A freelance copy editor charges three to ten cents a word. A copywriter starts around $100 an hour. A tutor who can explain a hard idea in plain English runs $40 to $80. You already have a tool that does a passable version of all three for free — and most people get bad results from it for one boring reason: they ask for a wish instead of a job.

Below are 100 lines you can paste as-is. They work on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or anything else — on the free tier. Anything in [brackets] is meant to be swapped.

The one rule behind all 100

Give it a target: a number, an audience, a length, a format, or a thing to keep. AI can’t read your mind, but it will hit whatever you aim it at. Here’s the same rule applied six different ways.

That’s the whole trick. The other 94 lines are variations on it.

Rewriting & editing (1–10)

Editors charge $0.03–$0.10 a word. These lines get you 80% of the way there before you ever hire one.

1. 1Rewrite this so the point lands in the first sentence. Keep everything else.
2. 2Fix the flow and the ending. Leave my voice alone.
3. 3Keep my wording. Only fix what actually reads awkward, and tell me why.
4. 4Rewrite this at a 7th-grade reading level without dumbing down the idea.
5. 5Cut every sentence that doesn’t change what the reader does next.
6. 6Rewrite this twice: one warmer, one blunter. Label them.
7. 7Find the three weakest sentences and rewrite only those.
8. 8Remove every adverb and adjective that isn’t earning its place.
9. 9Rewrite this as if the reader is skimming on a phone in 10 seconds.
10. 10Keep the meaning identical but cut the word count by 30%.

Shortening & tightening (11–20)

Length is the most common reason good writing gets ignored. Cut first, then polish.

1. 11Cut this to 3 lines. Keep the point.
2. 12Give me a 1-sentence version, a 3-sentence version, and a 1-paragraph version.
3. 13Compress this to under 280 characters without losing the punchline.
4. 14Turn this into 5 bullet points a busy person can scan.
5. 15Say this in half the words. Don’t add anything new.
6. 16What’s the one sentence I could keep if I had to delete everything else?
7. 17Trim the setup. Start at the interesting part.
8. 18Rewrite this as a subject line and a 2-line preview.
9. 19Turn these 4 paragraphs into one tight paragraph with no filler.
10. 20Give me the TL;DR first, then the full version underneath.

Explaining & simplifying (21–30)

Tutors bill $40–$80 an hour to do exactly this. Ask better and you rarely need one.

1. 21Explain it with one example a 14-year-old would get.
2. 22Explain this to someone who has never heard the term before. No jargon.
3. 23Use one analogy from everyday life, then check if the analogy breaks anywhere.
4. 24Explain it in 5 lines, then tell me the one thing most people get wrong about it.
5. 25Walk me through it step by step, and mark which step people usually skip.
6. 26Explain the “why” before the “how.”
7. 27Give me the beginner version and the expert version side by side.
8. 28Define every term you use the first time you use it, in parentheses.
9. 29Explain this like you’re texting a friend, not writing a manual.
10. 30What would I have to already know for this explanation to make sense? Start there instead.

Ideas & angles (31–40)

The obvious idea is the one everybody already published. Force the model past it.

1. 31Give me 5 angles nobody else is using on this topic.
2. 32Give me 10 ideas, then cross out the 7 that are obvious and tell me why.
3. 33What’s the contrarian take here that’s still actually true?
4. 34What question is everyone asking about this, and what question should they be asking?
5. 35Give me 5 ideas that would only work for [my specific audience].
6. 36Show me the same idea framed 3 ways: as a warning, as a shortcut, as a story.
7. 37What’s the boring version of this idea, and what’s one twist that makes it interesting?
8. 38List 5 things people believe about this that are outdated.
9. 39Give me ideas I can execute today with no budget and no team.
10. 40What’s the smallest, most specific version of this topic worth a whole post?

Hooks & openings (41–50)

You get one line to earn the second line. Generate ten and pick, don’t settle for the first.

1. 41Write it with the hook in line one.
2. 42Give me 10 first lines. Make each one a different type: question, number, confession, contradiction, scene.
3. 43Write an opening that makes the reader feel called out in a good way.
4. 44Start with the result, then explain how we got there.
5. 45Give me a first line under 8 words that creates a gap I have to close.
6. 46Rewrite this opening so it doesn’t sound like every other post on this topic.
7. 47Open with the mistake, not the advice.
8. 48Write 5 hooks and rank them by how likely someone is to stop scrolling.
9. 49Cut the warm-up. Start on the sharpest sentence in the draft.
10. 50Write a hook that works even if someone reads nothing else.

