Creative Hooks And Content Creation / Ideation (GPT4_01 mini Reasoning)

Here’s a plug‑and‑play, time‑boxed playbook that mirrors exactly how Cole walks through an AI‑driven writing session. Adjust the timings to your own pace or attention span, but try to stick to the sequence—you’ll save days of fumbling around and go from half‑baked idea to publishable draft in roughly 2–3 hours.

PHASE 1 – SEED & FRAME (0–15 min)

1. Pick your “seed” idea (0–5 min)
   • A half‑baked thought you’ve been noodling on (e.g. “Reed Hastings banned the word ‘Blockbuster’ at Netflix”).
2. Decide: standalone theme or sub‑point? (5–10 min)
   • Is that your entire article’s theme, or one data point inside (e.g. “3 CEOs who had weird rules”)?
3. Clarify your goals & medium (10–15 min)
   • What’s your promise? (e.g. “3 lessons from Reed’s ban that founders can steal.”)
   • Where will this live? (blog post, LinkedIn long‑form, Twitter thread, email, etc.)

PHASE 2 – BRAINSTORM HEADLINES + MAIN POINTS (15–40 min)

4. Prompt AI for headline/menu of ideas (15–25 min)
   • “I want an 800‑word article for founders on this seed idea.
   Generate 20 possible headlines, and under each list 3–5 main points.”
5. Scan & choose your editor‑in‑chief pick (25–30 min)
   • Look for curiosity, numbers, conflict, emotion. Note your “taste” rationale.
6. Refine that headline (30–40 min)
   • Tweak bold words, tighten, add specificity (big number, strong verb).

PHASE 3 – CRAFT A VIRAL HOOK (40–60 min)

7. Repurpose to your chosen medium hook (40–42 min)
   • E.g. “Turning an 800‑word article title into a Twitter thread hook.”
8. Steal a proven hook template (42–45 min)
   • Paste a recent viral hook you wrote (or a public example).
9. Plug in new details + ask AI for 5 variations (45–55 min)
   • “Here’s my template + my new facts. Write 5 alternative hooks.”
10. Pick & polish the winning hook (55–60 min)
    • Ensure clarity, brevity, emotional punch.

PHASE 4 – OUTLINE YOUR ARTICLE (60–85 min)

11. Lock in structure: Intro + 3 main sections + Conclusion (60–63 min)
12. Apply the “10 Magical Ways” to each section (63–70 min)
    • Decide: Will you give “Lessons,” “Steps,” “Stats,” “Examples,” etc.?
13. Draft 3 subheads in full‑sentence, tangible form (70–75 min)
    • Avoid vague labels—make each promise crystal‑clear.
14. Stress‑test & expand with AI (75–85 min)
    • “Generate 5 more batches of 3 subheads, all in sentence form, highly actionable.”
    • Choose the strongest set.

PHASE 5 – FLESH OUT SECTIONS WITH AI (85–120 min)

15. Section‑by‑section prompts (85–105 min)
    • For each subhead, tell AI exactly what to deliver:
    – “Under this lesson, give me 4 steps with brief explanation.”
    – “Under this point, provide 2 real‑world examples + a supporting stat.”
16. Compile outputs for Intro & Conclusion (105–115 min)
    • Prompt AI: “Write a 2‑sentence intro that hooks and a 3‑sentence wrap‑up that ties back.”
17. Quick human edit pass (115–120 min)
    • Smooth transitions, adjust tone, fact‑check, tighten any fluff.

PHASE 6 – POLISH & REPURPOSE (120–150 min)

18. Final proofread + formatting (120–130 min)
    • Bold subheads, add bullet lists, check links, broken sentences.
19. Generate micro‑content snippets (130–145 min)
    • Extract tweet thread slides, LinkedIn carousel captions, email teasers.
20. Schedule & publish (145–150 min)
    • Drop into your CMS, social scheduler, newsletter tool.

Total run time ~2 ½ hours.

Key Mindset Shifts You’ll Internalize

• You’re the editor‑in‑chief—AI is your junior columnist. You pick the ideas.
• 90% of value lives in your headline + your three main promises.
• Always think in clear, sentence‑formatted subheads—readers skim first.
• Use “conversational” prompts to build up ideas, then collapse into a single mega‑prompt once you know exactly what you want.
• Repurpose fiercely—every time you write one long piece, you can seed 5–10 micro‑assets.

Follow these steps faithfully and you’ll upload Cole’s exact playbook into your workflow—faster, smarter, and 10× more productive.