Get AI to help you write clearly, not vaguely
Start with one email: give the facts, the reader and the purpose, then check that it hasn't changed what you meant.
- You'll get
- A draft email or article that you can check yourself and keep editing.
- You need
- Your list of facts, who will read it, and the one thing you want the reader to do.
- Cost
- Try the tools and free plans you already have first; limits, features and availability vary — check the provider.
Which tool? See suggestions and limits
Which tool
Suggestions by task, not a tested ranking. If a tool you already have can do the job, keep using it.
| Tool | When to use it | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | You already use it and want to draft, ask about wording and revise again and again in the same conversation. | Give it the facts and the tone first. Don't let it invent experience, figures or promises for you. |
| Claude | You want to turn a pile of notes into a structure, or edit a draft paragraph by paragraph. | Say clearly what must stay. Fluent writing is not the same as accurate writing. |
How to do it the first time
- Write the facts and the purpose as a few bullet points. It doesn’t need to sound good yet. Say what happened, which details are confirmed, who the reader is and what you want them to do. Use placeholders for anything you don’t know yet.
- Set the length, the tone and what must not change. For example: under 120 words, polite and direct, no exaggeration, no new promises. If you want it to keep your own voice, paste in a short sample of your writing as a reference.
- Check the meaning first, then the style. Go through dates, people, requests and promises one by one. Don’t hit send just because it reads smoothly. If needed, ask it to list what it changed and why.
- Point to a specific sentence, then ask for the change. “The second sentence is too formal; make it sound like an everyday work email and keep the facts the same” gets more reliable edits than “make it more natural”.
Prompts to copy
Replace the parts in square brackets with your own situation, then attach your material.
Please write a work email based on the facts below. Reader: [who it's for and your relationship] Purpose: [the one thing you want them to do] Confirmed facts: [list them one by one] Tone: polite, direct, no exaggeration. Length: [word count or number of paragraphs] Don't add facts, experience or promises. Mark anything unknown as [to confirm]. Give me the draft first, then a short list of what I should check.
Example
An illustrative example written by our editors to show the shape of a good result; not a recorded output from a specific tool.
Reader: a partner organisation. Facts: two product images are attached; we'd like them to confirm by Friday whether we can use them; no release date has been set yet.
Hi, I've attached two product images. Could you let me know by Friday whether we're able to use them? If anything needs changing, please tell me that too. Thanks! Before sending: check both attachments are there, and whether "Friday" should be a specific date.
Check and adjust
- It hasn’t added promises, achievements or experience you didn’t confirm.
- The reader can see what they need to reply about, and by when.
- The tone fits the relationship, and the important details aren’t buried under nice phrasing.
If the result is off, you can follow up like this:
Go through the facts I gave you one by one and mark anything in the draft that adds a new fact, promise or assumption. Then give me a version with those removed, changing only the sentences you need to.
Next steps
For a longer article, first discuss the argument and the structure, agree on them, then write one section at a time. Each section should deal with one point. Make the style consistent at the end.
Try it yourself
An example is filled in. Change the goal, input, output and constraints to your own; the prompt updates as you type. Copy it into your AI app. Nothing leaves this page.
Goal: Ask a partner to approve two images by Friday Input: Two product images attached; publication date is undecided Output: A short, polite, direct work email Constraints: Do not add facts, commitments or publication dates Ask if information is missing; do not invent it. Explain what I need to verify.
Copy into your usual AI, then attach your source material.