The Prompt I Was Gatekeeping

Three screenshots I never posted, and the free copy-paste prompt I use to turn one real story into a week of posts for every platform.

Three screenshots

Jan 13, 2025. 3:05pm. Almaty.

I took a screenshot of my bank account. It said $894.26.

In that moment I knew that one day I'd look back at that number with pride. How far I'd come in what I believe, what I can do, and (hopefully) what's in that account.

It's October 9, 2026, 11:44am. I'm in a coffee shop, bent over my keyboard, trying my best to spew out something "authentic." Turns out vulnerability is the only thing on the menu today. That's okay.

Feb 11, 2025. 10:22pm. I was still working when I took the second one. My Upwork app, and my very first offer. A small e-commerce business needed a video edit.

$250. Minus the 10% service fee. $225.

It was the happiest I remember feeling in the eight months before it. Some false belief I'd been carrying started to crack that night.

The third screenshot is from this week. My posting calendar for next week: 59 posts across 8 platforms.

I didn't post the first two. I almost didn't post the third.

I build in silence

Here's the habit.

I build tools, workflows, little frameworks. Each one solves a problem I hit in my work that week. Then I keep it.

Part of me wants to gatekeep the golden nuggets. The more honest answer is I usually can't see what they'd do for anybody else.

Posting was the same wall. For a long time it all felt like too much.

What do I say?

Do I post on one platform or all of them?

Who even cares about these silly little stories?

So mostly I said nothing, and the screenshots stayed on my phone.

What changed

I stopped treating every post as its own blank page.

Now one real story goes in. A client moment, a mistake, a screenshot like the ones above. I get one master version back: the hook, the belief it defends, the story in order, the lessons, the proof. Every post for every platform gets cut from that master.

A LinkedIn post, a thread, a carousel, short posts, a reel script, a blog post like this one.

Two rules keep it honest.

Nothing gets made up

Every number, quote and story has to trace back to something that actually happened, in my notes or in my own words. If it can't be traced, it doesn't go out. That one rule is most of why it still sounds like me.

I read every draft

The system drafts and schedules. I decide what ships. Every correction I make becomes a rule for the next batch, so it gets sharper over time.

The first one went out in June. In one month, 14 stories became 55 posts. Next week it's 59.

The rule

If you screenshotted it for yourself, it's a post.

You already know which moments matter. You take a picture of them. That folder on your phone is the content calendar you think you don't have.

The prompt

This is the one I was gatekeeping. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, whatever you use, then paste your raw material under it: notes, a voice memo transcript, a messy brain dump, the story behind a screenshot.

You are my content editor. Below my message is raw material from my real work.

STEP 1. EXTRACT
Pull out: the problem I was dealing with, what I tried, what changed, any real numbers, and lines that already sound like me. Quote me word for word where you can.

STEP 2. ASK
Ask me up to 5 questions, one at a time, only for what you can't find: why it mattered, one real moment I remember, who this is for, and what I want them to do after reading. Wait for each answer.

STEP 3. PROTECT
Remove anything private: client names, other people's details, money I didn't say was okay to share, passwords, internal tools. Show me a short list of what you removed.

STEP 4. BUILD ONE MASTER VERSION
Write: a hook (first line someone would stop for), the one belief this story defends, the story in order, 3 to 5 lessons, the proof, 5 quotable lines, and 4 FAQ answers.

STEP 5. CUT IT FOR EVERY PLATFORM
From the master version only, write:
- a LinkedIn post (story first, question at the end)
- an X/Threads thread (6 to 8 posts, under 280 characters each)
- 4 standalone short posts
- a carousel (8 to 10 slides, one idea per slide, under 40 words each)
- a 30 second reel script with on-screen text
- a blog post with headers and an FAQ

RULES
- Never invent a number, a quote, or a story. If it isn't in my material or my answers, leave it out.
- Write like I talk: short lines, plain words, no hype words, no dashes.
- Same story everywhere. Each platform gets its own version.
- End each piece with one clear next step for the reader.

MY RAW MATERIAL:
[paste here]

That's it. Run it once on one real story this week.

FAQ

How do I repurpose one piece of content across platforms?

Start from one real story and write one master version with the hook, the lesson and the proof. Then cut each platform's version from that master. The story stays the same everywhere. The format changes.

Should I post on one platform or many?

Many, once one story feeds them all. The hard part is the story. Turning it into a thread, a carousel and a LinkedIn post is mostly reformatting.

What should I post if my work feels boring?

Start with the moments you already screenshot for yourself. First client, first win, the number you were scared of. The person one step behind you cares about exactly those.

Can AI write my posts without sounding like AI?

Only when it works from your real material and your own words, and you read every draft before it goes out. Ban it from inventing numbers, quotes or stories. Most of the AI sound comes from what gets made up.

How often should I post?

Start with one real story a week. Cut from a master version, that's already a post a day on most platforms.

Your turn

Take the prompt. Then go post the screenshot you've been keeping for yourself.

Here's to your next story,

George