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

The pipeline I use to turn one article into platform-specific posts.

I’ve built a fully automated content repurposing system that turns my newsletters into 15+ social posts without me touching a single platform.

It saves me 5+ hours every week.

But here’s what I’ve realized: there are multiple valid paths to solving the same problem.

My approach leverages AI automation - AI runs in the background, processes everything automatically, and delivers platform-optimized content ready to edit and publish.

Benjamin Hies uses a different framework: “AI at the edges, you in the middle.”

Same problem (content repurposing is exhausting), different solution.

Where I automate the entire pipeline, Ben uses AI strategically at three specific decision points:

• Before writing - AI validates if an idea is worth pursuing

• After writing - AI catches blind spots and tightens prose

• During repurposing - AI extracts angles for LinkedIn adaptation

Then he writes everything himself.

Both approaches work. Both save significant time. Both preserve your voice.

The difference is control versus automation.

Ben’s framework gives you more manual control at each stage - you’re making the decisions, AI is just helping you make them faster and better.

My automation handles the decisions for you based on rules you’ve pre-programmed.

Which one you choose depends on your workflow preferences and how much you trust AI with strategic decisions.

I’m sharing Ben’s approach today because:

1. It’s a legitimate alternative to full automation that some people will prefer

2. The prompts are excellent - even if you automate, these validation and editing frameworks are worth studying

3. It teaches content repurposing mechanics that make you better at encoding rules into automation systems

Ben writes about visas and residencies (totally different niche) on his newsletter: Digital Citizen, but faced the exact same content repurposing challenge. His three-prompt system is worth stealing whether you automate or not.

If you want to learn what Ben is writing about, you might want to check out his latest posts:

1. The Top 8 Residencies You Can Get (Within Months)

2. 8 Documents You Need Before You Move Abroad (+Templates You Can Use)

3. The Digital Citizen Visa Checker App (3 Clicks To See Every Visa You Qualify For)

Here’s Ben.

---

Hey there, fellow AI-enthusiasts 👋

I’m Ben. I write about visas, residencies, and all the “boring” stuff that actually matters when you move countries.

I’ve been doing this for 6 months, and you might think I had this figured out from the beginning.

I did not.

Months ago, this used to happen:

• I sit down to write.

• I have 30 ideas.

• All of them feel important.

But which one do my readers actually need today?

No idea.

Then there’s editing.

My coach once told me:

“You over-explain and your sentences get tangled. People get lost before you make your point.”

Ouch. But true.

And the worst part?

I would publish a Substack article, feel great about it, then open LinkedIn and think:

Now what?

My LinkedIn reposts were getting 7 reactions and 2 comments.

Dead on arrival.

I had three distinct problems, and no system.

So, I did what I usually do:

I built one.

---

The Insight

I found that plenty of people use AI in one of two ways:

1. They let AI write everything. Then spend hours editing it to sound like them.

2. They don’t use AI at all. Because it “doesn’t sound right.”

I found a third way.

AI at the edges and me in the middle.

For the three problems I encountered, I go from:

• Is this idea worth exploring today? → AI helps me validate before I start.

• Did I over-explain again? → AI helps me refine after I finish.

• How do I turn this into a LinkedIn post? → AI helps me find the angle.

But the writing and thinking? All me.

So, I’m gonna share three prompts with you today. Each one explaining how I went from pain point to solution.

---

The Pipeline Overview

Here’s how the system works:

1. The Audience Validator (Before you write the article)

You have an idea, but is it worth 4 hours of your life? This prompt checks if your audience actually cares, and gives you a brief to write from.

2. The Pencil Sharpener (After you write the article)

You finished your draft, but can you see your own blind spots? This prompt catches the patterns you miss: tangled sentences, vague claims, over-explaining.

3. The Angle Extractor (Before you write the LinkedIn post)

Your article is done, now what? This prompt finds 2-3 angles and gives you hooks to start from. Once you pick your angle, the post (almost) writes itself.

As I said: AI at the edges, you in the middle.

Let me show you each one.

---

1. The Audience Validator

The problem it solves

I have a running list of 50+ article ideas. Every week I used to pick one based on gut feeling. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

But, I was just guessing and needed a way to validate.

