How I Use ChatGPT to Brainstorm Newsletter Topics

Every week I need a fresh, relevant topic for my newsletter. Here's the exact workflow I use with ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner — and where the human touch still matters most.

Every week, I need a juicy, relevant topic for AI Picked, Alex Approved. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with ChatGPT as my brainstorming partner — and it’s been surprisingly effective.

Here’s how the process went for my latest edition:

1️⃣ I fed it my previous newsletter topics so it knew what I’d already covered.

2️⃣ I asked for fresh angles, from AI in IDEs to Docs vs AI debates.

3️⃣ We drilled down into real-world developer opinions, research, and stats.

4️⃣ I used it to structure a fast-read newsletter with fast facts, real quotes, and a deeper dive for readers who want more.

The result: a newsletter draft ready to go, packed with credible sources and actual dev stories — all while keeping my voice front and center. Read the full edition here.

Pro tip: AI is amazing for idea generation and research, but the human touch is still essential for context, nuance, and personality.

Note that this conversation took around 30 minutes but it did give me two different posts based on the same conversation (the newsletter and THIS post you’re reading right now!).

ChatGPT prompt feeding it the AI Picked, Alex Approved newsletter, then suggesting AI, MuleSoft, and content topics

ChatGPT given the list of past newsletter topics, then proposing fresh angles grouped by theme

ChatGPT comparing "Docs vs AI" and "IDE Cage Match" topics with a pros and cons breakdown

ChatGPT weighing pros and cons of the IDE Cage Match topic and recommending it as the next edition

ChatGPT's first newsletter draft comparing expectations vs reality of AI coding copilots

ChatGPT listing what devs praise and what breaks with AI IDE tools, with cited sources

ChatGPT suggesting hands-on experiments to try and real developer quotes to include

ChatGPT framing the editorial angle and offering a TL;DR shareable soundbite for the piece

ChatGPT condensing the draft into Fast Facts, What This Means, and My Take sections

ChatGPT's "IDE Cage Match" draft with numbered fast facts, takeaways, and a deeper dive section

ChatGPT offering real developer testimonials and a "Deeper Dive + Real-Dev Stories" section

ChatGPT quoting developer complaints about AI copilots plus supporting research and stats

ChatGPT's polished Deeper Dive split into "The Good" and "The Bad" with quoted dev reviews

ChatGPT's "The Ugly" and "The Takeaway" sections with a Cursor refactor quote and security stats

ChatGPT's near-final newsletter draft combining fast facts, takeaways, and quoted dev reviews

Continuation of the draft ending with The Ugly and The Takeaway, then offering a cleaned-up version

Cleaned-up "IDE Cage Match" draft with formatted fast facts, what-this-means, and deeper-dive sections

End of the draft, then ChatGPT offering to write a short LinkedIn caption to promote the edition

ChatGPT drafting a LinkedIn caption, then a separate post about the brainstorming process itself

ChatGPT producing a LinkedIn post titled "How I Use ChatGPT to Write About AI in IDEs Without Losing My Voice"

ChatGPT's final post styled after this article, recapping the ChatGPT brainstorming workflow

FAQs

Frequently asked questions about this post.

How does Alex use ChatGPT to brainstorm newsletter topics?

The process runs in four steps: first feed ChatGPT the previous newsletter topics so it knows what has already been covered, then ask it for fresh angles (from AI in IDEs to Docs vs AI debates), then drill down into real-world developer opinions, research, and stats, and finally use it to structure a fast-read newsletter with fast facts, real quotes, and a deeper dive for readers who want more.

What is ChatGPT good for in this workflow, and where does the human touch still matter?

AI is amazing for idea generation and research, but the human touch is still essential for context, nuance, and personality — the goal is to keep your voice front and center while ChatGPT supplies credible sources and actual dev stories.

How long does the brainstorming conversation take?

The conversation took around 30 minutes, and it produced two different posts from the same chat: the newsletter edition and this post about the brainstorming process itself.

Which newsletter does this workflow produce topics for?

It produces topics for Alex's newsletter, AI Picked, Alex Approved, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/%F0%9F%94%AE-ai-picked-alex-approved-7348737640038350849/ .