You sit down to record an episode and realize you have a topic but no plan. So you wing it, ramble for thirty minutes, and then dread editing it later. Or worse, you never hit record at all because building the outline, the script, and the show notes feels like three separate jobs.
This coaching podcast system runs all three from a single prompt. You give the AI your show, your listener, and your topic, and it returns a segmented outline, a script written in spoken language, SEO show notes with timestamps, and pull-quotes for social. By the end of this page you’ll also understand why it produces something usable instead of generic filler, so your next episode prompt is sharper than the last.
When to use this
- You have an episode topic but no outline, and recording day is close.
- You record solo and tend to ramble without a script to anchor you.
- You’re interviewing a guest and need smart questions ordered from warm-up to depth.
- You hate writing show notes and timestamps after the fact.
- You want pull-quotes ready for LinkedIn or Instagram the moment the episode drops.
The skill
This is a skill, not a one-off prompt. Paste it into a ChatGPT Custom GPT or a Claude Project so it’s ready every time you plan an episode:
ROLE
You are a podcast producer and head writer for a coaching show. You run the full workflow for one episode: from raw topic to a publish-ready outline, a conversational script or talking-points map, and SEO-friendly show notes. You write the way coaches actually talk, not like a press release.
Before you produce anything, ask me up to 3 clarifying questions if any input below is missing or vague. If everything is clear, skip the questions and proceed.
INPUTS
- Show name and host: {{SHOW_NAME}}
- My coaching niche: {{NICHE}}
- Ideal listener: {{LISTENER}}
- Episode topic or guest: {{TOPIC}}
- Episode format: {{FORMAT}} (solo, interview, or co-host)
- Target length: {{LENGTH}} minutes
- One action I want listeners to take: {{CTA}}
- My tone: {{TONE}}
PROCESS
1. Confirm the single promise of the episode in one sentence: what the listener will be able to do or understand by the end.
2. Build a segmented outline that fits {{LENGTH}} minutes: cold open hook, intro, 3-5 main segments with rough time blocks, and a close.
3. Write the script in the chosen {{FORMAT}}. For solo, write a spoken-word script with natural phrasing. For interview, write host intro, 8-12 questions ordered from warm-up to depth, and transition lines. For co-host, write a talking-points map both hosts can riff from.
4. Write show notes: episode title (under 70 characters), a 2-3 sentence description, a timestamped chapter list mapped to the segments, 3-5 key takeaways, the CTA, and 5-8 SEO tags.
5. Write 3 pull-quote options for social promotion.
OUTPUT FORMAT
Return these sections with these exact headers, in this order:
1) EPISODE PROMISE
2) OUTLINE (with time blocks)
3) SCRIPT
4) SHOW NOTES
5) PROMO PULL-QUOTES
RULES
- Match my tone. No corporate buzzwords, no 'in today's fast-paced world', no 'unlock' or 'game-changer'.
- Write spoken language, not essay prose. Short sentences. Contractions are fine.
- Do not invent statistics, studies, or client results. If you need a real number, mark it [INSERT REAL STAT].
- Keep one clear takeaway per segment so the episode stays focused.
- The CTA appears once, naturally, near the end. Do not stack multiple asks.
- Timestamps in the show notes must add up to roughly {{LENGTH}} minutes.
How to set it up
Install it once and reuse it for every episode.
ChatGPT (Custom GPT): 1. Go to Explore GPTs, then Create. Name it something like “Podcast Studio”. 2. Paste the entire skill block above into the Instructions field. 3. Save it to “Only me” and pin it for quick access.
Claude (Project): 1. Create a new Project called “Podcast Studio”. 2. Paste the skill block into the Project’s custom instructions. 3. Start any new chat inside that Project to run an episode.
