Until recently, I used AI to run the same small tasks on my WordPress content. It eventually became so repetitive that I decided to automate part of it by using the custom actions module inside the Otter Blocks plugin.
The obvious advantage to this is that I knew it would save me time because I wouldn’t need to write the same instructions every time I wanted to run a task.
To execute the idea, I assigned a custom action to five repetitive content tasks I had been doing manually. Then I tested all of them. Overall, I was pleased, and I recommend following in my footsteps if you’re in a similar situation. Although I did need to make some manual edits, the net result was worth it.
If you want to see what this looks like in action, stick around for a few minutes and follow along as I walk you through my own examples.
How I turned my prompts into custom actions 💬
Otter Blocks lets you create custom AI actions for tasks you repeat while writing. I saved five prompts I actually use, so I can run them directly from the WordPress editor instead of typing them over and over.
Once saved, the actions appear in the Edit with AI menu when I select a block.
I tested all five on real content:
For consistency across the five programmed tasks, I did not touch the AI output. This ensured that every prompt was applied to the same source material.
Here’s what each one returned.
1. Turn a paragraph into a question and answer
I often want to turn a piece of information into something a reader might actually ask.
Below is the prompt I saved to make that happen:
Turn this paragraph into one question and answer. Write the question the way a reader would actually ask it, not the way we would phrase it. Answer in two sentences using only what is in the paragraph, but in plainer words. Do not reuse its sentence structure. Question as a heading, answer underneath. Add this after the paragraph. Do not replace or change the existing paragraph.
Here is what it returned:
The structure was right, but the answer needed a closer look.
The question was clear, and the answer followed the format I asked for. But “Otter charges nothing or limits your use” is unclear and not something I would publish as written.
Moving forward, performing this action will save me time from having to write a Q&A from scratch. I’m just going to need to give the result a quick manual review and fix anything that doesn’t read right.
That is the useful part of a custom action: it takes care of the repetitive work, while I stay in control of the final copy.
2. Add a practical use case
This is one of the prompts I was most interested in because it is easy for AI to invent a use case that sounds reasonable but isn’t actually supported by the source.
I wanted the prompt to be restrictive enough that it had to stay inside the paragraph.
This was the prompt:
Insert a WordPress Quote block immediately after this paragraph. Start with “Use case:” and write one concise, practical use case based only on information explicitly stated in the paragraph. Choose one specific feature, fact, or capability mentioned in the paragraph and explain a realistic problem it helps solve. Do not introduce new products, people, industries, features, or situations that are not reasonably supported by the paragraph. Keep it to 2-3 short sentences. Do not modify or replace the existing paragraph.
The result was:
Getting this result required more prompt refinement than the others.
The important parts were the restrictions:
- Base it only on information explicitly stated in the paragraph.
- Choose one specific feature, fact, or capability.
- Do not introduce new products, people, industries, features, or situations.
- Use two to three short sentences.
These constraints gave the AI much less room to invent a plausible-sounding use case that the source didn’t support.
Remember, the more specific the prompt is about what the output can and cannot contain, the more useful the result becomes.
It also did something I specifically asked for: it returned a WordPress Quote block rather than just another paragraph.
This is the kind of custom action I would save for documentation and product content where I repeatedly need the same supporting element.
3. Break a paragraph into a lead line and bullets
This is probably the strongest one of the five.
I regularly have paragraphs that contain several ideas but would be easier to scan as a short introduction followed by bullets.
Here’s the saved prompt I used to achieve the above:
Restructure this paragraph as a short lead line and up to three bullets. Setup in the lead line, specifics in the bullets. Keep the bullets parallel, using the same grammatical shape. Add nothing that is not already here. Use fewer than three bullets if there are not three ideas. Add this after the paragraph. Do not replace or change the existing paragraph.
The output Otter Blocks produced:
Of the five prompts on this list, this is the one I would save first.
There is also a small line in the prompt that makes a big difference:
“Use fewer than three bullets if there are not three ideas.”
I prefer asking AI for a maximum rather than an exact number.
If I say “give me three bullets,” it can feel obligated to find three things even when the source contains two. Asking for “up to three” prevents it from forcing one when the source material doesn’t have that many.
That “up to [number]” sentence structure is useful and can be applied to most reusable AI prompts.
4. Explain the most common mistake
For tutorials and documentation, I often want to add a small warning after an explanation.
Rather than writing the same type of note manually, I turned it into an action.
Below is the saved prompt I used:
Write a short note on the mistake someone is most likely to make here, and what to do instead. Two sentences. Base it only on what the paragraph says. Add this after the paragraph. Do not replace or change the existing paragraph.
And this was my result:
This one earns its place because it has a very specific job.
I can use it while writing tutorials, setup guides, and documentation without having to explain the format every time.
The important constraint is again “Base it only on what the paragraph says.”
That keeps the warning tied to the information the reader just saw instead of asking AI to invent a completely unrelated mistake.
5. Turn a paragraph into a tip box
The last one is simpler than the others.
Sometimes I’ve already explained something and want to pull the most useful action out into a small tip.
Here’s the saved prompt I use to achieve this:
Turn this paragraph into a short tip box. One line naming the tip, then one or two sentences on how to do it. Use only what is in the paragraph. Add this after the paragraph. Do not replace or change the existing paragraph.
Below is the result I got when running it on my target text:
Otter Blocks correctly picked out the setup step from the paragraph and turned it into the format I asked for.
This is a good example of a custom action that does not need to be complicated.
The value comes from being able to run it with one click whenever I need it.
Two rules that make these prompts work ✌️
After testing all five, I noticed that the useful parts of the prompts had less to do with clever wording and more to do with giving AI clear boundaries.
1. Say where the output goes
I wanted to keep my original paragraph and put the new content underneath it.
So every prompt includes:
Add this after the paragraph. Do not replace or change the existing paragraph.
That one instruction makes the intended behavior much clearer.
2. Name a maximum, not a count
“Up to three bullets” is better than “three bullets.”
“One or two sentences” is better than forcing two sentences every time.
When the source does not contain enough information, the AI should be allowed to stop.
What it costs to run 💰
The custom actions themselves do not require separate Otter AI credits.
You connect your own AI provider through the available AI connection settings, and the provider handles the model usage and billing.
So the value of custom actions is not another collection of AI credits.
It is turning your own recurring instructions into shortcuts.
The real benefit of custom AI actions ✅
The built-in AI buttons in Otter Blocks cover the obvious stuff: rewrite, summarise, shorten, translate, and similar changes.
Custom actions are different.
They let you decide what your repetitive AI tasks should be.
For me, that means I no longer have to stop writing, open another AI tool, explain what I want, copy the paragraph, copy the response back, and repeat the process.
I select the block, choose the action, and review what comes back.
The prompts still need to be good. The output still needs to be checked. But I only have to write the instructions once.
That is what makes a custom action worth saving.
Try it yourself 🫵
Think about the last few WordPress posts you wrote.
Was there a small AI task you repeated more than once?
Maybe you kept asking for bullets. Maybe you wanted a short tip after every explanation. Maybe you kept turning sections into Q&As.
That is probably a better candidate for a custom action than another generic “rewrite this” button.
Write the prompt once. Save it in Otter Blocks. Then make it a one-click action.
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