TL;DR: A structured prompt that forces ChatGPT to use storytelling, cite sources, and limit self-promotion for cleaner, more human-sounding first drafts.
Why generic prompts fail
We have all been there: you ask ChatGPT for a blog post, and it spits out something dry, robotic, and totally unusable without heavy editing. It is frustrating when you know the tool is capable of more but just won’t give it to you. That is why this discovery by u/withvicky_ caught my eye immediately. This Redditor shared a specific prompt used by marketing expert Neil Patel to generate articles that actually sound human and require significantly less modification.
The Prompt
Here is the exact text the author shared. You will need to fill in the bracketed sections with your specific details.
I want to write an article about [[insert topic]] that includes stats and cite your sources. And use storytelling in the introductory paragraph.
The article should be tailored to [[insert your ideal customer]].
The article should focus on [[what you want to talk about]] instead of [[what you don’t want to talk about]].
Please mention [[insert your company or product name]] in the article and how we can help [[insert your ideal customer]] with [[insert the problem your product or service solves]]. But please don’t mention [[insert your company or product name]] more than twice.
And wrap up the article with a conclusion and end the last sentence in the article with a question.
Why this works
This prompt succeeds because it moves beyond a simple subject request and establishes strict boundaries for the AI.
- The Storytelling Hook: By explicitly asking for storytelling in the intro, it prevents the AI from starting with the cliché “In today’s digital landscape” opening. It forces a narrative structure right away.
- Negative Constraints: Telling the AI what not to talk about is just as important as the topic itself. This keeps the article focused and prevents it from wandering into irrelevant sub-topics.
- The “Salesy” Cap: The instruction to mention the product “no more than twice” is brilliant. It ensures the article provides value first and sells second, rather than sounding like a spammy advertisement.
- Engagement: Forcing a question at the end is a classic engagement tactic to encourage comments and reader interaction.
Variations and Improvements
While this template is solid, there is one major risk you need to manage. As pointed out by u/sleepyHype in the comments, asking ChatGPT to “cite sources” often leads to hallucinations: it might invent studies or URLs that do not exist.
Here is how to fix that and improve the output:
- Feed the Stats: Instead of asking it to find stats, find 2-3 real statistics yourself and paste them into the prompt (e.g., “Use the following statistic about X…”). This ensures accuracy.
- Define the Tone: Add a sentence about the desired voice. For example, “Write in a witty, conversational tone similar to a tech column,” or “Maintain a professional, academic tone.”
I think this changes how we approach prompting by reminding us that constraints often produce better creativity than open-ended freedom!
Check out the original discussion on Reddit to see how others are tweaking this workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I trust ChatGPT to cite sources accurately with this prompt?
Be very careful with that part of the prompt! Community members warn that asking AI to "cite your sources" often leads to hallucinations, where it invents studies or URLs that don’t actually exist. A better approach is to research the stats yourself and paste them into the prompt so the AI has factual data to work with.
Q: Will this prompt generate a ready-to-publish article?
Probably not without some polish. While this prompt helps with structure, users noted that it lacks specific tone guidance, which can still result in generic-sounding content. You should expect to edit the output to match your brand’s voice, as finding the balance between specific constraints and creative freedom is key to getting high-quality results.
Q: Should I add more detailed instructions for style and tone?
It’s worth testing, but proceed with caution. Some users have found that the more specific you get with style requirements, the poorer the outcome can be. It often works best to let the AI generate a "base" draft using a prompt like this, and then refine the style manually or in a follow-up prompt.
Prompt used by Neil Patel for writing an article
by u/withvicky_ in ChatGPTPromptGenius