Email prompts
An email prompt template that gets a draft you can send
A good email prompt holds the message you are answering, what you want to happen, the facts behind it, your tone and a word limit. Put them in one prompt and the first draft is close to sendable, in your words.
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Updated
>_Six parts
The six parts, applied to email
Every strong prompt has the same six parts, and an email shows each one clearly.
| Part | What to write for an email | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Goal, and why | What the reply must achieve, and the reason. Anthropic's blog says to explain why it matters. | "Confirm the order, but say the invoice follows on Friday, because the books close on Thursday." |
| Facts | The email you answer, plus dates, prices and past promises. Microsoft calls this Context and Source. | Her message, your free days, the price you quoted. |
| Steps | What to do, in order. Anthropic suggests numbered steps when order matters. | Thank her, confirm the order, name the invoice day, offer two delivery dates. |
| Limits | Tone, audience, what to avoid, and to say when it is not sure. Anthropic's blog backs that last part. | "Warm and brief. If a fact is missing, tell me." |
| Format | Length and shape. Microsoft says to be specific about length and audience. | "Plain text, 80 words at most." |
| A great answer | One sentence on what good looks like, or one earlier email of yours as a sample. In Anthropic's blog, a single example is the first step. | "It reads like I wrote it in a hurry, but kindly." |
The prompting hub shows where the official guides agree on these parts. This page applies them to one job.
Patterns
Three email prompts to copy
Each pattern below is filled in with invented details, so you can see how much a good prompt holds. Replace the details with yours.
Pattern 1: confirm an order. Prompt: Reply to the email below from Rhea Okafor at Tansy & Pine. Goal: confirm her order of 40 linen napkins and say the invoice follows on Friday, because our books close on Thursday. Her email says: "Can you confirm the napkins and tell me when the invoice will come? We would like to pay this month." Offer delivery on the 12th or the 13th. Warm and direct. Under 90 words. Plain text. Sign off as Wendell.
Pattern 2: follow-up to silence. Prompt: Write a follow-up to Tomás Reyes at Upland Thistle Co. I sent him a quote for 2,000 tote bags on 3 February and he has not replied in nine days. Goal: get a yes, a no or a new date. One fact helps: the quote holds until the 20th, because the cotton price changes then. Use plain words and end with one question. Under 60 words.
Pattern 3: saying no. Prompt: Reply to Pavel Novak, who asked us to cut our monthly retainer from $3,200 to $2,400. Goal: keep the client and keep the price. Say no to the cut in the first sentence. Offer the one thing we can do: move the monthly report to a quarterly report, which saves him $300 a month. Respectful, firm and confident about the price. Under 100 words. If a number is unclear, ask me before you write.
Notice that each pattern names what you want, not what you fear. Anthropic recommends that, and Microsoft says the same: phrase instructions positively.
Gaps
What a generic prompt misses
A short prompt leaves out the details that make an email yours.
- The history. What you told this person last time, and what they answered.
- The calendar. Your real free days, not a guess.
- The promise. What you agreed on a call or in chat, which is not in the thread.
- Your voice. How you write to this person: first names, short lines, a dry joke.
- The limit. A word count, so the draft does not run to five paragraphs.
Microsoft's help page says Copilot is limited to your current conversation, and our view is that any chat tool is only as good as the detail you type. Copying all of it by hand is the slow part, and Scrubbr pulls it from your email, calendar and notes when you say the line.
Review
Check the draft before it goes
A first draft is close, not final, so read it once with five checks.
- Dates. Does every date match your calendar?
- Names. Is the name spelled right, and is it the right person?
- Promises. Did the draft promise anything you did not agree?
- Tone. Would you say it this way to this person?
- Length. Is it inside your word limit?
Microsoft says to review and verify every response, and that the first result is often not the best one, so revise and try again. Its Outlook page gives the same steer for drafts: a new prompt, then generate again.
Worked example
From one line to a full email prompt
Owen Tarrant wants to say yes to Nadia Quist, but not before the 14th, and he says it in one line.
In ChatGPT
You say
optionreply to nadia, say yes to the workshop but not before the 14th, I'm out until then, keep it short and friendly
Scrubbr finds
Gmail · Nadia Quist, "Brand workshop in December?" (3 messages)
Google Calendar · Booked 7 to 11 December, free from 14 December- Knowledge base · Workshop sheet: half day, up to 8 people, $900
ChatGPT · Prompt
Goal: Reply to Nadia Quist at Northgate Studio. Say yes to the brand workshop, but not before 14 December, so Owen can give it his full attention.
Facts: Nadia wrote on 1 December and asked for the 8th or the 10th. Owen is away from 7 to 11 December and free from the 14th. The workshop is a half day for up to 8 people at $900, as quoted in her thread. Her team of 6 is keen to start. Owen and Nadia write in first names, in short, friendly lines.
Steps: 1. Thank her. 2. Say yes, and say the earliest date is Monday 14 December. 3. Offer the 14th or the 15th. 4. Ask her to reply with the one she prefers.
Limits: Warm and brief, as in Owen's earlier replies to her. Use only the facts above. If a fact is missing, tell Owen before you write.
Format: Plain-text email with a greeting, the reply and one closing line. At most 80 words.
A great answer: Nadia knows the answer is yes, knows the first date, and can pick the 14th or the 15th in one line. It reads like Owen wrote it in a hurry, but kindly.
Demo data. The people, company and facts are invented.
Questions
Email prompt questions
What is a good prompt template for writing emails with AI?
Use six parts: the goal, the facts, the steps, the limits, the format and a description of a great answer. For email, the facts are the message you answer plus any dates or promises, and the format is a word limit. Anthropic's blog says to state the purpose, the audience and the constraints.
How do I stop AI email drafts sounding generic?
Give the AI the history and one sample of how you write. Paste one earlier email to the same kind of person and ask it to match the tone. Then add the facts only you know, such as a promise you made on a call.
How long should an email prompt be?
As long as the facts need. Microsoft says only the goal is required, and it lists context, source and expectations as the other three parts. For a reply, that usually means the email, one line of goal, your dates and a word limit.
Should I paste the whole email thread first or last?
The guides differ. Anthropic puts long documents above the question, while Microsoft puts source references last, because it says later parts of a prompt weigh more. For a long thread, try both orders on the same email and keep the one that follows your goal best.
Can the AI tell me when it does not know a fact?
Yes, if you allow it. Anthropic's blog says that letting the model admit uncertainty cuts down on hallucinations. Add a line such as: "If the thread does not say, ask me before you write."
Sources
Where these facts come from
Sources checked on 2026-11-03.
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