Case Study: My Exact ChatGPT Prompts to Find 50+ "Low-Competition" Blog Ideas
The Problem Most Bloggers Face: They ask ChatGPT "give me blog ideas" and get the same generic, high-competition keywords everyone else gets. Then they wonder why their content never ranks.
The Real Issue: They're using ChatGPT wrong - treating it like a "vending machine" instead of a "data analyst."
This Case Study Shows: My exact 4-step system that turns ChatGPT into a strategic keyword research assistant. The result? 50+ unique, low-competition blog ideas that authority sites haven't covered yet.
Upward Link: This is a deep dive into Phase 1 of my complete workflow. If you haven't read the full 5-stage system yet, start here: The Ultimate AI Blogging Workflow Playbook.
Who Should Use This System? (Find Your Stage)
📍 Stage 1: Unaware (Content Idea Struggle)
You're here if: You spend hours brainstorming blog topics, often ending up with ideas you're not sure will work.
👉 This system helps: Start with Step 1 to learn how to mine Reddit/Quora for guaranteed audience problems.
🔴 Stage 2: Problem Aware (Everything Is High Competition)
You're here if: You're tired of competing with Ahrefs, HubSpot, and Neil Patel. You need a way to find keywords they haven't touched.
👉 This system helps: Steps 2-3 show how to use ChatGPT to generate unique angles on common problems. Read full system.
✅ Stage 3: Solution Aware (Ready to Learn a Better Method)
You're here if: You know ChatGPT can help with keywords but haven't found a reliable process. You want a step-by-step system.
👉 Perfect fit: This 4-step case study is exactly what you need. Follow each step sequentially.
Step 1: Stop Guessing. Start Mining for "Pain Points"
Before opening ChatGPT, you need "raw material" - your audience's real problems, not what you think they need.
Go to Reddit (like r/blogging, r/SEO), Quora, or relevant Facebook Groups. Look for:
- Specific complaints ("I've tried X but Y still happens")
- Repeated questions (asked by multiple people)
- Frustrated tone (shows pain intensity)
Pro Tip: Search Reddit with this formula: site:reddit.com/r/blogging "I can't figure out" or "why does my blog". These phrases reveal real struggles.
Example Pain Points I Collected (September 2025):
- "I write 2,000-word posts but get zero traffic. What am I doing wrong?"
- "My bounce rate is 85%. How do I fix this?"
- "I don't understand search intent. Can someone explain with examples?"
- "ChatGPT gives me generic content. How do I make it unique?"
- "I have 50 posts but no rankings. Should I delete and start over?"
Time Investment: 20-30 minutes to collect 5-10 quality pain points.
Step 2: The "Analyst Prompt" (Turning Noise into Data)
Now we take these raw complaints to ChatGPT. Important: We are NOT asking for blog ideas yet. We're asking ChatGPT to analyze the root problem.
The Exact Prompt I Use:
Act as an expert SEO and data analyst. I have copied 5 common complaints from new bloggers on Reddit:
[Paste 3-5 real complaints here]
Analyze these complaints and extract the "Top 5 Core Pain Points" or "unanswered questions" these bloggers are suffering from.
For each pain point, briefly explain WHY this is a problem (what's the underlying cause).Why This Works: By asking ChatGPT to analyze first (not generate), we force it to identify patterns humans might miss. This reveals root causes, not just surface-level symptoms.
ChatGPT's Output (Example from my actual session):
Pain Point #1: "Bloggers don't understand search intent."
Why it's a problem: They write content that answers the wrong question or targets the wrong stage of the buyer journey, leading to high bounce rates and zero rankings.
My reaction: This is EXACTLY what I struggled with for 3 months in 2024. This pain point is validated.
Step 3: The "Keyword Generator Prompt" (Turning Data into Gold)
Once ChatGPT confirms the #1 pain point (e.g., "bloggers don't understand search intent"), only now do we ask for keywords.
The Exact Prompt I Use:
Excellent. Now, based ONLY on "Pain Point #1": [Paste the pain point, e.g., "Bloggers don't understand search intent"], act as a keyword expert.
Generate 20 "low-competition long-tail keywords" for me.
