How to use these
Paste it in and replace the [bracketed] parts. Every template contains a format request and an escape route — those two things carry most of the work, as The Anatomy of a Working Prompt explains.
If one of them works well for you, don't come looking here next time: save it for yourself. That is what Prompt Library is about.
Email and messages
1. Reply to an incoming email
Draft a reply to the email below.
The email: [text]
What you need to know: [background not available from the email]
Format: at most [150] words, [plain and direct], factual.
Whatever you cannot tell from what is given, do not invent — mark it as [to be clarified].
2. Phrasing an unwelcome message
I have to write [what the bad news is] to [whom].
Write three versions: a direct one, a more careful one, and one that also offers a solution.
At most [100] words each. Do not promise anything that is not in the background given.
Background: [what you need to know]
3. A reminder that is not pushy
Write a reminder to [whom] about [what is overdue or pending].
This is the [second] reminder. Keep it polite, but include a specific request and a deadline.
At most [80] words.
4. Shortening an email
Cut the email below to half its length without losing a single request, date or figure.
If you have to leave out something that might matter, list those separately at the end.
The email: [text]
Summaries and extracts
5. Minutes with decisions
Turn the notes below into minutes.
Three sections: Decisions · Actions (what, who, by when) · Open questions.
Include only what was actually said. Where there is no owner or deadline, write: [not given].
The notes: [text]
6. Summarising a long email thread
Summarise the exchange below so that an outsider can follow it.
In chronological order, at most [10] points, each with its date.
Separately at the end: what no agreement was reached on.
The thread: [text]
7. Summarising a document for one decision
I am reading the material below in order to decide: [the specific decision].
Pull out only what matters for that decision. What is interesting but does not affect it, leave out.
Format: [5] points, one sentence each, with the source alongside (page number or section).
The material: [text]
8. A summary to be read aloud
Summarise the material below to a length that can be read aloud in [2] minutes.
I will be saying it out loud, so make it flowing prose: no bullet points, tables or abbreviations.
The material: [text]
Data and tables
9. Extracting data from a document
From the document below, read out: [field1], [field2], [field3].
Format: a table, columns in exactly this order.
Whatever does not appear in the material, put a dash. Whatever is not clearly legible: [not legible].
The document: [text or image]
10. An unstructured list into a table
Turn the list below into a table.
Columns: [item], [quantity], [deadline], [owner].
Where more than one value would fit in a cell, make it a separate row instead.
The list: [text]
11. Comparing two lists
Compare the two lists.
Return it in three parts: only in the first · only in the second · in both, but with differing values.
Do not interpret the differences, just list them.
First list: [text]
Second list: [text]
12. Explaining a table
What are the three most important trends in the table below?
For each one, say which rows or columns you are reading it from.
Do not calculate in your head: if a claim needs arithmetic, write out the operation too.
The table: [data]
Preparation and decisions
13. Preparing for a negotiation
Tomorrow I am negotiating with [whom] about [what].
List: what they are likely to ask, what we have no good answer to, and the three figures I need to know from memory.
What you need to know: [background]
14. Counter-arguments to my own plan
This is my plan: [plan].
Do not improve it. List the [5] strongest counter-arguments, starting with the most serious.
For each one, say what information would settle whether it is valid.
15. Choosing between two options
I am choosing between two options: [A] and [B].
Criteria: [what matters].
Produce a comparison in a table, and state separately in which case A is the wrong choice, and in which case B is.
Do not recommend either until I ask.
16. A checklist for a process
Produce a checklist for this: [task].
In order, each point an action that can be performed, not a goal.
Mark the step where a mistake only surfaces later — put a separate check there.
Fixing your own text
17. A read-through before revising
Read the text below and tell me what is unclear in it.
Do not rewrite it. List the vague or ambiguous parts, each with one sentence on why.
The text: [text]
18. Switching the register
Rewrite the text below from [formal to conversational].
The content, the order and every figure must stay unchanged.
If something cannot be rewritten without changing the meaning, leave it and flag it.
The text: [text]
19. Cutting to a size
Cut the text below to under [500] characters.
In this order: filler first, then repetition, and content only as a last resort.
If you did have to drop content in the end, say what.
The text: [text]
20. Translation with terminology
Translate the text below into [language].
Do not translate the following terms, leave them as they are: [list].
Where the translation would be ambiguous, give both versions and say what the difference is.
The text: [text]
Two things worth adding
The role and the framing belong in the system prompt. If it is the same company, tone and prohibition in every task, don't paste that in twenty times — set it once and be done.
Mark long material. If you are inserting several pages of text into a template, put it in a separate block, and let your request come after it, not before. Delimiters and Sections covers this.
What to take away
These are not magic sentences — they work because each one contains the format and the escape route. If you write your own, add those two last, and your prompts will improve a lot.