The concept: “Segment Matching”

Not every idea fits every reader.

My audience has different life situations. Working adults exploring options. Retirees planning their exit. Digital nomads already on the move.

The Audience Validator checks:

• Who is this actually for?

• And how well does it fit them?

If no segment scores above 40%, the idea is too broad.

If a segment scores 70%+, I’m onto something.

If all segments score 50%+, I can create an evergreen post.

The Prompt

THE AUDIENCE VALIDATOR

#Role: You are a Content Strategist who validates topic ideas before writers waste hours on articles that won’t resonate.

#Context: Before I commit 3-5 hours to an article, I need to know if it’s worth pursuing and what angle to take.

#Task:

1. VALIDATION CHECK
   - What are people actually asking about this topic? (Reddit, forums, common questions)
   - What’s already been written? What’s missing?
   - Is this timely or evergreen?

2. SEGMENT MATCHING
   For this topic, estimate fit percentages for each of my audience segments.
   
   Rules:
   - Percentages reflect how relevant this topic is to each group
   - Don’t force equal splits - some articles serve 1-2 segments strongly
   
   Interpretation guide:
   - VIRAL/TIMELY content: One segment at 70%+. Narrow focus, urgent hook.
   - EVERGREEN content: 50-60% across 2-3 segments. Broader appeal, longer shelf life.
   - If no segment scores above 40%: Topic too broad or wrong for your audience.

3. VIRALITY ASSESSMENT
   - Rate: HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW
   - Why? (Emotional hook, practical urgency, shareability)

4. ARTICLE BRIEF (if worth pursuing)
   - Headline (specific, tangible promise)
   - Tagline (curiosity-driven subtitle)
   - Primary segment this serves
   - 3-5 key points to cover
   - Suggested poll question

#Output: 
- Verdict: WRITE IT / REFINE IT / SKIP IT
- Segment fit percentages with interpretation
- Full brief (if WRITE IT or REFINE IT)

#My Segments: 
[LIST YOUR 3-5 AUDIENCE SEGMENTS]

#My Topic:
[PASTE TOPIC]

The Result

I write a lot about different residencies/visas for different people.

Last week, I prepared my posts for mid-December, and double-clicked on my Panama residency article idea.

Usually, I proceed and write about all types of visa options. The Audience Validator however, changed my direction to make this a more focused piece:

Important: You NEED to know your audience.

If you don’t know who you write for, the prompt is less powerful. Before you make any assumptions, stay with what you know about your audience.

---

2. The Pencil Sharpener

I could not see my own blind spots.

After my LinkedIn coaching, it became obvious to me, that I’m over-explaining in my articles.

Also, as a non-native speaker, I tend to use filler words.

So, I built a checklist, for things like:

• Put important words at the end of sentences (this is called the “end weight principle”).

• Don’t cram three ideas into one sentence (I used to do this all the time).

• Use “decided” instead of “made a decision”

• Cut “very,” “really,” “extremely” etc.

Simple to understand, but hard to see in your own writing.

The Prompt:

THE PENCIL SHARPENER

#Role: You are an Editor who makes writing tighter, clearer, and more human—without changing the author’s voice.

#Context: I’ve written a draft. I want to sharpen the sentences without losing my style.

#Task: Review my draft against these 10 techniques. For each violation you find:
- Quote the original sentence
- Name which technique it violates
- Provide a rewritten version

The 10 Techniques:
1. End Weight - Put important words at the end of sentences
2. No Function Word Clusters - Don’t stack small words (of the, in the, for the)
3. Active Voice - Make clear who’s doing what
4. Specific Beats Vague - Concrete details over generic statements
5. One Idea Per Sentence - Break up complex thoughts
6. Show, Don’t Tell - Evidence over claims
7. Cut Intensifiers - Remove “very, really, extremely”
8. Strong Verbs - Choose verbs over nominalizations (don’t say “made a decision”—say “decided”)
9. Cut Unnecessary Words - Every word earns its place
10. Lead with Action - Start sentences with the doer performing action

#Output Format:
❌ ORIGINAL: [quote]
🔧 TECHNIQUE: [which one]
✅ REVISED: [your fix]

End with: “X sentences sharpened. Biggest pattern: [whatever showed up most].”

