Format converter brief

Format Converter Brief

What This Skill Does

Produces a clear, step-by-step brief explaining exactly how to convert a finished article or document from one format (Word, plain text, InDesign export) into a specified target format (Markdown, HTML, or structured plain text), preserving all editorial elements correctly.

When To Use This Skill

• You need to move a finished article from a Word document into a CMS that uses Markdown or HTML
• A web editor has sent you a piece that needs to be posted to a platform with specific markup requirements
• You are handing off formatted copy to a developer or digital producer and need to give them precise conversion instructions
• You are preparing archival versions of published articles in multiple formats

What You Need To Provide

Required: The source format (e.g., Word .docx, InDesign exported .txt, plain email text) and the target format (Markdown, HTML, or structured plain text). A description or paste of the article's structural elements — headings, subheadings, pull quotes, captions, byline, bullet lists, embedded links, footnotes.

Optional: The name or type of CMS the output will be pasted into (WordPress, Arc, Contentful, Ghost). Any house style rules that affect markup — for example, whether <h2> or ## is used for section heads, or whether links open in new tabs.

How the Assistant Approaches This

1. Identifies every structural element in the source document — body paragraphs, headlines, subheadings, captions, bylines, pull quotes, bullet lists, links, footnotes — and maps each to its correct equivalent in the target format.
2. Flags any elements that have no clean equivalent in the target format (for example, multi-column layouts or decorated drop caps in Word have no Markdown equivalent) and recommends a practical workaround.
3. Produces a brief structured as a numbered conversion checklist: one instruction per element type, written in plain language so that any editor — not just a developer — can follow it without ambiguity.

Output Format

A numbered conversion checklist, typically 8–15 items. Each item names the source element, states the target markup or convention, and includes a short example showing before and after. Ends with a short "Watch out for" section listing two or three common conversion errors specific to this format pair. Plain, professional language — no technical jargon beyond the markup itself.

Quality Criteria

• Every structural element mentioned in the source description has a corresponding instruction
• Each instruction includes a concrete before/after example, not just a rule statement
• The "Watch out for" section is specific to the source/target pair, not generic advice
• No instruction requires the editor to know how to code — only to copy and paste markup
• Any element that cannot convert cleanly is flagged with a practical workaround

Example

Input

Source format: Word document (.docx) Target format: Markdown (for Ghost CMS)

Article structure:

• Headline in Title style
• Byline below headline (Author Name, Date)
• Three section subheadings in Heading 2 style
• Body paragraphs in Normal style
• One pull quote (italicised, indented in Word)
• One bulleted list (Word auto-bullets)
• Three hyperlinks embedded in body text
• Two image captions below photos (Caption style in Word)
• One author bio paragraph at the end (italicised Normal)

No footnotes. No footnotes. CMS is Ghost 5. Links should open in the same tab.

Output

Format Conversion Brief: Word → Markdown (Ghost 5)

Source: Word .docx Target: Markdown for Ghost 5 CMS Prepared for: Editorial handoff

---

Conversion Checklist

1. Headline (Title style → # heading) Word: Urban Heat: How Cities Are Rewriting the Climate Rulebook Markdown: # Urban Heat: How Cities Are Rewriting the Climate Rulebook Paste this as the first line of your Markdown file. Ghost will use it as the article title.

2. Byline (below headline → plain text block) Word has no standard Markdown equivalent for bylines. In Ghost, enter the author in the post settings panel — do not include it in the body text. The date is set in the post settings as well. Delete the byline line from the Markdown body entirely.

3. Section subheadings (Heading 2 → ##) Word: subheading in Heading 2 style Markdown: ## Your Subheading Here Apply this to all three subheadings. Use ## only — do not use ### unless you have a third level of heading in the original.

4. Body paragraphs (Normal style → plain paragraphs) No markup needed. Paste body text as-is, with a blank line between each paragraph. Remove any double spaces after full stops — use single spaces throughout.

5. Pull quote (italicised indent → blockquote) Word: indented italicised paragraph Markdown: > "No city has solved this alone — the answers are regional or they are nothing." Place the > symbol at the start of the line. Do not use quotation marks unless they appear in the original text.

6. Bulleted list (Word auto-bullets → Markdown list) Word: auto-formatted bullet points Markdown:

   - First item
   - Second item
   - Third item
   

   Use a hyphen and a space before each item. Remove any tab indentation Word may have added.

7. Hyperlinks (embedded links → inline Markdown links) Word: underlined blue text with a URL attached Markdown: [link text](https://example.com) Example: [a 2023 IPCC report](https://ipcc.ch/report/ar6) — links open in the same tab by default in Ghost Markdown, which matches your requirement. Do not add {:target="_blank"}.

8. Image captions (Caption style → italic text below image card) In Ghost, captions are entered directly in the image card after uploading the photo — not in the Markdown body. Remove caption text from the Markdown file. Keep the captions in a separate notes document to paste into Ghost after upload. Markdown caption format (if your Ghost theme uses it): *A caption describing the image.*

9. Author bio (italicised paragraph → italic Markdown) Word: italicised Normal paragraph at article end Markdown: *Firstname Lastname is a journalist covering urban planning and climate adaptation. They are based in [City].* Wrap the entire paragraph in single asterisks. Place it after a horizontal rule: --- on its own line, then the bio.

---

Watch Out For

• Smart quotes. Word uses curly quotation marks (" "). Some Markdown parsers handle these fine; others display them as garbled characters. If you see strange symbols in Ghost preview, do a find-and-replace: swap " for " and ' for ' throughout.
• Hidden line breaks. Word sometimes inserts a soft return (Shift+Enter) inside paragraphs. These paste as <br> tags in some editors, breaking your paragraph spacing. Check that each paragraph is separated by a full blank line, not a single line break.
• Table formatting. If the article contains any tables not mentioned above, contact the digital producer before converting — Word tables require manual Markdown table markup and are not covered by this brief.

Known Limitations

• This skill produces a conversion brief — instructions for a human to follow — not an automated conversion. It will not paste or reformat the article itself; that step remains with the editor.
• Format briefs are specific to the source/target pair. If your CMS uses a custom markup dialect (Arc XP, Brightspot), the standard Markdown instructions may need adjustment — mention your CMS when requesting the brief.
• Complex Word documents with tracked changes, comments, or revision marks should have those resolved before conversion; this skill assumes a clean final draft.

Related Skills

• print-web-reformatter
• layout-placement-advisor