How to Use ChatGPT to Write Emails (With Prompts to Copy)

The short version

ChatGPT is best at the emails you’ve been putting off: the awkward reply, the polite no, the follow-up nobody answered. Give it the situation and the outcome you want, and you’ll have a draft in seconds. Your job is to make it sound like you and check the facts.

Step by step

1. Paste the email you’re answering, if there is one. ChatGPT writes a far better reply when it can see what was said.
2. Explain the situation in a sentence or two: what happened and what you know that the email doesn’t say.
3. Say what you want the reader to do: agree to a call, pay an invoice, accept a new date.
4. Choose the tone and length: “friendly and brief”, “firm but polite”, “under 120 words”.
5. Edit the draft. Cut stock phrases (“I hope this email finds you well”), add one personal detail, and check names, dates and amounts.

Prompts to copy

A reply to an email:

Here's an email I received:
[paste email]
Write a reply that [agrees to / declines / asks for more time on] this.
Context: [what the email doesn't say]. Tone: friendly and professional. Under 120 words.

A follow-up after no answer:

I emailed a client two weeks ago about [topic] and got no reply.
Write a short, friendly follow-up that makes it easy to answer with one line. Under 70 words.

Saying no politely:

A customer asked for a full refund 3 months after purchase. Our policy is 30 days.
Write a kind but clear reply saying no, and offer a 20% discount on their next order instead.

Asking for something:

Write an email to my landlord asking to fix the heating, which stopped working on Monday.
Mention it's the second time this month. Polite, firm, and ask for a date by Friday.

Example

You give: a supplier says your order will be three weeks late; you need it in one week.

A good result: two short paragraphs that thank them, explain the deadline you’re facing, ask whether a partial shipment is possible within a week, and request an answer by a set date. If the draft is too long, reply “Half the length, please.”

Mistakes to avoid

• Sending the first draft. It’s usually too long and too formal.
• Leaving out the outcome. Without “what I want them to do”, you get a pleasant email that achieves nothing.
• Pasting private details you don’t need. Leave out account numbers and other people’s personal information. See keep your data private in ChatGPT.
• Trusting invented details. ChatGPT may fill gaps with plausible dates or names. Check them.

When not to use it

Very personal messages, like condolences or an apology to someone close, usually land better in your own words. Use ChatGPT for ideas if you’re stuck, then write it yourself.

Related: respond to customer reviews and write better prompts.