How to Use AI to Outline an eBook or Online Course

If people regularly ask you how you do something, whether it’s baking sourdough, editing videos or getting through a career change, you may already have the makings of an eBook or online course. It can be a lovely way to help more people and earn from what you know. But turning years of experience into a clear, structured product is hard. Where do you start? What do you leave out?

AI is a brilliant outlining partner. It can help you define exactly who it’s for and what they’ll be able to do by the end, organise your knowledge into a logical sequence, spot gaps, suggest exercises and help you test the idea before you spend months making it. Your experience, stories and voice are what people pay for, so the content itself should come from you. This guide takes about two hours.

What you’ll need

• A topic you know well and get asked about
• A clear idea of who it’s for
• Notes, blog posts, videos or social posts you’ve already made on the topic
• An AI chatbot and about two hours
• A way to reach your audience, such as a newsletter or social account

Step-by-step: outline an eBook or course with AI

1. Pick one reader and one problem. “Beginners who want to bake their first loaf of sourdough at home” is much stronger than “people interested in bread”. Ask the AI to help narrow it (prompt 1).
2. Write your promise. One sentence on what readers will be able to do by the end. It guides everything else.
3. Choose the format. An eBook suits knowledge people can read and reference; a course suits skills people need to see and practise. Ask the AI about the trade-offs for your topic.
4. Outline it. Ask for a chapter or module outline with outcomes, key points and exercises (prompt 2). Good prompts give clear context and the desired format, as Anthropic’s prompting guidance explains.
5. Spot gaps and cut the fluff. Ask the AI to review the outline from a beginner’s point of view (prompt 3). What’s confusing? What could go?
6. Test before you build. Share the promise and outline with your audience, run a survey, open a waitlist or teach a free mini-lesson (prompt 4). Their response tells you whether to go ahead.
7. Write it in your voice. Use the outline as your map, and draft each section yourself. AI can help polish and check clarity.

Copy-paste prompts

1. Narrow my idea

I'd like to create an [EBOOK / ONLINE COURSE] about [TOPIC]. I'm qualified to teach it because [EXPERIENCE]. People who ask me about it are usually [WHO THEY ARE] and want to [WHAT THEY WANT].
Suggest 5 narrower angles, each with a specific reader, their main problem and a one-sentence promise of what they'll be able to do by the end. Tell me which looks strongest and why.

2. Create the outline

Create an outline for a [EBOOK / COURSE] with this promise: "[PROMISE]". The reader is [READER] and their starting point is [STARTING POINT].
Include [NUMBER] chapters or modules in a logical order. For each: a title, a learning outcome, 3 to 5 key points, one practical exercise or worksheet idea, and where I should add a personal story or example. Keep it focused on the promise.

3. Review as a beginner

Here's my outline: [PASTE OUTLINE].
Review it as a complete beginner in my target audience. Where would you get confused or lost? What's missing that you'd need? What could be cut or saved for a follow-up product? Suggest changes as a list.

4. Test the idea first

I'm planning [PRODUCT] for [AUDIENCE]. My audience is mainly on [PLATFORMS] and I have about [NUMBER] followers or subscribers.
Suggest 4 low-effort ways to test demand before I create it, such as a survey, waitlist, pre-sale or free mini-lesson. Write a short survey of 6 questions and a social post inviting people to join a waitlist.

Recommended tools

• Claude: excellent for structured outlines and thoughtful reviews.
• ChatGPT: good for brainstorming angles, exercises and surveys.
• Gemini: handy if you draft in Google Docs.
• Grok: quick for title and hook ideas.
• Your audience: comments, emails and surveys tell you what they need.

Tips and mistakes to avoid

• Don’t sell AI-written content. Readers pay for your expertise. Generic AI text undermines trust and your reputation.
• Keep it focused. A short eBook that solves one problem beats a long one that covers everything.
• Include action. Exercises, checklists and templates help people get results.
• Test early. A survey or waitlist takes days; a course takes months.
• Check facts. Especially in health, money or legal topics, make sure everything is accurate and up to date.
• Think about legal basics. Consumer law, refunds and tax all apply to digital products. Check GOV.UK.
• Be honest in your marketing. Don’t promise results you can’t stand behind.

FAQ

How long should an eBook be?

As long as it needs to deliver the promise. Many useful eBooks are 30 to 80 pages.

Should I make an eBook or a course?

If people mainly need information, an eBook works well. If they need to see and practise a skill, a course or video series may be better.

Where can I sell it?

Options include your own website, creator platforms and online shops for digital products. Compare fees and features.

How do I price my eBook or course?

Look at what similar products charge, think about the value of the result you’re promising and consider an early-bird price for your waitlist. Ask the AI to help you compare a few price points and what each would mean for your income.

I'd like to create an [EBOOK / ONLINE COURSE] about [TOPIC]. I'm qualified to teach it because [EXPERIENCE]. People who ask me about it are usually [WHO THEY ARE] and want to [WHAT THEY WANT].
Suggest 5 narrower angles, each with a specific reader, their main problem and a one-sentence promise of what they'll be able to do by the end. Tell me which looks strongest and why.

Related guides

• How to use AI to start a blog
• How to use AI to write a newsletter people open
• How to use AI to plan a content calendar as a creator

Reference: Claude Docs: Prompt engineering overview