Copy-Paste First: A Writer's Playbook for Getting Verbatim Content from AI
Most AI chat tools can't open links or fetch web pages for you. If you want verbatim extraction, you need to paste the article text yourself.
Here's a simple, repeatable workflow built for writers who value speed, accuracy, and clean sourcing.
Why links alone don't work
Links are not enough. The assistant can't visit the page, load scripts, or read behind paywalls.
To return an exact copy, it needs the actual text. No text, no verbatim output.
What to send the assistant
- Paste the full article text if you want it returned exactly as-is.
- Or share the URL and confirm you'll paste the content yourself. The assistant still won't retrieve it.
- If there are copyright limits, confirm you own it or have permission. Otherwise, ask for a summary or transformation.
Step-by-step: copy only the article body
- 1) Open the article in your browser.
- 2) Select only the body text (skip nav, promos, and comments).
- 3) Copy (Ctrl/Cmd + C) and paste into the chat.
- 4) If you need exact formatting preserved, say so. If not, ask for clean text only.
If you can't share the full text
- Confirm rights. If you don't have them, avoid verbatim reproduction.
- Ask for a summary, outline, analysis, or key quotes with short citations.
- Request a transformation (paraphrase, bullets, style shift) instead of a copy.
What the assistant can do instead (fast options)
- Summarize the main points in bullets or a tight abstract.
- Extract headings, subheads, quotes, stats, and sources.
- Reformat into clean markdown or HTML.
- Rewrite for tone, clarity, or brevity to fit your publication.
Prompts you can steal
- Verbatim return: "I will paste the full article. Return the content exactly as supplied-unaltered."
- Body-only clean copy: "I'll paste an article with extra site chrome. Extract the article body only, no commentary."
- Summary: "Summarize in 7 bullets. Keep quotes intact. Include 2 key takeaways."
- Outline: "Turn this into a publish-ready outline with H2/H3 structure and short notes per section."
- Rewrite: "Rewrite for clarity and directness, 10% shorter, keep facts and numbers."
Ethical note (protect yourself and your publication)
If you don't hold rights, avoid full reproductions. Use summaries, quotes with attribution, or analysis.
Fast workflow for writers
- Collect the source link and confirm rights.
- Copy the article body and paste into the chat.
- State what you want: verbatim, summary, outline, or rewrite.
- Ask for specific constraints: length, tone, formatting, quotes preserved.
- Scan the output. Fix names, numbers, and dates first.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Sharing only a link and expecting the assistant to fetch content.
- Copying site chrome, comments, or sponsored inserts as part of the article.
- Skipping rights checks, then needing a last-minute rewrite.
- Vague prompts. Specific instructions cut revision time.
Template you can paste into your briefs
Use case: [verbatim / summary / outline / rewrite]
Source: [URL]
Rights: [I own it / I have permission / summary only]
Instructions: [style, tone, length, formatting]
Keep: [quotes, stats, citations]
Exclude: [site chrome, comments, ads]
Level up your AI writing workflow
If you want smarter prompts, cleaner handoffs, and repeatable systems for your writing team, these resources help:
Bottom line
Don't send links and hope. Paste the text, be explicit about rights, and tell the assistant exactly what output you want.
Clear inputs make fast, accurate outputs-and fewer rewrites on deadline.
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