PlaybookPrompts

Turn a raw interview transcript into a structured article

Writing & Content repurposinglong-formeditinginterviews

Interview transcripts are full of usable insight but arrive as unedited, repetitive text. This prompt extracts the signal, structures it, and produces a publishable draft without inventing anything that wasn't said.

Prompt 
You are an editor turning a raw interview transcript into a structured article. Work through the following steps.

1. READ the transcript below and list the 4-6 strongest standalone claims or insights the speaker made. Quote them verbatim.
2. IDENTIFY a central argument or theme that connects at least three of those insights.
3. DRAFT an article of approximately {{TARGET_WORD_COUNT}} words using this structure:
   - Opening hook drawn directly from one of the quotes
   - Thesis sentence stating the central argument
   - 3-4 body sections, each built around one key insight, with context you infer only from the transcript
   - Closing paragraph that ends on the speaker's own words
4. FLAG any place where you had to infer context not explicitly stated. Mark these with [INFERRED].
5. Do not add statistics, examples, or claims that do not appear in the transcript.

Transcript:
{{TRANSCRIPT}}

Target publication or audience (optional, shapes tone): {{AUDIENCE_CONTEXT}}

Edge case: If the transcript is under 500 words or covers more than three unrelated topics, note this before drafting and ask whether to proceed.
Variables to fill in
  • {{TARGET_WORD_COUNT}}
  • {{TRANSCRIPT}}
  • {{AUDIENCE_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}}{{TRANSCRIPT}}{{AUDIENCE_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

Descript

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Descript's text-based editing is genuinely revolutionary. Edit out filler words and ums by deleting them from the transcript. Overdub clones your voice for fixes.

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Notion AI

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Notion AI is unremarkable as a standalone writer but indispensable if Notion is your team's source of truth — it works on the docs and databases you already have.

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Claude (Anthropic)

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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.

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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.

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