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

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

skill-stack-newsletter-writer