Writing Emails

Use a prompt to draft a professional email in seconds

Writing Emails with AI

Writing professional emails can be stressful — especially when the stakes are high. This guide shows you how to use a prompt template to draft one in under a minute.

What You'll Need

  • Access to any AI tool (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.)
  • A prompt from the Friendly AI library (we'll pick one below)
  • A few details about the email you want to write

Step 1: Pick Your Prompt

Head to the prompt library and look for a Writing prompt. You'll find templates for things like:

  • Requesting time off
  • Following up after a meeting
  • Asking for a raise or promotion
  • Sending a professional introduction
  • Responding to a tricky message

For this walkthrough, let's say you need to request time off from your manager.

Step 2: Copy and Fill In the Blanks

Grab the template and replace the [bracketed sections] with your details:

You are a professional writing assistant.

Write a polite email to my manager requesting time off.

Details:
- Dates: March 24-28
- Reason: family vacation (planned months ago)
- Tone: professional but friendly
- Note: mention that I'll finish the Henderson report before I leave

Step 3: Paste and Send

Open your AI tool, paste the filled-in prompt, and hit send. You'll get a complete email draft in seconds.

Step 4: Make It Yours

Read through the draft. It'll be close, but you might want to tweak it:

  • "Make it shorter" — if it's too formal or wordy
  • "Add a line about being reachable by email for urgent items" — if you want to add coverage info
  • "Change the sign-off to something more casual" — if "Warm regards" isn't your style

Don't be afraid to go back and forth. Two or three rounds usually gets you something perfect.

Step 5: Copy and Send

Once you're happy with it, copy the final version into your email client and hit send. Done!

Pro Tips

  • Save prompts that work well — bookmark them or keep a note. You'll reuse them more than you think.
  • Build on previous emails — tell the AI "write a follow-up to the email we just drafted" and it'll keep the context.
  • Batch your emails — if you have several to write, do them all in one session. You'll get faster with each one.

This guide is growing! We'll be adding more email scenarios and example outputs soon.