How I Create a 2,500-Word Newsletter in 20 Minutes

Thursday morning.

I'm sitting in my kitchen with a cup of coffee. Camera recording.

Creating a demo video for one of my courses.

I'm showing my students how to use the Long-Form Content Specialist.

And I figure, why create a fake example when I can just... make this week's newsletter?

So that's what I did.

I had a conversation with my AI specialist about newsletter ideas. We brainstormed. We debated. We landed on teaching the 5-step workflow.

Then I told the AI to write it.

The whole thing took 20 minutes. Most of that was me talking.

Super meta, I know.

But that's the point.

This newsletter you're reading right now is the output of the exact process I'm about to teach you.

Last week, I wrote about my AI specialists. The ones that replaced my 30+ person team.

I also promised I'd break down the exact workflow I use to create content with them.

This is that breakdown.

The 5-step talk-to-content workflow.

Same process every time. Newsletters. Articles. Blog posts. Long-form sales letters.

All of it.

By the end of this, you'll know exactly how to create long-form content in 20 minutes instead of 8 hours.

Here's how it works.

First up:

They think it's a shortcut. A magic button.

So they paste a generic prompt into ChatGPT. Get back a steaming pile of generic garbage.

Then spend the next 90 minutes trying to edit it into something that doesn't make them want to gouge their eyes out.

Or they're on the other end of the spectrum.

Still doing everything manually. Grinding out every single word. Spending 8, 10, 12+ hours on a single piece of content. (I did this for years.)

Both approaches are broken.

The real problem isn't the AI.

It's the process.

You can't just use AI as a tool. You have to treat it like a specialist.

And every specialist needs a workflow.

This is the exact process I use for every piece of long-form content I create.

Same steps. Same sequence. Every time.

I don't write.

I talk.

I open up my AI specialist and just start talking about my idea.

It's a conversation… a brain dump.

The AI asks me questions. I answer them.

Like having a sparring partner who helps me flesh out my ideas in real-time.

Here's a real exchange from when I was creating a recent newsletter:

See what's happening?

I'm not trying to be a writer.

I'm just talking through my idea… and thinking out loud.

Going back and forth with AI… collaborating… and calling “bullshit” when it gets it wrong.

The AI is guiding me. Helping me get all the raw material out of my head.

This step takes about 5 minutes. Maybe 10 if you like to flap your cack.

Once the idea is clear, the AI gives me 3-5 different hooks.

Different ways to open the piece.

Here are a few it generated for this newsletter:

I liked option 1. But I wanted to make it more personal.

So I told the AI to add the part about sitting in my kitchen.

The hardest part of writing is the opening. (It’s the most important part.)

AI gives you options instead of staring at a blank page.

Once I've picked a hook, the AI creates a detailed outline.

It takes my idea and the hook and structures the entire narrative.

This is where I shape the story.

I can move things around. Add sections. Remove sections.

Here's the outline it created for this newsletter:

This is the blueprint for the entire piece.

Once this is locked in, the rest is easy.

The outline forces you to commit to the story before you write a single word.

Now for the magic.

I tell the AI: "Using this outline, write the full first draft of the newsletter."

And it does.

In about two minutes, I have a 2,500-word draft.

It's already about 90% there because my AI specialist is trained on my Brand Voice Guide.

It knows how I write. How I structure sentences. What words I use and don't use.

It's not perfect. But it's damn close.

All the ideas are there. The structure is there. The voice is mostly there.

I'm not writing from scratch.

I'm editing.

Which brings me to the most important step.

This is where the real work happens.

But, because my AI specialist is so well-trained at this point, I don't have to do much smacking around anymore.

But this is my damned brand, so I'm ruthless…

I look for all the tell-tale signs of AI writing:

And I tell the AI to fix it. (And I’m not nice about it. Much profanity is involved.)

For this newsletter, I added the Ogilvy story. Punched up a few sections. Made sure the testimonials felt natural and not salesy.

But most of the heavy lifting was already done.

That's the power of having a trained specialist.

The first draft doesn't suck.

Joshua Parker, one of the people who went through the Magnetic Brand System, told me: "My struggle with AI before was that the content would sound rather generic. Now I can keep my content consistent with my brand. I was surprised at how easy this was once everything was set up, and now it just works."

That's the goal.

Seriously. 20 minutes.

That's the total time.

