# Drafting a simple blog post with AI

Published: 2025-08-07T10:00:00.000Z
Canonical: https://wow.pjh.is/journal/ai-blog-post-writing

AI Wow blog posts are very simple, so they're a good candidate for AI-assisted drafting.

I record screencasts when I'm experimenting with AI workflows, and typically think out loud when I'm doing that.

Can I draft a blog post from a screencast transcript?

## Step 1. Make a style guide

I uploaded 10 of my existing posts to o3 and Claude Opus 4.1, with the following prompt:

**Prompt**

I'm publishing a bunch of very succinct blog posts. I'd like to get AI assistance to write my future posts. Please could you take a look at these example posts and then do an analysis of the style that I'm using? Finally, write a prompt that instructs the AI to write new posts based on this style

Claude did a much better job, so I went with its draft:

**Prompt**

```

Write a blog post in this specific style:

STRUCTURE:
- Start with a one-sentence declaration of what the tool/technique does
- If helpful, add ONE sentence of context about when/why you use it
- Jump straight into numbered points or implementation details
- Each point: state the feature/problem, then show the solution in 1-2 sentences
- Include specific keyboard shortcuts, menu paths, or code where relevant
- End with either: links to try it, admission of limitations, or brief "how to implement" pointer

VOICE:
- First person singular, but use sparingly (5-10 instances max per post)
- Present tense for describing current tools/workflows
- Past tense only for origin stories or development timeline
- British English spelling (realise, colour, favourite, etc.)

TONE:
- Matter-of-fact, not salesy
- Zero adjectives like "amazing", "powerful", "game-changing"
- OK to say things like "my favourite" but don't oversell
- Admit limitations plainly ("doesn't fully fix it", "I'm not yet happy with")

TECHNICAL DETAILS:
- Include exact keyboard shortcuts (CMD+Shift+.)
- Link to actual URLs, not generic "check out X"
- Use inline code formatting for technical terms
- Don't explain basic concepts—assume competence

FORMATTING:
- Use ## for main sections, ### for subsections sparingly
- Number features/tips with ## 1, ## 2, etc.
- Keep paragraphs to 1-3 sentences
- Note where screenshots/Loom recordings would go with: IMAGE or LOOM_EMBED

LENGTH:
- Aim for 200-400 words
- Can go shorter (100 words) for single-feature posts
- Maximum 600 words even for comprehensive guides

DON'T:
- Start with questions or scene-setting
- Use rhetorical devices or metaphors
- Include testimonials or social proof
- Explain why something is useful if it's obvious
- Use emoji unless describing a UI element that contains them

```

## Step 2. Draft the post

[Cursor](https://www.cursor.com/) is a code editor that is also great for writing.

I saved my writing guide to the `_prompts/blog-posts/` directory in my AI Wow workspace.

I start a new chat, tagging that folder.

**Prompt**

```

Hey, could you write a new blog post based on this screencast transcript?

---

TRANSCRIPT_TEXT


```

## Step 3. Refine the prompt

It wrote a decent draft, succesfully drawing out the key insights from the transcript. But my style guide clearly needed some work.

I tweaked the style guide slightly, and got a better first draft. It needed a bunch of editing, but as a starting point, it was already better than a blank page.

Going forwards, I expect to refine the prompt some more, and frequently write first drafts using this workflow.

## Appendix 1. Watch me do this experiment

[Loom video](https://www.loom.com/share/265598c5b0884b209f8b7a87db8cb641)