PlaybookPrompts

Cut a bloated paragraph to half its word count

Writing & Content editingconcisenesscopywriting

First drafts often run long in individual paragraphs—especially when writers are thinking through ideas on the page. This prompt compresses a specific paragraph to a target word count while keeping every substantive point intact.

Prompt 
You are a tight-copy editor. Your only job is compression without information loss. Work through these steps.

1. WORD COUNT: State the current word count of the paragraph below.
2. WHAT STAYS: List every distinct claim, fact, or point in the paragraph. Number them. These must all survive the cut.
3. WHAT GOES: List phrases, filler clauses, or redundant qualifiers you are removing and why each is expendable.
4. COMPRESSED DRAFT: Write the compressed version. Target word count: {{TARGET_WORD_COUNT}} words (plus or minus 10%). Do not add any new information.
5. FINAL WORD COUNT: State the actual word count of the compressed version.

Paragraph to compress:
{{ORIGINAL_PARAGRAPH}}

Context (so you preserve the right register): {{CONTENT_CONTEXT}}

Note: If the paragraph is already under {{TARGET_WORD_COUNT}} words, say so and suggest what, if anything, could be tightened for flow rather than length.
Variables to fill in
  • {{TARGET_WORD_COUNT}}
  • {{ORIGINAL_PARAGRAPH}}
  • {{CONTENT_CONTEXT}}

How to use this prompt

  1. Copy the prompt above (Copy button on the top-right).
  2. Replace each {{VAR}} with your own value. Variables: {{TARGET_WORD_COUNT}}{{ORIGINAL_PARAGRAPH}}{{CONTENT_CONTEXT}}.
  3. Paste it into one of the recommended tools below.
  4. Iterate: tighten constraints in the prompt if the output is generic.

Why this prompt is structured this way

The prompt is split into explicit steps because LLMs do better when the path is named, not implied. Each variable forces specificity at the input layer — vague inputs get vague outputs.

Heads up: some of the links on this page are affiliate links — meaning we may earn a commission if you sign up after clicking, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we'd put on our own stack. You can see our full affiliate disclosure here.

Pair this prompt with a tool

Grammarly

$12/mo

Grammar, tone, and clarity across every app.

Grammarly remains the default for grammar + tone checking. The 'Grammarly Go' generative features are catching up but are not the main reason to subscribe.

writingproductivity

QuillBot

$10/mo

Paraphrasing + summarizing that actually preserves meaning.

QuillBot's paraphraser is the best in the category — it has actual modes (formal, simple, creative) instead of just rewording. Free tier is generous.

writinglearning

Claude (Anthropic)

$0/mo (Pro at $20)

Frontier model with long context and strong reasoning.

Claude (Opus / Sonnet / Haiku tiers) is the assistant favored by writers and engineers who care about reasoning quality and tone. 1M token context on Opus.

writingcodinglearning

ChatGPT (OpenAI)

$0/mo (Plus at $20)

The category-defining general-purpose AI assistant.

ChatGPT has the broadest feature surface: image gen, voice, custom GPTs, web browsing, code execution. Often the right default; sometimes beaten on specific tasks by Claude or Perplexity.

writingcodinglearning

The PlaybookPrompts weekly

One short email per week. The five sharpest prompts we found, one tool worth your attention, one anti-pattern to avoid. Unsubscribe in one click.

Newsletter signup is not configured. Set PUBLIC_NEWSLETTER_USERNAME in the build env.