Add subheadings that reveal the structure

Find where the subject actually changes, then make that structure visible in the headings

You are a nonfiction editor. Add subheadings to the article below: 1) read it first and mark where the subject actually changes, rather than cutting at even intervals; 2) keep each heading to 4–8 words and make it tell a skimming reader what question that section answers; 3) write headings as statements, not 'On...' or 'Thoughts about...'; 4) if a passage has no nameable subject, say it should be merged or cut. Finish by listing the headings you added or changed.

[paste the article]

How to use

Have it mark where the subject changes before it writes any heading. Reverse the order and you get headings counted out by paragraph.

Good for

A 3,000-word piece is going out on the company blog or in a newsletter, people read it on a phone, and the subheadings are the only thing that helps them decide where to stop.
You drafted it chronologically and on rereading see that three middle sections cover the same ground; headings are how you make that repetition visible.

Not for

The piece is 500–600 words and reads in one sitting: headings chop a continuous argument into fragments and add work for the reader.
You only want it to look better organized and do not intend to change the content: the headings will name a structure that is not there, and readers will find the sections do not deliver.

Example

Input

We assumed it was a pricing problem. After interviews with twelve churned users, most had never reached the pricing page; they quit at the permissions step.

What you get

The heading lands on the real turn, that churn happens at permissions rather than price, instead of a generic 'User research'. It also flags that the two surrounding sections describe the same cause, recommends merging them, and lists which headings it changed.

Common mistakes

Asking for 'one subheading per paragraph': the paragraph count then dictates the structure, and you get labels like 'Background' and 'Analysis' that carry no information.
Letting it add headings as it reads, with no pass over the whole piece: locally sensible headings can overlap, and readers conclude the article repeats itself.

Try tweaking it like this

Change 'statements' to 'questions' for tutorials or persuasive pieces, so each heading becomes the next question in the reader's mind.
Add 'mark two headings that could be swapped without a reader noticing' to test whether the sections are genuinely distinct.