Requirements:
- Keywords must be 4+ words long
- Focus on "how-to" and "what is" queries
- Assume I'm a small blog (DA 10-20) competing against giants
Organize them into 3 groups:
1. "How-To" Questions (actionable guides)
2. "What Is" Questions (educational explainers)
3. "Listicles" (numbered lists)
Real Keywords ChatGPT Generated (from my session):
How-To:
- how to identify search intent for blog posts
- how to match content to search intent step by step
- how to fix high bounce rate caused by wrong search intent
What Is:
- what is search intent in blogging (with examples)
- what is the difference between informational and transactional intent
My Action: I picked "how to fix high bounce rate caused by wrong search intent" and validated it in Step 4.
Step 4: The Human Verification (Testing the Keywords)
Don't trust AI blindly. Take your top 3-5 keywords and Google them in Incognito Mode. Look for these "green flags":
| Green Flag (Low Competition) | Red Flag (High Competition) |
|---|---|
| Quora or Reddit on page 1 | Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz dominate page 1 |
| Articles from 2021 or earlier | All articles from 2024-2025 |
| Titles don't match search intent | Titles perfectly optimized |
| Weak meta descriptions | Compelling, detailed metas |
| Low-authority domains (DA 10-30) | High-authority domains (DA 70+) |
Pro Tip: If you see 2+ green flags, that keyword is worth writing about. If you see 4+ green flags, DROP EVERYTHING and write that article today.
My Real Results (50+ Keywords in 2 Hours)
Here's what happened when I ran this system for my AI tools niche in September 2025:
Time Investment:
- Step 1 (Reddit mining): 25 minutes
- Step 2 (Analyst prompt): 10 minutes
- Step 3 (Keyword generation): 15 minutes × 3 pain points = 45 minutes
- Step 4 (Human verification): 40 minutes (checking 15 keywords)
Total: 2 hours
Output:
- 60 total keywords generated
- 52 passed initial "green flag" test
- 18 were "4+ green flags" (immediate priorities)
Results (30 days later):
- 3 articles written from these keywords
- All 3 ranking positions 7-15
- Average traffic: 45-80 visits/month per article (from zero)
- CTR: 3.2-4.8% (higher than industry avg 2.5%)
Your Next Action (Based on Your Stage)
🔰 Stage 1-2: New to This System
Start Small: Try ONE pain point today.
Action:
- Go to Reddit (
r/bloggingor your niche subreddit) - Find 3 complaints
- Copy-paste Step 2 prompt into ChatGPT
- See what pain points it identifies
Time: 30 minutes | Result: You'll have 5 validated pain points to work from.
⚙️ Stage 3: Ready to Generate Keywords
Full Implementation: Run all 4 steps for 3 pain points.
Action:
- Collect 5-10 pain points (Step 1)
- Analyze with ChatGPT (Step 2)
- Generate 20 keywords per top 3 pain points (Step 3)
- Verify top 10 keywords manually (Step 4)
Time: 2 hours | Result: 30+ validated, low-competition keywords ready to write about.
🚀 Stage 4: Scale This System
Advanced Move: Create a keyword database.
Action:
- Run this system weekly (every Monday morning)
- Build a spreadsheet: Keyword | Pain Point | Green Flags | Priority
- Never run out of content ideas again
Time: 2 hours/week | Result: 50-80 new keywords monthly. Content calendar set for 6+ months.
Conclusion: Stop the Vending Machine Mentality
Most bloggers use ChatGPT like a "vending machine": press a button, get generic ideas (which taste like "bad fast food").
This case study shows how to use ChatGPT as a "data analyst" instead:
- Step 1: You bring the data (real pain points)
- Step 2: AI identifies patterns (root causes)
- Step 3: AI generates solutions (targeted keywords)
- Step 4: You verify quality (human judgment)
The result? You get "gourmet meals" (high-value keywords that no one else is finding).
Next Steps: This 4-step system is only Phase 1 of my complete workflow. To see how I take these "golden keywords" and turn them into high-ranking articles using SurferSEO and E-E-A-T principles, read my main guide.
Upward Link: Read The Ultimate AI Blogging Workflow Playbook
Your Turn (I Reply to EVERY Comment Within 24 Hours)
Quick Question: Which step are you most excited to try first?
- 🔍 Step 1: Reddit/Quora pain point mining
- 🧠 Step 2: The "Analyst Prompt"
- 💎 Step 3: The "Keyword Generator Prompt"
- ✅ Step 4: Manual keyword verification
Drop your answer below along with your niche (e.g., "fitness blogging"), and I'll reply with a customized pain point mining strategy for YOUR audience!
Bonus: Share one pain point you've noticed in your niche, and I'll show you how to turn it into 10+ keywords using this system.
