Strategies and AI Suggestions for Crafting Exceptional Email Compositions with ChatGPT

Email communication has undergone a significant evolution in the past fifty years, but the pace of change has been relatively slow. However, this is starting to shift due to the emergence of generative AI.

Two years ago, ChatGPT entered the scene, bringing email communications into a new era of efficiency and quality. Email platforms like Outlook and Gmail now offer AI-assisted tools to aid users in composing and optimizing their emails. In the UK, for instance, workers spend approximately nine hours per week drafting emails, and these AI tools could potentially save substantial time.

These AI tools, either incorporated into email applications or available through chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini, can help users refine their writing, making it clearer, more persuasive, and more suitable for their intended audience. As these tools continue to improve, knowing how to effectively guide them will become increasingly important, both professionally and personally.

To write better emails rapidly and tailor them to various people or situations, here are some helpful tips and sample prompts:

Which AI Tools Should You Use?

The suggestions and prompts provided below are applicable to most AI tools, whether they are chatbots such as ChatGPT or built-in assistants like Copilot within email applications. For basic email drafting tasks, these tools operate in much the same way, and advanced features like web search or image understanding are only needed if explicitly mentioned.

Both Gmail and Outlook provide AI-assisted tools within their free and premium versions for both desktop and mobile applications. Chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude also offer free versions competent in email writing.

Tips for Writing Better Prompts

A critical element in working with AI is identifying your goals. If your instructions are unclear or vague, the AI may not deliver the desired results. You can seek the AI's assistance in setting clear goals and defining what a successful outcome looks like.

Using ChatGPT to Improve Email Writing

One essential point to note is that you can provide ChatGPT (or similar tools) with any information required for the task at hand. For example, you can upload customer purchase records, and ChatGPT can then generate follow-up emails asking customers about their experiences with their purchases. Another useful tip is to clearly specify the email recipient. If you indicate that the message is for your boss, customers, or those you're trying to assist, the AI can adapt its tone and approach accordingly.

If you wish to have the email appear as if it were written by you, you can show ChatGPT your usual writing style by either uploading examples or incorporating it into the chat. This helps the AI to mimic your voice, tone, and style.

It is important to be mindful of "AI hallucination," where the AI generates misinformation when it lacks the necessary data. To avoid this, simply instruct the AI to "ask me for any information necessary to complete this task," which will help make prompts more accurate and effective.

Useful Prompts for Improving Email Writing

1. Summarize or Recap a Meeting

AI works best when given specific details. Avoid relying on it to guess the context.

Prompt: "Synthesize attendance records, agendas, and meeting notes to summarize the meeting, creating personalized follow-up emails for each participant and an action plan with current objectives, timeline, and next steps."

2. Craft a Persuasive Email

If your goal is to motivate people to perform an action (such as purchasing a product, attending an event, or supporting a cause), use the following prompt to enhance your email:

Prompt: "Please transform this draft email into a version more likely to achieve its objective. Organize the content clearly, make it succinct yet impactful, and emphasize key benefits or risks. If the objective is ambiguous, kindly ask for clarification. Maintain the original voice, tone, and message throughout. Once you have all the necessary elements, produce a persuasive version of the email."

3. Appeal a Fine or Ticket

To effectively write an appeal, you will need a copy of the rules you're accused of violating.

Prompt: "Assist me in appealing this fine or penalty. I've attached the rules I'm charged with breaching. Please ask for an explanation as to why I believe the fine should be overturned. Then, craft a brief yet polite and clear letter that refers to the rules and explains why the fine should be revoked."

Additional Tips for Effective AI Use

These examples demonstrate how AI can be beneficial in various situations. Customize the prompts according to your needs.

The key to successful AI utilization is providing it with the right information—and asking it to seek additional information if necessary. This makes the results more precise and personalized.

Mastering AI use is a valuable skill, one that will be increasingly important in the future. Tools like ChatGPT simplify tasks by removing the need for technical abilities such as coding. However, using AI effectively remains a skill that can be developed through practice and learning. And the better you become at leveraging AI, the more value and opportunity it can provide.

(Originally published: 27th May 2025)

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Strategies and AI Suggestions for Crafting Exceptional Email Compositions with ChatGPT