Creating Templates for Repetitive Communications

If you find yourself writing similar emails, messages, or documents over and over, you're wasting valuable time. This lesson shows you how to create AI-powered templates that generate personalized communications in seconds while maintaining your authentic voice.

The Template Mindset

Great templates aren't rigid scripts - they're flexible frameworks that AI can adapt to each situation. The key is identifying:

1. What stays the same: Core structure, tone, key points
2. What changes: Names, details, specific circumstances
3. What varies by context: Emphasis, length, formality level

Anatomy of an Effective AI Template

A good template has four parts:

[CONTEXT]
Describe the situation and your relationship with the recipient

[VARIABLES]
List the specific details that change each time

[CONSTRAINTS]
Tone, length, what to include/exclude

[EXAMPLE or STYLE GUIDE]
Optional: show what good output looks like

Email Response Templates

Customer Support Response Template

Meeting Request Template

Multi-Variant Templates

Sometimes you need different versions for different audiences:

Example: Project Update Template

Building a Template Library

Organize your templates by category for quick access:

Category	Common Templates
Sales	Initial outreach, Follow-up, Proposal cover, Thank you
Support	Issue acknowledgment, Resolution, FAQ response, Escalation
Internal	Status update, Meeting notes, Announcement, Request
HR	Welcome email, Policy update, Feedback request, Recognition
Client	Project kickoff, Milestone update, Deliverable handoff, Check-in

Template Best Practices

DO:

• Include specific variables that change each time
• Specify tone and length constraints
• Provide context about the relationship/situation
• Add examples of good output when helpful
• Build in flexibility for edge cases

DON'T:

• Make templates so rigid they sound robotic
• Forget to specify what to exclude (avoid certain topics, etc.)
• Use templates for highly sensitive communications
• Skip the review step - always read before sending

Practice: Create Your Own Template

Think of a communication you send repeatedly. Build a template for it:

Personalizing at Scale

When sending similar messages to many people, use batch personalization:

Batch Template Pattern

I need to send personalized messages to multiple recipients.

Template structure:
[Your base template]

Variables for each recipient:
1. Name: X, Detail: Y, Specific point: Z
2. Name: A, Detail: B, Specific point: C
[etc.]

Generate all personalized versions.

Example: Personalized Thank You Notes

Maintaining Your Voice

The best templates preserve your authentic communication style:

1. Save good examples of your own writing to include in prompts
2. Specify your style (casual, formal, humorous, direct, etc.)
3. Edit the output - AI gets you 80% there, you add the finishing touches
4. Build style guides for different contexts

Key Takeaways

• Templates have four parts: context, variables, constraints, and optional examples
• Build a library organized by category for quick access
• Use multi-variant templates when addressing different audiences
• Include your own writing samples to maintain authentic voice
• Always review and personalize AI-generated communications before sending
• Batch personalization lets you send individualized messages at scale