Brainstorming Session Prompt

What this prompt does

A basic "give me ideas about X" prompt produces the same 10 ideas anyone would think of first. This prompt structures the brainstorm in layers — starts with obvious ideas (to clear them out), then pushes for less obvious angles, challenges the constraints you've assumed, and finishes by organizing output into clusters you can act on.

Works for content ideas, product features, marketing campaigns, business decisions, teaching approaches — anywhere you're stuck in first-wave thinking.

The prompt

Run a structured brainstorm with me on:

**Topic or challenge:** [WHAT YOU'RE BRAINSTORMING — be specific, not "ideas for my business"]
**Goal:** [WHAT A GOOD IDEA LOOKS LIKE — e.g., "something we could execute in 2 weeks," "a blog topic that hits a gap in existing content," "a feature users have been asking for in a new way"]
**Constraints I'm working within:** [REAL LIMITS — budget, time, team size, platform — or "none"]
**What I've already considered (and rejected):** [HELPS SKIP THE OBVIOUS FIRST WAVE]

Run the brainstorm in 3 rounds:

**Round 1 — Conventional ideas (5–7):** The obvious, well-trodden ideas. List them quickly. These are what everyone considers; we generate them to move past them.

**Round 2 — Less obvious ideas (5–7):** Ideas that require combining two different things, reframing the constraint, or looking at who the audience usually isn't. Each idea gets one sentence of explanation.

**Round 3 — One genuinely unexpected angle (1–2):** Challenge an assumption I haven't questioned. What if the constraint I named isn't actually real? What if the goal is slightly wrong? Push here.

After all 3 rounds:
- Cluster the ideas into 3–4 themes
- Flag which 2–3 have the best combination of feasibility and impact given my constraints
- Name one idea I listed that I should probably kill (and why)

How to use it

1. Fill in "what I've already considered" — this is the most important field. Without it, the AI's Round 1 will be things you've already thought of and rejected.
2. Take Round 3 seriously — the unexpected angle often feels uncomfortable precisely because it's real. Sit with it before dismissing it.
3. Don't stop at the output — use the clustered themes to run a second, more focused prompt. "Take the [CLUSTER NAME] theme and generate 10 more ideas specifically within that area."
4. Add your own ideas first — spend 5 minutes writing down your own before running the prompt. Then compare. You'll see which of your ideas were first-wave and which weren't on the AI's list at all.

Example output

Challenge: Blog content ideas for an AI tools newsletter, targeting freelancers
Already considered: "best AI tools for writers," "ChatGPT vs Claude," "how to use AI for research" — all too generic

Round 1 — Conventional:

1. 10 AI tools for freelance writers in 2026
2. How to use ChatGPT for client proposals
3. Free vs. paid AI tools compared
4. AI writing tools that pass plagiarism checkers
5. How to speed up your client onboarding with AI

Round 2 — Less obvious:

1. The "AI audit" piece: Walk through a freelancer's day and show exactly where AI saves time — and where it doesn't. Real time savings vs. marketed time savings are different.
2. "The prompt I use before every project": A specific prompt one experienced freelancer uses as a pre-work ritual. Concrete, specific, easy to steal.
3. What AI tools can't do for your freelance business: The counter-narrative piece that ranks because nobody is writing it.
4. For the non-tech freelancer: Same capabilities, explained without any technical vocabulary. Large untapped audience.
5. Pricing your work when AI makes you faster: The business implications article — if AI halves your writing time, do you cut rates or earn more?

Round 3 — Unexpected: You're assuming the audience uses AI because they want to write faster. Some of them are afraid that AI will make clients think they're not needed. What if the piece addresses that fear directly? "What to tell clients when they ask if you use AI" might outperform every tool roundup on your list.

Recommended: Round 2 #3 (counter-narrative) + Round 3 (fear-based) + Round 2 #5 (pricing). All three are underserved angles with real audience demand.

Variations

For content calendar filling

"I need 20 blog post ideas for [TOPIC/NICHE]. My audience: [SPECIFIC]. Ideas I've already published or that I know exist elsewhere: [LIST]. Generate ideas with low competition potential."

For product feature brainstorming

"I'm adding 1–2 new features to [PRODUCT]. Current feature set: [LIST]. Users' top requests: [COMMON FEEDBACK]. What's a non-obvious feature that solves a problem they have but haven't articulated?"

Common pitfalls

• Don't: Stop at Round 1 ideas. Those are the ones your competitors are also writing about.
• Try instead: Force yourself to evaluate Round 2 and Round 3 ideas seriously before defaulting to the obvious ones.

Who uses this prompt

• Marketers: Content ideas, campaign concepts, positioning strategy
• Freelance writers: Blog topic research, pitch ideas, content calendar planning
• Teachers: Lesson variation, engagement strategies, curriculum approaches
• Small business owners: Product ideas, service packages, growth channels