/plan-newsletter

name: plan-newsletter
description: "Plan a complete newsletter issue from a topic or idea, including research, draft, subject line, opening hook, and social promotion posts. Use when the user says 'plan a newsletter', 'create a newsletter about', 'newsletter plan', 'write a newsletter issue', or wants to turn an idea into a full issue plan."

Plan Newsletter Issue

Overview

This skill takes a topic and produces a complete newsletter issue plan with draft content, subject line options, opening hook options, and social promotion posts. It is a thin orchestrator — every content generation step delegates to a foundation skill. This skill contains workflow sequence and platform-specific decisions only, not implementation logic.

How Reference Delegation Works

Each foundation skill owns its own reference files and loads them automatically. When you invoke `creator-stack:write` for newsletter content, it loads `references/newsletter.md` from its own directory. When you invoke `creator-stack:title` for subject lines, it loads `references/newsletter-subject-lines.md` from its own directory. You don't need to manage these paths — just invoke the skill and provide context.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Planning a new newsletter issue from a topic or idea
• Repurposing existing content (video transcript, notes, research) into a newsletter
• Creating a content plan for Substack or another newsletter platform

Prerequisites

A topic or source material is required. This can be:

• A topic idea or keyword
• A video transcript to repurpose
• Existing notes or research
• A URL or document to build from

If research already exists or the user is repurposing existing content, the research step can be skipped.

Planning Workflow

Execute all steps below sequentially.

Step 1: Research the Topic

Invoke `creator-stack:research` to understand the content landscape and identify the best angle for the newsletter issue.

• Pass the topic, audience context, and any source material to the research skill.
• The research skill analyzes competitors, identifies gaps, and produces actionable insights.

**Skip condition**: Skip this step if the user provides existing research, or if working from existing content (e.g., repurposing a video transcript). Note the reason for skipping in the plan.

Step 2: Draft the Newsletter Issue

Invoke `creator-stack:write` with content type "newsletter" to draft the full issue.

• The writing skill loads its own `references/newsletter.md` for newsletter structure and conventions.
• The writing skill automatically invokes `creator-stack:voice` for voice consistency.
• Pass the research findings (or source material) and topic context.
• The draft follows the newsletter reference structure including sections, formatting, and CTAs.

Step 3: Generate Subject Line Options

Invoke `creator-stack:title` with content type "newsletter" to generate 3-5 subject line options.

• Each option includes:
• Subject line text
• Preview text (the snippet shown in email clients)
• Rationale for why it will perform well
• Star rating (1-3 stars) indicating recommendation strength

Step 4: Generate Opening Hook Options

Invoke `creator-stack:hook` with content type "newsletter" to generate 2-3 opening paragraph options.

• Each option includes:
• Full opening paragraph text
• Hook strategy description
• Rationale and alignment with the selected subject line
• Star rating (1-3 stars) indicating recommendation strength

Step 5: Generate Social Promotion Posts

Invoke `creator-stack:write` separately for each platform:

1. **Twitter/X thread** — specify content type "twitter" 2. **LinkedIn post** — specify content type "linkedin" 3. **Substack Note** — specify content type "substack-note"

Each promotion post should tease the newsletter content and drive subscriptions/reads. The writing skill loads the appropriate platform reference for each invocation.

Step 6: Generate Header Image (Optional)

Invoke `creator-stack:social-graphic` to generate a newsletter header image.

• Only invoke if the user requests a header image or if the newsletter platform benefits from one.
• If not requested, mark as "Not requested" in the plan.

Step 7: Present Complete Plan

Present the full plan to the user for review. Include all options with star ratings so the user can make informed selections.

Output Structure

Save the plan to `./newsletter/issues/[issue_name]/plan.md`. Create the directory if it doesn't exist. Use a slugified version of the topic as the issue name (e.g., `ai-coding-assistants`).

The plan file follows this structure:

# Newsletter Issue Plan: [Topic]

## Research Summary
[Key findings and angle — or "Based on [source material]" if repurposing]

## Subject Lines
[3-5 options with preview text, rationale, and star ratings]

## Opening Hook Options
[2-3 opening paragraphs with strategy, rationale, and star ratings]

## Draft Issue
[Full newsletter draft following newsletter structure]

## Social Promotion
### Twitter/X Thread
[Thread draft]
### LinkedIn Post
[Post draft]
### Substack Note
[Note draft]

## Header Image
[Generated image or "Not requested"]

Delegation Reference

Each foundation skill owns its own reference files and loads them automatically:

| Content | Skill | Reference (loaded by the skill) | |---------|-------|---------------------------------| | Research | `creator-stack:research` | Loaded based on topic context | | Newsletter draft | `creator-stack:write` | `newsletter.md` | | Subject lines | `creator-stack:title` | `newsletter-subject-lines.md` | | Opening hooks | `creator-stack:hook` | `newsletter-hooks.md` | | Twitter thread | `creator-stack:write` | `twitter.md` | | LinkedIn post | `creator-stack:write` | `linkedin.md` | | Substack Note | `creator-stack:write` | `substack-notes.md` | | Voice | `creator-stack:voice` | Invoked automatically by writing skill |

Quality Checklist

Verify