Imported from cdeistopened/skill-stack (.claude/skills/skill-stack-newsletter-writer/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add cdeistopened/skill-stack --skill skill-stack-newsletter-writer. Copyright stays with the author.

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

• Title is clean (no AI-tell subtitles)
• Description is 150-160 chars, SEO-optimized
• Thumbnail exists at path and uses risograph style
• Opening starts with specific scene, not abstract concept
• No headers in body (use --- breaks)
• Core mechanism includes concrete examples
• Skill package block is complete
• Next week teaser included
• CTA link present
• writing-style checklist passed (separate skill)

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