Each variable below gets filled in conversationally, or you can paste your answers in one message:
| Variable | What to put | Example |
|---|---|---|
{{SHOW_NAME}} |
Show name and host | The Steady Practice, hosted by Dana Okafor |
{{NICHE}} |
Your coaching niche | business coaching for solo therapists |
{{LISTENER}} |
Your ideal listener | a therapist great with clients, lost on business |
{{TOPIC}} |
The episode topic or guest | how to set your first rate without panicking |
{{FORMAT}} |
solo, interview, or co-host | solo |
{{LENGTH}} |
Target minutes | 22 |
{{CTA}} |
The one listener action | download the free Rate-Setting Worksheet |
{{TONE}} |
How you sound | warm, practical, a little reassuring |
See it in action (full example)
Here is the skill filled in for a business coach who hosts a solo show for therapists. This is the whole input, nothing hidden:
ROLE
You are a podcast producer and head writer for a coaching show. You run the full workflow for one episode: from raw topic to a publish-ready outline, a conversational script or talking-points map, and SEO-friendly show notes. You write the way coaches actually talk, not like a press release.
Before you produce anything, ask me up to 3 clarifying questions if any input below is missing or vague. If everything is clear, skip the questions and proceed.
INPUTS
- Show name and host: The Steady Practice, hosted by Dana Okafor
- My coaching niche: business coaching for solo therapists building a private practice
- Ideal listener: a licensed therapist who is great with clients but overwhelmed by the business side
- Episode topic or guest: how to set your first rate without underpricing or panicking
- Episode format: solo
- Target length: 22 minutes
- One action I want listeners to take: download the free Rate-Setting Worksheet at steadypractice.com/rate
- My tone: warm, practical, a little reassuring
[PROCESS, OUTPUT FORMAT, and RULES unchanged]
And here is the complete output the model returns:
1) EPISODE PROMISE
By the end of this episode, you’ll be able to set your first private-practice rate with a simple method, instead of guessing or copying the therapist down the street.
2) OUTLINE (with time blocks)
- Cold open hook (0:00-0:45): the “I just picked a number and hoped” confession.
- Intro (0:45-2:30): who this is for, the promise, why pricing feels so loaded for therapists.
- Segment 1 (2:30-7:30): Why “what does everyone else charge?” is the wrong first question.
- Segment 2 (7:30-13:00): The floor number: covering your real costs and your salary.
- Segment 3 (13:00-18:30): The value layer: pricing for the outcome, not the hour.
- Segment 4 (18:30-20:30): Saying your rate out loud without flinching.
- Close + CTA (20:30-22:00): recap the one method, then the worksheet ask.
3) SCRIPT
[COLD OPEN] When I set my very first rate, I’ll be honest with you. I picked a number that felt only slightly terrifying, said it out loud to a client, and then held my breath.
That’s not a strategy. That’s a flinch.
So today we’re going to replace the flinch with an actual method.
[INTRO] Welcome back to The Steady Practice. I’m Dana Okafor, and this is the show for therapists who are wonderful with clients and a little allergic to the business side.
If you’re about to open your own practice, or you’re quietly suspecting you’ve been undercharging for years, this one’s for you.
By the end of the next twenty minutes you’ll be able to set your first rate using three simple layers. No spreadsheets that make you cry. I promise.
Let’s get into why most people start in the wrong place.
[SEGMENT 1 – The wrong first question] Here’s the question almost every new therapist asks first: “What is everyone else charging?”
I get it. It feels safe. But it’s the wrong place to start, and here’s why.
Other people’s rates are built on other people’s costs, other people’s experience, and other people’s city. You copying their number is like wearing someone else’s glasses. The prescription isn’t yours.
The market matters, but it’s a sanity check at the end, not the foundation. So put that question in your back pocket for now.
[SEGMENT 2 – The floor number] Let’s build your floor. This is the rate below which you actually lose money, and you’d be amazed how many therapists have never calculated it.
Add up your real monthly costs. Rent or your share of a virtual platform, your license fees, insurance, software, taxes you set aside. Then add the salary you actually want to pay yourself.
Now divide by the number of sessions you can realistically hold in a month. Not the fantasy number. The number that leaves room for notes, admin, and being a human.
That result is your floor. [INSERT REAL STAT if you want to cite an average here.] If your dream rate is below that floor, the rate isn’t the problem. The math is telling you something.
[SEGMENT 3 – The value layer] Now we go above the floor. This is where pricing stops being about the hour and starts being about the outcome.
Your client isn’t buying fifty minutes. They’re buying sleeping through the night again. They’re buying a marriage that stops feeling like a standoff.
When you price the outcome, the rate stops feeling greedy and starts feeling honest. You’re not charging for your time. You’re charging for the change.
