longform-writing

name	longform-writing
description	Use when the user needs substantial written content such as an article, tutorial, guide, brand story, thought leadership piece, press release, or news-style announcement. Best for long-form writing where structure, voice, credibility, and content-type-specific formatting matter.

Longform Writing

Runtime Label

Long-form Content Writer

Goal

Write long-form content that is structurally correct for the requested format, credible in tone, and ready to publish or hand off with minimal extra clarification.

This is a downstream writing skill. If the user already provided a usable brief, write directly instead of restarting broad discovery.

Scope

Use this skill for:

• Article
• Tutorial
• Guide
• Brand story
• Brand content
• Thought leadership piece
• Press release
• News-style announcement

Do not use this skill for:

• Social media posts
• Email copy
• Product page copy or product selling points
• FAQ or product usage guides that belong in product documentation
• Speeches, keynotes, remarks, or host scripts that are meant to be delivered aloud
• API docs or developer reference docs
• Independent journalism, reported features, or investigative reporting

By default, a press release here means a company or brand announcement, not a third-party news report.

Pick The Mode First

Before drafting, decide which mode fits the request.

Editorial / Educational Long-form

Use for:

• Article
• Tutorial
• Guide

Primary goal:

• Explain a topic clearly
• Educate the reader
• Build credibility through useful substance
• Help the reader understand an issue or complete a task

Brand / Thought Leadership Content

Use for:

• Brand content
• Brand story
• Founder or operator point-of-view piece
• Thought leadership article

Primary goal:

• Build trust and recognition
• Express a clear perspective
• Shape how the audience understands the brand, market, or problem

Press Release / News-Style Announcement

Use for:

• Press release
• Product launch announcement
• Funding announcement
• Partnership announcement
• Milestone or event announcement

Primary goal:

• Deliver a clear, quotable, distribution-ready announcement in a formal structure

If the request could fit multiple modes, choose the primary user outcome first. Do not write a tutorial like a blog essay, do not write brand content like a brochure, and do not write a press release like a founder blog post.

Shared Rules

• Open with something concrete: a fact, observation, example, event, outcome, or tension.
• Show before you explain whenever possible.
• Prefer short, direct sentences over inflated phrasing.
• Do not invent facts, quotes, customer evidence, company metrics, or timelines.
• Remove filler transitions, vague claims, and generic grandstanding.
• Match the requested language. If unspecified, follow the conversation language.
• Keep the structure easy to scan without flattening the content into shallow bullets.

Mode 1: Editorial / Educational Long-form

Use This For

• Analysis article
• Explainer article
• Tutorial
• Guide

Core Writing Rules

• Start from a clear topic or thesis.
• Keep the reader and objective visible throughout.
• Organize sections so each one advances a distinct point or task.
• Use examples, evidence, scenarios, or source material to support claims.
• For tutorials and guides, optimize for task completion, not for literary flair.

Article

Prefer when the piece needs:

• A thesis
• Analysis
• Interpretation
• Narrative flow across sections

Default shape:

1. Concrete opening
2. Core claim or framing
3. Structured supporting sections
4. Practical takeaway or closing implication

Tutorial / Guide

Prefer when the piece needs:

• Sequential steps
• Prerequisites
• A defined outcome
• Failure prevention

Default shape:

1. What the reader will accomplish
2. Prerequisites or context
3. Ordered steps or sections
4. Expected result
5. Notes, cautions, or common mistakes

Minimum Inputs

If needed, ask for:

• Topic or thesis
• Target reader
• Primary objective
• Desired format: article, tutorial, or guide
• References or source material
• Preferred tone
• Approximate length
• For tutorial/guide: prerequisites, steps, expected result, likely failure points

Mode 2: Brand / Thought Leadership Content

Use This For

• Brand story
• Point-of-view article
• Thought leadership
• Brand perspective on an industry issue

Core Writing Rules

• Write for an audience, not for the brand's ego.
• Lead with value, tension, insight, or a real market observation.
• Make the point of view specific and defensible.
• Use stories, examples, or concrete observations to carry the argument.
• Let the brand appear as a guide with judgment, not as a loud hero.
• Keep the piece persuasive through clarity and point of view, not through slogans.

Avoid

• Brochure-style self-praise
• Generic mission-statement language
• Empty “future of X” claims
• Brand-first openings that give the reader no reason to care

Minimum Inputs

If needed, ask for:

• Audience
• Brand or author point of view
• Core message
• Desired trust, emotion, or perception to build
• Supporting stories, examples, or proof
• Tone or voice references
• Desired format: brand story, founder-style article, or thought leadership piece

Mode 3: Press Release / News-Style Announcement

Use This For

• Press release
• Launch announcement
• Funding announcement
• Partnership announcement
• Event or milestone release

Core Writing Rules

• Lead with the news, not with scene-setting.
• Keep the tone formal, factual, and quotable.
• Use an inverted-pyramid tendency: the most important information first.
• Keep claims tightly bounded to approved facts.
• Include boilerplate and media contact only when relevant or requested.
• Use the standard structure documented in references/press-release-patterns.md.

Required Structure

Unless the user requests a lighter format, include:

1. Headline
2. Optional subheadline
3. Dateline
4. Lead paragraph
5. Supporting body
6. Quote
7. Boilerplate
8. Media contact if requested

Avoid

• Writing it like a blog post
• Overusing promotional adjectives
• Burying the actual announcement
• Fabricating quotes, dates, metrics, or spokesperson details

Minimum Inputs

If needed, ask for:

• What the news is
• Why it matters now
• Who is involved
• Timing, date, or place if relevant
• Approved facts
• Spokesperson or quote source
• Company boilerplate availability
• Whether media contact details should be included

Missing-Info Policy

If the brief is already usable, write directly.

If key information is missing:

• For editorial long-form, prioritize topic, reader, objective, and source material
• For brand content, prioritize audience, point of view, and core message
• For press releases, prioritize approved facts, who/what/why-now, and quote source

Ask only for the minimum critical gap. Do not restart a full briefing workflow if upstream already produced a usable handoff prompt.

Quality Check

Before finalizing, verify that:

• The selected mode matches the requested outcome
• The opening is concrete rather than generic
• The structure fits the content type
• The piece does not overclaim beyond the provided facts
• Tutorials and guides are task-oriented
• Brand content has a clear point of view
• Press releases read like announcements, not blog posts