From a vague idea in my head to a fully written, 2,500-word newsletter that sounds exactly like me.

Let me put that in perspective...

I used to spend an entire day on a single piece of long-form content. Staring at a blank page. Writing a paragraph. Deleting it. Writing it again. Getting up to make coffee. Coming back. Staring some more.

By the time I hit publish, I was exhausted. Drained. And dreading the next one.

It was a grind.

Now…

I talk into my phone while making breakfast. The newsletter is done before my coffee gets cold.

This is the system that allows me to be so consistent.

To create high-value, long-form content every single week without burning out.

The content sounds like me. Not like AI.

Even people who’ve known me for years can’t tell.

But here's the thing:

This workflow only works if you have the foundation in place.

You can't just copy and paste these steps into ChatGPT and expect it to work.

You need a trained AI specialist.

You need a Brand Voice Guide.

And you need content frameworks.

Multiple structures for different types of content.

Story-driven. Challenge-based. Insight-focused.

When your AI specialist is trained properly, it chooses which structure to use based on your idea. You don't need to think about it.

These frameworks matter.

A lot.

Back in 2002, I was in a used bookstore and found this book called "Ogilvy on Advertising."

Picked it up. Dove in.

I was completely enamored by this guy.

David Ogilvy had this unique style that I fell in love with. His ads were so value-infused, they flew under the radar. You didn't even realize you were reading an ad.

He'd write these long-form advertorials that taught you everything about a topic. By the time you finished reading, you were convinced you needed his product.

Not because he was pushy.

Because he educated you so thoroughly that buying was the logical next step.

That's the style that got me started in direct response copywriting.

And that led me to other world-class copywriters who understood that education sells better than hype.

The frameworks in my system are built on their principles.

Give away the "what" and "why" so completely that readers become convinced they need your "how."

That's what you're reading right now.

I'm teaching you the complete workflow. The exact steps. Nothing held back.

And by the time you're done reading, you'll either implement this yourself or realize you need the complete system to make it work.

Either way, you win.

That's the power of the framework.

Everything I just walked you through...

The trained AI specialist. The Brand Voice Guide. The frameworks. The specialist setup files.

I packaged all of it into the Magnetic Brand System.

But fair warning...

If you're looking for a magic button that spits out perfect content with zero effort, this isn't it. That doesn't exist.

If you're not willing to spend 90 minutes building the foundation and feeding your AI good examples, this won't work for you.

But if you're willing to put in the upfront work... if you want 20 minutes instead of 8 hours on every piece of content... if you're focused on attracting buyers, not followers...

Here's what you get.

The Brand DNA Engine. Extract your voice, stories, frameworks, and positioning. Build your complete brand kit. Create AI-ready training files that capture how you actually communicate.

Social Content Creator Training. Your AI specialist trained on YOUR voice and content frameworks. Platform-specific optimization. Content that filters and pre-sells instead of just attracting engagement.

Creative Director Training. AI specialist that designs graphics at scale in your brand style. Single-prompt, week's-worth-of-graphics system. Just describe what you need.

Plus the AI Hook Generator that creates 200+ scroll-stopping hooks in 60 seconds and rates them for engagement potential. And the Daily Content Ideas Automation that delivers 5 fresh content ideas every day, ranked and ready to post.

Now, you could absolutely take this 5-step workflow and run with it on your own.

You'll probably figure it out eventually.

But here's what that actually looks like...

You'll spend hours trying to get your Brand Voice Guide right. You'll test different prompts. You'll get frustrated when the AI still sounds generic. You'll waste time on frameworks that don't fit your style.

I know, because that's exactly what I did.

I spent months and over $20,000 on AI tools figuring out the system that can produce what you're reading right now.

(Yeah. Twenty grand. I did that.)

Or you can plug into the Magnetic Brand System.

All the thinking done for you. Frameworks already built. Specialist setup files ready to go. Skip the trial and error entirely.

👉 Grab the Magnetic Brand System Right Here.

If not, no worries. You've got the workflow. Run with it.

Until next time,

—Tim Erway

P.S. It's $27 right now for founding members. That price goes up after we hit 100. (We’re at 62 customers as of this morning.)

P.P.S. Again, this entire newsletter was created using the exact 5-step workflow I just showed you. Practicing what I preach. In my kitchen.

P.P.P.S. And if you already got access, I'd love to hear what you think. Hit reply.