Social posts & captions (51–60)

Same content, different container. Never let the model default to blog paragraphs.

1. 51Write it as an Instagram caption with the hook in line one and a question at the end.
2. 52Give me a carousel outline: one idea per slide, max 12 words a slide.
3. 53Write a post that teaches one thing and asks for one comment.
4. 54Turn this article into 5 standalone posts that don’t need each other.
5. 55Write a caption where the first 2 lines work as a standalone preview.
6. 56Give me 3 CTAs that don’t sound like begging.
7. 57Write it in short lines with white space, not paragraphs.
8. 58Take my long post and cut it to the 20% that gets the saves.
9. 59Write a version for people who agree with me and one for people who don’t.
10. 60Give me 10 hashtag options grouped by size: big, medium, niche.

Persuasion & selling (61–70)

Copywriters start around $100 an hour. Most of what they do is naming the objection first.

1. 61Add the real objection, then answer it.
2. 62What’s the strongest argument against this? Put it in and beat it.
3. 63Rewrite this to lead with what they get, not what I do.
4. 64Replace every claim with a specific number, example, or name.
5. 65Make it persuasive without a single exaggeration. Show me where you cut hype.
6. 66Who is the reader comparing me to, and how should this change what I say?
7. 67Rewrite this so it works even for a skeptical reader who’s been burned before.
8. 68Turn these features into what they actually mean for the person’s day.
9. 69Give me the version that assumes they have no time and no trust.
10. 70What’s the one sentence that would make someone act right now?

Feedback & critique (71–80)

Free, honest, unlimited feedback is the single most underused thing AI does.

1. 71Score it 1 to 10 and name the weakest line.
2. 72Be harsh. What would a tough editor cut first?
3. 73Tell me what’s unclear before you tell me what’s good.
4. 74Where does the reader get bored? Mark the exact sentence.
5. 75What am I assuming the reader already knows that they probably don’t?
6. 76Give me 3 specific fixes, not general advice.
7. 77If this flops, what will the reason most likely be?
8. 78What’s missing that a reader would immediately ask about?
9. 79Rate the hook, the middle, and the ending separately.
10. 80Tell me the one change that would improve this the most, and only that one.

Structure & outlines (81–90)

Fix the order before you fix the words. Rewriting a bad structure costs three times as much.

1. 81Outline this in 5 sections and tell me the job of each section.
2. 82Reorder these points from most to least interesting to a stranger.
3. 83Where should the surprise go? Restructure around that.
4. 84Turn this into a before / after / how structure.
5. 85Give me an outline where every heading is a full sentence, not a label.
6. 86Show me the structure as a list of questions the reader is asking in order.
7. 87Split this into two pieces. Tell me where the natural break is.
8. 88Build it so someone can stop reading halfway and still get value.
9. 89What’s the one section I could delete without anyone noticing? Delete it.
10. 90Give me the outline, wait for my approval, then write it.

Voice & control (91–100)

This is the group that stops AI writing from sounding like AI writing.

1. 91Match the voice in this sample. Point out which habits you copied.
2. 92Write it the way I actually talk: [paste 3 of your own sentences].
3. 93No em dashes, no “delve,” no “in today’s world.” Flag if you almost used one.
4. 94Don’t be clever. Be clear.
5. 95Write it plain. If a 10-word sentence works, don’t write 20.
6. 96Stop hedging. Take a position and defend it.
7. 97If you’re not sure about a fact, say so instead of writing around it.
8. 98Ask me 3 questions before you write anything.
9. 99Give me one version, not options — pick the best and tell me why you picked it.
10. 100Before you answer, tell me what you think I’m actually trying to do.

How to stack them

One line is usually enough. When it isn’t, stack two or three — a job, a constraint, and a voice rule:

Cut it to 3 lines. Keep the point. No em dashes, no “delve.”

And when you genuinely don’t know what to ask for, use number 98 first — Ask me 3 questions before you write anything. It costs ten seconds and usually saves a full rewrite.

Getting free tools to do paid work is the same game as canceling a subscription you stopped using — small, boring wins that add up over a year. If you’d rather claim money that’s already yours, start with the earned income credit.

Frequently asked questions