Have you ever noticed that AI writes like a bit like a robot?

“I hope this email finds you well”. “I am writing to inform you…”. It is correct English, but nobody writes like that anymore.

The key is to tell AI exactly what you need. That’s why I’ve put together 12 practical prompts you can copy, paste and adapt for different business email situations.

From making a request to replying to a client. You can use them with your own details to get emails that are clearer, more natural and suitable for your workplace.

How to Get the Best Results from These Prompts

Before using the prompts, remember that AI needs a little context. Tell it who you’re writing to, what you want to achieve, and how you’d like the email to sound.

Include important details, such as dates or deadlines, and always check the final email before sending it.

The examples below show you how to do this. Simply replace the names and details with your own.

Which prompts write a first draft for you?

These four cover the emails most people write every week.

Prompt 1: Making a request

“I am an office coordinator. Write an email to Mr. Brown, a supplier I have worked with before. I need a new price list for next month’s order. Ask politely, give a deadline of Wednesday, and keep it under 80 words in simple, friendly English.“

Prompt 2: Introducing yourself

“I am a new project manager. Write a short introduction email to my team of eight people. Say that I am happy to join, that I will arrange one-to-one meetings this week, and that they can contact me with any questions. Make it warm and professional, under 100 words.“

Prompt 3: Inviting people to a meeting

“I am a team leader. Write an email inviting my colleagues to a 30-minute meeting on Tuesday at 10:00 to discuss the new schedule. Include the purpose, the time and a request to reply by Monday. Keep it clear and neutral, under 70 words.“

Prompt 4: Saying thank you

“I am a sales assistant. Write a thank-you email to a client who met me yesterday and gave useful feedback on our proposal. Sound sincere, mention that I will send a revised version on Friday, and keep it under 80 words.”

Always read the draft before you send it. If a sentence sounds strange to you, ask the AI to rewrite that sentence in simpler words.

Which prompts fix an email you already wrote?

Writing your own draft first is good practice. Then use AI as a checker. Type the prompt, then paste your email underneath it.

Prompt 5: Check grammar

“Check this email for grammar and spelling mistakes. Correct them, but keep my words as much as possible. Do not make it more formal.“

Prompt 6: Make it shorter

“Make this email 40 percent shorter. Keep the request and the deadline. Remove any repeated or unnecessary sentences.“

Prompt 7: Make it friendlier

“Rewrite this email so it sounds friendlier but still professional. Use contractions like “I’m” and “we’re”. Do not use slang.“

Prompt 8: Make it more polite

“Make this email more polite. Change any direct commands into polite requests, such as “Could you…” or “Would it be possible to…”. Keep it short.“

Prompt 5 is the safest place to start. It corrects mistakes without changing how you write.

What should you type for difficult emails?

Follow-ups, refusals and complaints are hard because the tone matters so much. Give the AI the facts and the feeling you want.

Prompt 9: A follow-up

“I sent a proposal to a client eight days ago and have not had a reply. Write a polite follow-up email. Do not sound pushy or annoyed. Ask if they have any questions and suggest a short call this week. Under 70 words.“

Prompt 10: Saying no

“I cannot take on an extra project because my team is already at full capacity until December. Write a polite email to my manager that says no clearly, gives the reason in one sentence and offers to help in January. Under 90 words.“

Prompt 11: A complaint

“I ordered 50 printed brochures and received only 30. Write a formal complaint email to the supplier. State the problem, say what I ordered and what arrived, ask them to send the missing 20 by Friday, and keep the tone firm but polite. Under 120 words.“

For the full structure behind each of these situations, see our guides on how to write a polite follow-up email, how to say no in a business email and how to write a formal complaint email.

How can AI help you learn English, not just copy it?

If you copy and paste without reading, your English stays the same. A small change to the prompt turns the AI into a teacher.

Add this line after any prompt from this article:

“After the email, explain each change you made in simple English, so I can learn from it.“

The AI will then tell you things like “I changed ‘I am waiting your answer’ to ‘I’m waiting for your reply’ because we say ‘wait for’ something.” You see the rule on a real sentence from your own work.

Prompt 12: Three versions

“Rewrite this email in three versions: formal, neutral and friendly. After each version, tell me in one sentence when I would use it.“

Reading three versions side by side shows you how tone changes with word choice. You also learn which version fits your reader, which is the hardest skill for many B1 learners.

5 prompt mistakes that waste your time

1. Being too vague. “Write a business email” gives a generic result. Add the purpose, the reader and the key details.
2. Forgetting the tone. If you do not say “friendly” or “neutral”, the AI chooses formal. Name the tone every time.
3. Setting no length limit. Without a limit, emails come out long. Write “under 80 words” in the prompt.
4. Pasting private company data. Do not paste client names, prices, contracts or passwords into an AI tool. Replace them with general descriptions, and check your company’s rules on AI use.
5. Sending without reading. The AI can add details you never mentioned, such as a wrong day or a promise you cannot keep. Read every line before you click send.

Prompts are only half of the skill. To keep your emails sounding like you and not like a robot, read how to use AI to write better business emails in English.

Your next step: save three prompts and use one at work this week

You do not need all 12 prompts. Pick three that match the emails you write most often, such as Prompt 1, Prompt 5 and Prompt 12.

Save them in your phone notes. When an email comes up at work, open the note, copy the prompt, change the details and paste it into your AI tool.

Today, copy one prompt from this article into your AI tool and use it on a real email. Then read the result carefully and ask the AI to explain its changes.

To build the vocabulary that makes your emails sound natural, try the free Business English Booster Daily Idiom Course.

It sends you one idiom a day, and there are over 700 to learn, each with examples you can use at work.

For more ready-to-use language, read 25 Email Phrases That Instantly Make You Sound More Professional and 10 Business Email Templates You Can Copy and Use Today.

Enjoy the lesson, and I’ll see you in the next one!

Teacher Rob 😊