Maximizing Your Writing Potential: How to Use ChatGPT to Create a Comprehensive Blog Outline

Lori Ballen
6 min readJan 4, 2023

--

My list of prompts will get you started!

Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

ChatGPT is a text generation model that can generate human-like text based on a given prompt. To use ChatGPT to create a blog outline, you would start by providing a title and a prompt for your blog.

The title and prompt serve as the starting point for ChatGPT, and the model will then generate a list of ideas and suggestions based on the information you have provided.

For example, let’s say you want to write a blog about the benefits of meditation, and your title is “The Top 10 Benefits of Meditation.” Your prompt might be: “Generate a list of 10 benefits of meditation, along with a brief description of each.”

ChatGPT would then generate a list of ideas for you, such as:

  1. Reduces stress and anxiety
  2. Improves sleep
  3. Increases focus and concentration
  4. Improves self-awareness
  5. Increases feelings of happiness and well-being
  6. Reduces symptoms of depression
  7. Improves cardiovascular health
  8. Reduces chronic pain
  9. Enhances immune system function
  10. Increases lifespan

You could use this list as the basis for your blog outline, adding more specific details and examples.

Adding Headings and Subheadings

To ask ChatGPT to create headings and subheadings for your blog, you need to provide a prompt asking the model to generate these types of text.

For example, you might say: “Generate three main headings and three subheadings for a blog about the benefits of meditation.”

ChatGPT would then generate a list of headings and subheadings based on your provided information. Here is an example of what the output might look like:

Heading 1: Introduction to Meditation

Subheading 1: What is meditation and how does it work?

Subheading 2: The history and origins of meditation

Subheading 3: Different types of meditation practices

Heading 2: The Benefits of Meditation

Subheading 1: Reducing stress and anxiety

Subheading 2: Improving sleep and overall well-being

Subheading 3: Enhancing physical health

Heading 3: Getting Started with Meditation

Subheading 1: How to find the right meditation practice for you

Subheading 2: Tips for establishing a daily meditation routine

Subheading 3: Common pitfalls and how to overcome them

As you can see, ChatGPT can generate a wide range of ideas and suggestions for headings and subheadings based on a given prompt. You can then use these ideas as a starting point to create your own headings and subheadings for your blog.

Making Your Outline Longer

Here are some example prompts that you could use to make your outline longer or more comprehensive:

  1. “Generate a list of 10 main points for a comprehensive blog about the benefits of meditation, along with a brief description of each point and at least three supporting examples for each point.”
  2. “Generate five main headings and ten subheadings for a detailed blog about the benefits of meditation, along with a brief summary of the main points for each heading.”
  3. “Generate a list of 10 frequently asked questions about meditation, along with detailed answers and additional resources for further information.”
  4. “Generate a list of 10 potential challenges or obstacles that someone might face when starting a meditation practice, along with strategies for overcoming these challenges.”

By using prompts that ask for more detailed or specific information, you can create a longer and more comprehensive outline for your blog. This will help ensure that you thoroughly understand your topic and that your blog covers all the key points you want to make.

Adding Other Elements

Now, put this all together in one blog post with an intro, headings, subheadings, closing paragraphs, and FAQ — give me a creative title.

Creative Title Example

The creative title could be: “Unlocking the Secrets of Meditation: Discover 10 Benefits and How to Get Started.” or “Meditate Your Way to Health and Happiness: 10 Benefits and Tips for Getting Started”.

This title captures the key points of your blog post: unlocking the secrets of meditation, exploring its benefits, and how to get started with a meditation practice. It also uses creative language to draw readers in and encourage them to read the post.

The Intro Paragraph Example

Are you looking for a way to reduce stress, gain clarity, and feel more connected to yourself? Meditation can be a powerful tool to help you achieve these goals. With regular practice, it can help improve your focus, regulate your emotions, and deepen your connection with the present moment. In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of meditation and how it can benefit your physical and mental well-being.

Closing Paragraph Example

Meditation is a practice that offers numerous benefits for your physical and mental health. By exploring different meditation practices and creating a regular practice, you can unlock its potential and reap the rewards of a calmer and more focused mind. We hope this article has inspired you to explore the world of meditation — take some time today to find a practice that works for you!

FAQ Example

Q: What types of meditation are there?

A: There are many different types of meditation, including mindfulness, loving-kindness, guided visualization, mantra chanting, and more. Depending on your goals and preferences, you can explore various styles to find the best one.

Q: What are the benefits of meditation?

A: Regular meditation can help reduce stress, improve focus and concentration, regulate emotions, and create a sense of inner peace. It can also improve physical health by strengthening your immune system and reducing inflammation.

Q: How often should I meditate?

A: Meditating for at least 10–20 minutes a day is recommended, but ideally, you should practice daily. By creating a regular practice, you can see the most benefits from meditation.

Using these prompts and other elements of blog content creation, you can create an engaging and informative post about the benefits of meditation that covers all of the key points. From headings and subheadings to FAQs, an outline will help you create a comprehensive post that readers can refer back to for further information.

AI Content Detector

While the world is very excited about ChatGPT and AI tools, there is some concern about how Google will proceed with AI detection. While Google has changed its position somewhat on auto generators being spam, it still says they are spam if not “helpful.”

You likely want to use something other than straight AI content on your websites. That said, there are ways to improve your AI writing skills.

Prompts like:

  1. Write it again, but smarter
  2. Write again, but more creatively
  3. Write it again, but with more emotion

In addition, you can improve your article by:

  1. Adding internal and external links
  2. Providing current data, statistics, and quotes

Adding images, video, graphs, calculators, etc.

As a best practice, you can run your AI content through an AI detector like the one I use. It also has a plagiarism detector on board.

And if you want to optimize your article for SEO, I highly recommend using Surfer SEO.

Surfer SEO is a great tool for analyzing your content and providing advice on optimizing it, including word count analysis, NLP keywords, and competitive research.

For me, they work together.

By writing an informative, creative article with engaging visuals, you can ensure that your AI-generated content will be both useful and SEO friendly. The more effort you put into creating quality content, the better results you’ll see in your SEO rankings and overall website performance.

Good luck!

--

--

Lori Ballen

Lori's passion for blogging and commitment to empowering others is evident in her comprehensive, easy-to-follow articles.