Drafting Professional Emails

Email is still the backbone of business communication. The average professional sends and receives over 100 emails daily. ChatGPT can help you draft better emails in a fraction of the time.

The Email Drafting Formula

For any email, provide ChatGPT with these five elements:

1. Purpose - What do you want to achieve?
2. Recipient - Who is this for and what's your relationship?
3. Tone - Formal, friendly, urgent, apologetic?
4. Key Points - What must be included?
5. Constraints - Length, format, things to avoid?

Common Email Types

Cold Outreach

When reaching out to someone you don't know:

Status Updates

Keep stakeholders informed without overwhelming them:

Introductions

Connecting two people professionally:

The "Make It Better" Workflow

Start with a rough draft, then refine:

Step 1: Get the First Draft

Describe what you need.

Step 2: Refine the Content

"Make this more concise"
"Add more urgency"
"Include a specific call to action"

Step 3: Adjust the Tone

"Make this sound friendlier"
"More formal, please"
"Less apologetic"

Step 4: Polish

"Check for any awkward phrasing"
"Make sure the call to action is clear"

Quick Adjustments

What You Want	How to Ask
Shorter	"Cut this in half"
More formal	"Make this more professional"
More friendly	"Warmer tone, please"
More urgent	"Add urgency without being pushy"
Clearer action	"Make the ask more explicit"
Bullet points	"Format key points as bullets"

Subject Line Generator

Never forget the subject line:

Email Templates Library

Build your personal template library:

Industry-Specific Examples

Sales Email

Internal Announcement

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. No context - "Write an email" without details
2. Too much context - Sharing confidential information
3. Skipping review - Sending without reading it first
4. Ignoring tone - Using the same tone for all recipients
5. No personalization - Not adjusting for your voice

Practice Exercise

Try this comprehensive email prompt:

Key Takeaways

1. Use the 5-element formula: Purpose, recipient, tone, key points, constraints
2. Start rough, then refine: First draft → content → tone → polish
3. Build templates: Save prompts for emails you write regularly
4. Don't forget subject lines: Ask for options
5. Always review: Add personal touches and verify accuracy

With practice, drafting emails that used to take 15 minutes will take 2-3 minutes. Let's move on to responding to emails you receive.