Short answer Paste the prompt below into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot with your own details and you get a list of blog post ideas based on the real questions your local customers ask, with a simple outline for the first one. Works on free plans. Time saved: about an hour of staring at a blank page (estimate).
Why it helps
A blog can bring people to your website from Google, but only if you write about what people actually search for. Most small business blogs stall after three posts because the ideas run out, or the posts are about the business instead of the customer's problem.
The best ideas are already in your inbox: the questions customers ask you every week. AI can turn that list into post ideas, group them, and outline the first one. You still write it in your own words, because your experience is the bit Google and readers value.
The prompt
Copy it, swap the bits in [square brackets], and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
I run a [type of business] in [town], New Zealand. Help me plan blog posts that local people might search for. Questions customers often ask me: [paste 5 to 15 real questions, in their words] Please: 1. Turn these into 12 blog post ideas. Each one should answer a real question in plain words. Use titles people might type into Google, including my town or region where it fits naturally. 2. Group them into 3 or 4 themes. 3. Mark the 3 I should write first and say why in one line each. 4. Give me a short outline for the first one: headings and the main points under each. Rules: NZ English. Don't invent facts, prices, stats or rules. Where a post needs a fact I should check, say "check: ..." next to it. No clickbait titles.
Then keep chatting
Turn this outline into a first draft I can edit, around 600 words, in a friendly, plain voice.
Give me 3 short social posts to share this blog post.
Which of these could become a page on my website instead of a blog post?
Step by step
- Write down the questions customers ask you, by phone, email, text or at the counter. Use their words, not yours.
- Paste them into the prompt and read the ideas.
- Pick one idea you could explain to a customer in five minutes, and use the outline to write it.
- Add something only you know: a real example, a photo of your own work, or a local tip.
- Check any facts or rules, publish it, and set a reminder to write the next one in two weeks.
Worked example
Example details are made up. Your results will vary, so always read and check before you use them.
Watch out for
- Accuracy: posts about tax, law or safety need checking against official sources like ird.govt.nz, business.govt.nz or worksafe.govt.nz. Wrong advice on your own site is worse than no post.
- Don't publish AI drafts word for word. Google's guidance on helpful content (developers.google.com/search) favours pages written for people, with real experience. Your own examples matter.
- Privacy: when using customer questions or stories, take out names and anything that identifies them. The Privacy Act 2020 applies (privacy.org.nz).
Go further
Some questions belong on a single page rather than a blog, so pull the quick ones into your customer FAQ page. Then share each new post with a short update using the LinkedIn posts use case.
