How to Write Subheadings with Perplexity

Perplexity is an AI-powered conversational search engine that can help you write impactful subheadings for your articles, videos, or presentations. Thanks to its ability to synthesize information from multiple sources, Perplexity allows you to generate clear, catchy, and SEO-optimized subheadings. Whether you're a content creator, web writer, or marketer, this tool will save you valuable time by offering relevant phrasing tailored to your audience. In this tutorial, you will learn step by step how to use Perplexity to create subheadings that effectively structure your content and grab your readers' attention from the first seconds.

Prerequisites

1.Have a Perplexity account (free or Pro)
2.Have the main topic or outline of your content
3.Know your target audience and desired tone

Steps

Define the Context of Your Content

Before asking Perplexity to generate subheadings, prepare the context. Identify the main topic of your article or video, the desired number of sections, and the editorial tone (professional, casual, educational). The more precise you are in your brief, the more relevant and directly usable the generated subheadings will be.

I am writing an article about [YOUR_TOPIC]. The article is aimed at [YOUR_AUDIENCE] and should have a [professional/casual/educational] tone. Suggest 6 logically structured subheadings to cover this topic comprehensively.

Tip: Always mention your target audience in the prompt so that Perplexity adapts the language level and complexity of the subheadings.

Generate a First Set of Subheadings

Launch your first query in Perplexity using the prepared prompt. The tool will analyze available sources on the topic and suggest structured subheadings. Read the proposals carefully and note those that match your vision. Perplexity cites its sources, allowing you to verify the relevance of the suggested angles.

Generate subheadings for an article titled "[YOUR_ARTICLE_TITLE]". The subheadings should follow a logical progression from basic concepts to advanced aspects. Use phrasing that makes the reader want to continue reading.

Tip: Use Focus mode "Writing" if available in Perplexity Pro to get more writing-oriented suggestions.

Refine and Customize Subheadings

Once you have the first set, engage in a conversation with Perplexity to refine the results. Ask for variations, adjust the tone or length of the subheadings. The advantage of Perplexity is its conversational ability: each response takes into account the previous context, allowing you to iterate quickly until you get the perfect result.

The subheadings are good but I'd like them to be more catchy and benefit-oriented for the reader. Rephrase them using action verbs and incorporate the keyword "[YOUR_SEO_KEYWORD]" in at least 2 subheadings.

Tip: Feel free to ask for 3 variations of each subheading to choose the best phrasing.

Optimize Subheadings for SEO

Ask Perplexity to optimize your subheadings for natural search engine optimization. The tool can search for relevant keywords and integrate them naturally into your phrasing. Specify your target keywords and ask for an analysis of the H2/H3 structure to maximize your visibility in search engines.

Optimize these subheadings for SEO by targeting the main keyword "[KEYWORD]" and secondary keywords "[KEYWORD_2]", "[KEYWORD_3]". Ensure the structure follows a consistent H2/H3 hierarchy and that the subheadings contain terms searched by users.

Tip: Ask Perplexity to check the search volume of the proposed phrasing to choose the most strategic ones.

Validate Consistency and Finalize

Before validating your subheadings, ask Perplexity to check the overall consistency of your structure. The tool will analyze whether your subheadings cover the topic without redundancy, follow a logical progression, and answer the questions your audience might have. Make final adjustments and export your final list.

Here are my final subheadings: [LIST]. Analyze this structure: are there any redundancies, gaps, or inconsistencies in the progression? Suggest improvements if necessary and confirm that the overall content covers the topic comprehensively for a [beginner/intermediate/expert] reader.

Tip: Copy the final structure into a separate document and read it aloud to check that the narrative flow is natural.

Common mistakes to avoid

✗Providing a prompt that is too vague without specifying the topic, audience, or tone, which generates generic and unusable subheadings
✗Accepting the first subheadings without iterating or asking for variations, while the strength of Perplexity lies in conversation
✗Ignoring SEO optimization of subheadings by focusing only on the creative aspect without integrating strategic keywords
✗Creating subheadings that are too long or too complex, which lose the reader instead of guiding them through the reading
✗Not checking consistency between subheadings, which can lead to repetitions or logical jumps in the article

FAQ

Is Perplexity free enough to write quality subheadings?

Yes, the free version of Perplexity is perfectly sufficient to generate and refine subheadings. The Pro version offers additional features like Focus mode and more detailed responses, but the free version already allows you to get excellent results by iterating on your prompts.

How many subheadings should I plan for an article?

For a standard blog post (1,000 to 2,000 words), plan for 4 to 8 main subheadings (H2). For a long-form article, you can go up to 10-12 subheadings with subsections (H3). Ask Perplexity to suggest the optimal number based on the length and complexity of your topic.

Can I use Perplexity for YouTube video subheadings?

Absolutely. Specify in your prompt that it's about chapters or sections for a YouTube video. Perplexity will tailor the phrasing to be shorter, punchier, and adapted to the video format. You can also ask for suggested timestamps based on your video's expected duration.

How to use this prompt

Copy the prompt with the button above.
Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or your favorite AI assistant.
Replace the bracketed variables with your details, then refine the result.

About Prompt Guide

Prompt Guide is a free library of 2500+ ready-to-use prompts for ChatGPT, Claude and other AIs, with guides to learn prompting and tools to build and optimize your own prompts.

Prompt library Learn prompting Prompt builder Prompt optimizer

More tutorials

How to Write Subtitles with DALL-E

DALL-E, the artificial intelligence image generator developed by OpenAI, can be a valuable ally for creating visuals that include impactful subtitles.

How to Write Subtitles with GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot, the AI-powered coding assistant, is not limited to code generation. It can also help you write impactful subtitles

How to Write Terms of Use with Perplexity

Terms of Use (ToU) are an essential legal document for any website or application. They govern the relationship between the publisher and users, define the rights and obligations of each party, and legally protect your business. Writing ToU compliant with French and European law may seem complex, but Perplexity significantly simplifies this process. Thanks to its real-time search capability and sourced responses, Perplexity helps you identify mandatory clauses, get inspired by industry best practices, and produce a structured and comprehensive document. This tutorial guides you step by step to create professional ToU tailored to your project, while reminding you of the importance of having the result validated by a legal professional.

How to Draft a Contract with GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant integrated into Visual Studio Code, is not limited to code generation. Thanks to its advanced natural language processing capabilities, it can help you draft structured legal documents like contracts. Whether you are a freelancer, entrepreneur, or project manager, Copilot allows you to quickly create a first draft of a contract while respecting essential clauses. In this tutorial, you will learn how to use GitHub Copilot to generate a professional contract step by step, customizing each section to your needs. Note: the result must always be reviewed by a legal professional before signing.

How to Draft a Contract with Perplexity

Drafting a contract can be intimidating, especially without legal training. Perplexity, with its real-time search and synthesis capabilities, becomes

How to Draft Terms of Service with GitHub Copilot

Terms of Service (ToS) are a legal document essential for any website or application. They define the rules for using your service, protect your interests, and inform users of their rights and obligations. Drafting complete and compliant ToS can seem complex, but GitHub Copilot simplifies this process significantly. With artificial intelligence, you can generate a solid structure, cover essential clauses, and adapt the document to your specific context. This tutorial guides you step by step to create professional ToS using GitHub Copilot as a writing assistant, while keeping in mind that legal validation is still recommended.

Get new prompts every week

Join our newsletter.