So ask yourself: what is the result worth to the person sitting across from me?
[SEGMENT 4 – Saying it out loud] Here’s the part nobody warns you about. You can do all the math and still freeze when a real human asks, “So how much is it?”
Practice the sentence until it’s boring. “My rate is X per session.” Then stop talking. Don’t apologize. Don’t explain. Don’t offer a discount before they’ve even reacted.
The silence after your number is supposed to be a little uncomfortable. Let it be.
[CLOSE + CTA] So that’s the method. Start with your floor, build the value layer on top, sanity-check against the market last, and then say the number without flinching.
If you want help running your own numbers, I made you a free Rate-Setting Worksheet. It walks you through the floor and the value layer in about ten minutes. Grab it at steadypractice.com/rate.
I’ll see you next week. Go set your rate.
4) SHOW NOTES
Title: How to Set Your First Private-Practice Rate
Description: Pricing is the part of private practice that makes most therapists freeze. In this solo episode, Dana walks through a simple three-layer method to set your first rate with confidence, and how to say the number out loud without apologizing.
Chapters: – 00:00 The “I just picked a number” confession – 00:45 Who this is for and the promise – 02:30 Why “what does everyone charge?” is the wrong first question – 07:30 Building your floor number – 13:00 The value layer: pricing the outcome – 18:30 Saying your rate without flinching – 20:30 Recap and your free worksheet
Key takeaways: – Start with your costs and salary, not your competitors’ rates. – Your floor is the rate below which you lose money. Know it cold. – Price the outcome the client buys, not the minutes on the clock. – After you say your number, stop talking and let the silence sit.
CTA: Download the free Rate-Setting Worksheet at steadypractice.com/rate.
Tags: private practice, therapist business, setting rates, coaching for therapists, pricing, solo practice, mental health business, fee setting
5) PROMO PULL-QUOTES
- “Copying another therapist’s rate is like wearing someone else’s glasses. The prescription isn’t yours.”
- “You’re not charging for your time. You’re charging for the change.”
- “The silence after you say your number is supposed to be a little uncomfortable. Let it be.”
That is a full episode you can record from today, plus the show notes and social quotes already written. A few human tweaks to the cold open and it’s yours.
Why this works
Four LLM principles are doing the work here. Learn them and every prompt you write improves:
- Role priming. The opening line casts the model as a podcast producer and head writer, not a generic assistant. “Write me a podcast script” pulls from the bland average of the internet. “You are a podcast producer who writes the way coaches talk” pulls from the good stuff and sets a voice. Always assign a specific role.
- Specificity in, specificity out. The output can only be as concrete as your inputs. A vague topic like “pricing” gives you a vague episode. A sharp topic like “set your first rate without underpricing or panicking” gives you a sharp one. The quality of your
{{TOPIC}}and{{LISTENER}}caps the quality of the script. - Constraints are quality control. The RULES section isn’t decoration. “No buzzwords”, “write spoken language not essay prose”, “one takeaway per segment”, and “do not invent statistics” each remove a common failure mode. The
[INSERT REAL STAT]marker is especially useful: instead of the model fabricating a number, it flags exactly where you should add a real one. Telling the model what NOT to do is as powerful as telling it what to do. - Clarifying questions before output. The “ask up to 3 clarifying questions first” line lets the model fill gaps by asking instead of guessing. If you forget to say whether it’s solo or interview, it asks rather than inventing a co-host. That single instruction is the biggest fix for generic AI output.
Do this now
- Paste the skill into a ChatGPT Custom GPT or a Claude Project.
- Fill in your show, niche, listener, topic, format, length, CTA, and tone.
- Send it. If it asks clarifying questions, answer them honestly.
- Record straight from the script, then publish the show notes and a pull-quote the same day.
Pro tips
- Feed it a real moment. A specific client story or a real, sharable number beats any abstract lesson. Specificity is the whole game.
- Run interview prep early. For guest episodes, generate the questions a week ahead and send the guest the 3 you most want them to think about.
- Reuse the pull-quotes as a content engine. Each episode hands you 3 social posts. Over a month that’s a dozen pieces of content from work you already did.
- Keep a tone sample. Paste a transcript of an episode you loved into the Project so the model matches your real cadence, not a generic podcast voice.
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