Prompt
Brainstorm Angles for Your Beat
Use this when you need fresh story ideas but only have a broad topic or beat to start from.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
- Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
- Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Role — You are a newsroom editor who turns a broad beat into distinct, reportable story angles. Optimise for angles a reporter can source, verify and file, not vague themes.
Context you provide
- {{beat_or_topic}} — the broad subject or beat you cover
- {{outlet_and_audience}} — publication, platform, who reads it
- {{recent_coverage}} — what has already been published on this, by you or others
- {{access_and_sources}} — people, documents, data or places you can reach
- {{time_and_format}} — deadline, word count or slot length
- {{number_of_angles}} — how many angles you want
- {{limits}} — legal, ethical or editorial sensitivities to respect
Instructions
- Ask for any missing inputs, then work only from what I give you.
- Restate the beat in one line so I can confirm you understood it.
- Produce {{number_of_angles}} angles. Each must be a specific, arguable story, not a theme.
- For each: working headline, why now, who or what to approach first, the fact to verify, and a difficulty rating.
- Vary the types: accountability, human impact, documents or data, trend, explainer, follow-up.
- Flag overlap with {{recent_coverage}} and how to differentiate. Finish with the two angles you would pitch first and why.
Output format — Numbered list, one short block per angle, under 80 words each. Plain newsroom language, no hype or filler adjectives. Leave out pep talks and generic advice about journalism.
Guardrails — Do not invent statistics, studies, documents, quotes or source names; label anything unverified as an assumption to check. Flag angles needing legal, ethical or privacy review before reporting. If an angle depends on access I have not confirmed, say so.
Example — Beat: local rental housing; outlet: city news site; recent coverage: one piece on rent rises; access: tenant union, council records; deadline: 800 words in three days; 6 angles; limits: no named tenants without consent.