Model chooser  /  Write copy and long-form content  /  One-off

For one piece of writing that has to be good, use Claude Opus 5.

Claude models hold most of the top places on LMArena's text leaderboard, where people vote blind on which answer reads better. Opus 5 is the strongest of them you can use in the Claude app without waiting.

How to use it ↓ Try another task

Why Claude Opus 5

The reasons it wins for this job.

  • LMArena ranks answers by blind human preference, which is the closest public proxy for "reads well". On the 13 September 2026 board, Claude models hold five of the top ten places, Opus 5 among them.
  • The top 25 models sit within about 30 points of each other, so for writing, the differences are about voice and editing behaviour more than raw capability. Claude is consistently noted for tone and style.
  • It follows long, specific briefs: an audience, a banned-words list, a structure and three examples of your voice, all at once.
  • It is in the Claude app with Projects, so you can upload interviews, notes and past posts once and write several drafts against them.

How to use it

4 steps to a first result.

  1. 1Give it the raw materialUpload the interviews, notes or data the piece must be based on. Writing from sources beats writing from memory.
  2. 2Show your voicePaste two or three things you have written that you like. Examples beat adjectives like "punchy".
  3. 3Ask for an outline firstAgree the argument before the prose. Fixing structure in a draft wastes both of your time.
  4. 4Edit hard, then ask for a cutMark what is wrong, then ask it to cut 25% without losing a claim. Most drafts improve by getting shorter.

Prompt for Claude

Start from this.

Edit the parts in capitals, then run it.

I need a PIECE TYPE for AUDIENCE. The goal: WHAT THE READER SHOULD THINK OR DO AFTER.

Source material is attached. Use only claims that are in it. If something important is missing, ask me instead of inventing it.

My voice, from things I have written:
1. PASTE EXAMPLE
2. PASTE EXAMPLE

Rules: plain words, short sentences, no "in today's fast-paced world", no lists of three for rhythm, no em dashes.

First give me the argument in five bullets. When I approve it, write the draft.
Nothing is sent anywhere. It copies to your clipboard.

Alternatives that also work

If Claude Opus 5 is not an option.

GPT-6 AstraOfficial page →

OpenAI · closed · cost: high

Pick it when you already pay for ChatGPT and the piece leans on research or data, where Astra is strongest.

Gemini 3.8 FlashOfficial page →

Google · closed · cost: low

Pick it when the source material is video or audio, such as a webinar recording. It takes those in directly.

Claude Sonnet 5Official page →

Anthropic · closed · cost: medium

Pick it when you are on the free Claude plan. Sonnet 5 is available to everyone in the Claude app.

Watch out for

Doing this again and again? For content you produce every week, use Claude Sonnet 5. Personalised outbound, weekly posts and product descriptions need a consistent voice at a cost that does not grow faster than the output. Sonnet 5 writes close to Opus quality at a medium cost tier, and caching makes the brand guide nearly free to reuse.

Sources

Checked . Models change monthly; we re-check this page when they do.

Picking the model is the easy part.

Wiring it into a workflow that runs every week, with evals, fallbacks and a cost you can predict, is the work. Fifteen minutes, no deck.

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