#My Draft:
[PASTE DRAFT]

The Result

To showcase this, I dug up one of my earlier posts about double-taxation agreements.

This was the output:

❌ ORIGINAL: “For example, if you’re a resident of Country A but earn freelance income from clients in Country B, both countries might try to tax that income.”

🔧 TECHNIQUE: Specific Beats Vague (Country A/B is abstract)

✅ REVISED: “Say you live in Portugal but freelance for US clients. Both countries might try to tax that income.”

…and this:

❌ ORIGINAL: “Without legal agreements in place, you could end up paying tax twice on the same earnings, once where you live, and again where the money was made.”

🔧 TECHNIQUE: Cut Unnecessary Words + One Idea Per Sentence

✅ REVISED: “Without a tax treaty, you pay twice. Once where you live. Once where the money came from.”

Way clearer.

This is one of my favorite prompts to this day.

---

3. The Angle Extractor

Once I published my article on Substack, the next challenge was LinkedIn.

I would stare at LinkedIn and think:

“Do I just... summarize it?”

That’s what I used to do.

1,380 impressions. 7 reactions.

For an article that got over 25.000 views on Substack.

I learned a few things in the last months, the most important being:

LinkedIn posts need to be standalone.

There can’t be an intro like “Here is XYZ, and now please click this link”

I would not click on such a link, so why would anyone else?

So, I built a prompt that does one thing:

Extracting angles and give me hooks to start from.

I don’t need AI to write the post. What I need is a nudge.

The concept: “Buckets”

Not every angle works the same way on LinkedIn.

• Some are about who you are (Life).

• Some are about what you know (Expertise).

• Some posts are about what you are building (Business).

Knowing in which bucket your angle fits, helps you pick the right tone.

Those above are my buckets. You can steal mine, or create your own, based on what you want to write about.

The Prompt:

THE ANGLE EXTRACTOR

#Role: You are a LinkedIn Content Strategist who helps creators repurpose long-form content into LinkedIn posts.

#Context: I have a Substack article. I want to turn it into a LinkedIn post, but I want to write it myself. Help me find the angle and hook.

#Task:

1. ANGLE EXTRACTION
   Read my article and identify 2-3 standalone insights that could each become their own LinkedIn post. Each angle should be ONE idea, not a summary.

2. BUCKET ASSIGNMENT
   For each angle, assign it to ONE bucket:
   - Business (what you’re building, entrepreneurship lessons)
   - Expertise (what you know, your professional domain)
   - Life (who you are, personal transformation)

3. RECOMMEND
   Which angle has the strongest LinkedIn potential? Why?

4. HOOK OPTIONS
   For the recommended angle, give me 3 hook options (first line of the post):
   - One that’s contrarian (challenges a common belief)
   - One that’s specific (uses a number or concrete detail)
   - One that’s personal (starts with “I”)

#Output:
- 2-3 angles with bucket assignments
- Recommended angle + reasoning
- 3 hook options to choose from

I’ll write the post from there.

#My Article:
[PASTE ARTICLE OR SUMMARY]

The Result

The hook options from the prompt (for the same post that tanked months ago) were:

• Contrarian: “Too many people overcomplicate residencies.”

• Specific: “5 residencies. 3 steps. That’s it.”

• Personal: “I used to overthink residencies. Then I got 5 of them.”

I decided on the contrarian one, since LinkedIn loves those.

Not viral, but not bad either. From 1,300 impressions to 6,000 impressions, without any new content.

It doesn’t work 100% of the time, but (as with anything) you get a better and better.

---

AI At The Edges

I had three problems, now I have three solutions.

They are far from perfect, but the results speak for themselves.

• Which idea is worth my time today? → The Audience Validator.

• What am I missing in my own writing? →The Pencil Sharpener.

• How do I turn this article into a LinkedIn post? → The Angle Extractor.

All follow the same principle:

AI at the edges. You in the middle.

Steal them, test them, and let me know if they worked for you.