Skill Stack Newsletter Writer

This skill handles newsletter FORMAT only. Writing style comes from the root writing-style skill.

Newsletter Structure

Frontmatter Schema

title: "[Skill Name]" issue: [number] date: "YYYY-MM-DD" skill: [skill-slug] thumbnail: "/images/thumbnails/[slug].png" description: "[SEO description: 150-160 chars, keyword + insight + deliverable]" tags: ["tag1", "tag2", "tag3"]

Field Notes:

• title : The skill name, clean. No subtitles like "The X That Changed Y"

• skill : Maps to the downloadable skill package slug

• thumbnail : Risograph style (see image-prompt-generator)

• description : SEO-optimized but punchy (see writing-style for guidelines)

• tags : 3-5 relevant keywords, lowercase

Content Sections

Each newsletter follows this rhythm:

1. Opening Hook (150-200 words)

Personal story or observation. Ground the reader in something real before introducing the skill concept.

• Specific place, time, sensory detail

• Something you found, discovered, encountered

• The seed that led to the insight

No throat-clearing. Start in media res.

2. The Discovery (100-150 words)

Bridge from story to skill. The moment you understood something about how this works.

• "Fast forward..."

• "Here's what I discovered..."

• A single key insight, stated directly

3. Core Mechanism (200-300 words)

Explain HOW the skill works. This is the teaching section.

• What most people get wrong

• The counterintuitive insight

• Concrete examples (actual prompts, actual output)

Use section break (---) not headers here. Let prose flow.

4. The Wizard/Workflow (100-150 words)

Walk through how to use it. Conversational but specific.

• Step 1, step 2, step 3

• What the user does at each stage

• What they get at the end

5. Skill Package (formatted block)

Always include this exact structure:

The skill package includes:

• SKILL.md — [Brief description]
• WIZARD.md — [Brief description]
• templates/ — [Brief description]
• references/ — [Optional: examples, samples]

Plus setup requirements: time, inputs needed.

6. Ways to Use (2-4 bullet points)

Concrete applications. Three sentences max per use case.

7. Next Week Teaser (1-2 sentences)

Preview next skill. Build anticipation without overselling.

8. Closing + CTA

One sentence that lands. Then download link.

[Download the [Skill Name] →]

Section Breaks

Use --- (horizontal rule) between major sections instead of headers.

Only use H1 for the title. Avoid H2/H3 within the body. Let prose breathe.

Length Target

800-1200 words total. Dense but readable.

Example: Issue 1 Structure

Voice Matching

[Opening: Didion discovery at Berkeley, 180 words]

[Discovery: Client project, 120 words]

[Core mechanism: Why examples beat descriptions, 250 words]

[Wizard walkthrough, 100 words]

The skill package includes: [Package block]

[Ways to use, 80 words]

[Next week teaser]

[Closing line + CTA]

Checklist Before Publish

• Title is clean (no AI-tell subtitles)

• Description is 150-160 chars, SEO-optimized

• Thumbnail exists at path and uses risograph style

• Opening starts with specific scene, not abstract concept

• No headers in body (use --- breaks)

• Core mechanism includes concrete examples

• Skill package block is complete

• Next week teaser included

• CTA link present

• writing-style checklist passed (separate skill)

This skill handles structure. Run writing-style for prose quality.