Nobody was taught how to send an email at school, yet it’s an important skill. The average office worker sends 40 emails per day which means one every 12 minutes during an 8 hour work day. Those emails will be to colleagues, clients and suppliers, all of whom have better things to do than read reams of unedited text where the crux of the message is buried. Enter ChatGPT.
Regardless of how many emails you send, one thing is for sure: they should be clear. As succinct as possible, direct without being curt, and compassionately written to save the other person time. Here are 8 ChatGPT prompts to write better emails.
How ChatGPT can help you write more effective emails
Reorganize into bullet points
Bullet points are far easier on the eye than chunky paragraphs. Upon first glance, your email will look friendlier, like it will take less time to consume. Quality of presentation could win your email the attention it warrants, and the recipient in a rush might be more inclined to read what you have to say.
Use this prompt to turn your lengthy sentences into short, sharp pointers. “I’d like to present this information in a more concise and structured manner. Can you reformat this email into a bullet-pointed list? [Copy email here].”
Create an out of office response
Because so many office workers send so many emails, if someone doesn’t receive an out of office responder, they might assume you’ll respond in a timely manner. If that’s not the case, let them know. Here’s where you can tell ChatGPT about you and ask for suggestions, so your out of office makes you stand out in a good way.
Here’s the prompt for ChatGPT. Fill in the gaps and see what it creates: “I will be out of the office from [date] to [date] because [explain where you’ll be or what you’ll be doing]. During this time, I will not have access to my email. Please create an autoresponder email that is [style and tone you would like]. Tell recipients they should [alternative action you want someone to take.]”
Improve the tone
Communicate in the way that others want to be communicated with. Email tone is not one size fits all. If your colleague is a sensitive soul, your email should be more empathetic. If you know someone prefers tough love, match that in your style. Tell ChatGPT the effect you’re after and it will edit your message accordingly.
“I would like you to help me sound more [specify the tone you want: friendly, direct, assertive, polite, professional, formal, confident] in this email.” You could even ask ChatGPT to, “remove any apologetic language.”
Start and finish in a unique style
If you want to be memorable, aim to stand out in a good way. Starting an email with “I hope you’re well” and ending it with “best wishes” is unimaginative and boring. Too many people use the same dull wording and miss the opportunity to make their mark. If that sounds like you, try mixing it up.
Ask ChatGPT for alternatives with this prompt: “Can you assist me in creating a distinct and memorable greeting and sign-off for my emails? I want this to reflect my personality and make a positive impression. My role is [your role] and my I [explain what your company does]. I mainly engage with [describe the typical recipients of your emails]. I want to come across as [explain how you want to be portrayed].
Condense into a few sentences
Sometimes you’ve simply written too much and even bullet points won’t save you. If that’s the case, use ChatGPT to crank the verbose setting down a few notches. Add your email and ask it to distill it down to the component parts. The absolute essential information that someone needs to see.
Here’s the prompt to turn a lengthy email into something short and punchy that someone will actually read: Please help me cut down the content of this email to a few concise sentences. I want it to be clear and to the point. [Include the email here].”
Grab attention
Especially if you’re sending sales emails or important updates, you want to make sure they are read. Make ChatGPT your editing partner for punchier and more compelling messaging, to spark interest and incite enough curiosity that someone keeps going. Over time, they’ll look out for your name in their inbox. You’ll secure opens you might otherwise have lost.
Here’s the prompt for those all-important edits: “I would like you to suggest an attention-grabbing title for this email, and rephrase the email to be more compelling and attention-grabbing. It should have a punchier tone, especially in the introduction and captivate the recipient throughout. [Include the email here].”
Make it more personal
This prompt is powerful. If you’re sending the same email to multiple people, personalize it in seconds by including the information you know about the recipient and asking ChatGPT to weave it in. Perhaps you copy and paste information from your CRM to get multiple versions in one go, saving you time on your email outreach mission.
Complete the gaps in this prompt for an email that shows you listen. “I want to make this email more personal by including specific information I know about the recipient. Can you help me incorporate that into the email? I want to show the recipient that I value our relationship. The email content is: [include the email content] and specific information about the recipient is: [include information unique to them].”
Grammar and spell check
When you’ve come this far, don’t fall at the last hurdle. Make a better professional impression by enlisting ChatGPT as your eagle-eyed editor. Ask it to proofread your emails and remove any errors. It will take care of any mistakes so you can hit send with confidence.
Include your email alongside the following prompt, for a simple service that saves your blushes: “Can you assist me in checking the grammar and spelling of this email? I want to ensure it is error-free and professionally written.”
Use ChatGPT to write better and more professional emails
Prompted in the right way, ChatGPT can help you reorganize your words into succinct bullet points, improve the style and tone, grab attention and prove that you care. It can add personality with autoresponders that stand out and greetings and sign offs that are out of ordinary. Level up the quality of your correspondence to get more from every email you send.
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