like Substack. Instead of simply summarizing the article for a platform like LinkedIn, the prompt extracts 2-3 standalone insights that can each become their own post. It even suggests different hooks (contrarian, specific, personal) for the recommended angle, giving the author a strong starting point for crafting a native LinkedIn post that can perform well on its own.

For architects and teams creating content, this framework offers a structured way to integrate AI into the creative process without ceding strategic control. It demonstrates that AI's value isn't just in raw text generation, but also in providing targeted feedback and strategic insights. By using AI to validate ideas, sharpen prose, and discover new angles, creators can significantly improve their efficiency and impact. The system is a practical example of prompt engineering applied to a real-world workflow, showing how to build a system that enhances, rather than replaces, human creativity and judgment.

Key takeaways:

• AI can be used strategically at the "edges" of the writing process (validation, editing, repurposing) while the author remains "in the middle" for core thinking and writing.
• The "Audience Validator" prompt helps assess if an idea will resonate with specific audience segments before writing begins.
• The "Pencil Sharpener" prompt acts as an automated editor to refine a draft by checking it against common writing best practices.
• The "Angle Extractor" prompt helps repurpose long-form content by identifying standalone insights and suggesting engaging hooks for social media.
• This hybrid approach allows for increased efficiency and quality without sacrificing the author's unique voice.

Link: The 3-Prompt Pipeline: From Substack Article to LinkedIn Post (Without Losing Your Voice)