Write Emails Faster and Better: Your Guide to Using AI Like a Pro

For fifty years, email has been the workhorse of communication, staying pretty much the same. But hold onto your inbox, because the age of AI is finally shaking things up! In just a couple of years since tools like ChatGPT arrived, email is getting a major upgrade powered by generative AI. Imagine saving serious time on writing emails – which for some, can eat up nearly nine hours a week!

Now, popular email apps like Outlook and Gmail have smart AI helpers built right in. These tools, along with standalone chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT, are ready to polish your writing, nail the perfect tone, and help you get recipients to actually do what you need them to. Getting good at telling AI what you want (that’s “prompting”!) is becoming a super useful skill. If you want to cut down on the head-scratching time spent on drafting emails, here are some simple tips and examples to get you started.

Which AI Tool Should You Use for Emails?

Good news: for most everyday email tasks, you don’t need the most advanced AI on the planet. Whether you’re using a chatbot like ChatGPT or an assistant built into your email software like Microsoft Copilot in Outlook or Google’s AI in Gmail, they work in a very similar way.

Most free versions of popular chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are perfectly capable of drafting emails. Similarly, built-in assistants are available in both free and paid versions of email clients, across desktop apps and web browsers.

Unlock Better Emails: Key Tips for Prompting AI

Think of prompting as giving clear instructions. The better your instructions, the better the email AI will write for you. Here are the most important things to remember:

Be Crystal Clear About Your Goal

AI isn’t a mind reader. If you tell it to write an email about “the project,” it won’t know if you want to update your boss, ask a colleague a question, or announce its completion to clients. Always define exactly what you want the email to achieve. If you’re unsure, you can even ask the AI to help you figure out the best approach!

Give AI the Information It Needs

AI works best when you feed it specific details rather than making it guess. You can often copy and paste relevant text (like meeting notes, product descriptions, or even data) directly into the chat. This allows the AI to create highly personalized and accurate emails. For example, a business could provide details about a customer’s recent purchase to draft a tailored follow-up email.

Define Your Audience

An email to your best friend sounds very different from one to your boss or a potential customer. Tell the AI who you’re writing to (e.g., “my manager,” “a prospective client,” “a team member”) so it can use the right tone, language, and level of formality.

Teach AI Your Writing Style

Want the email to sound like you? You can give the AI examples of your past emails or writing. By analyzing your previous communications, the AI can learn to mimic your unique voice, tone, and style, making the AI-generated draft sound natural and authentic.

Watch Out for AI Hallucinations

Sometimes, AI can confidently make up information if it doesn’t have the data it needs. This is called a “hallucination.” To avoid this, add a simple instruction like “If you need more information to complete this email, please ask me.” This prompts the AI to request clarification rather than invent details. Learn more about why AI sometimes makes things up.

With these tips in mind, let’s look at some specific ways you can use AI to tackle common email tasks.

An illustration shows a simplified digital interface with email icons and abstract representations of data and AI working together, suggesting AI assistance in managing email communication.

Practical AI Prompts to Try Today

Here are a few examples of prompts you can adapt for your own needs. Remember to swap out the bracketed information [like this] with your specific details.

Summarize a Meeting and Create Follow-Ups

Instead of spending ages sorting through notes, let AI do the heavy lifting.

Prompt: “Using the notes and attendee list I’ve pasted below, please summarize the key decisions and action items from the meeting. Then, draft a concise follow-up email for the team, including a bulleted list of assigned tasks, owners, and deadlines. Also, draft a separate, brief email for each attendee, highlighting only their specific action items.”

Write a Persuasive Email

Need to encourage someone to sign up, buy something, or take a specific action? AI can help structure your message effectively.

Prompt: “I need help writing an email to persuade [target audience, e.g., potential customers, event attendees] to [desired action, e.g., sign up for our webinar, purchase our product]. The key benefits are [list 2-3 benefits]. Please draft a persuasive email that highlights these benefits, creates a sense of urgency if appropriate, and includes a clear call to action. Ensure the tone is [e.g., friendly and encouraging, professional and direct]. My initial draft content is pasted below:”

Draft a Letter to Appeal a Fine or Penalty

Dealing with bureaucracy can be tough, but AI can help you craft a clear, well-reasoned appeal.

Prompt: “I received a [type of fine/penalty, e.g., parking ticket, late fee] and believe it was issued incorrectly because [briefly state your reason, e.g., I had a valid permit, the machine was broken]. I have attached a copy of the relevant regulations [or mention where regulations can be found]. Please help me draft a formal, polite letter appealing this fine. Reference the relevant regulations [or mention they are attached] and clearly explain why the fine should be overturned. Ask me if you need any more specific details about the incident or regulations.”

Getting Good at Prompting is Your New Superpower

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. By providing AI with specific information and clear goals, you can create far more personalized and effective emails for almost any situation.

Make no mistake: becoming proficient at working with AI is becoming a crucial skill for many people. Generative AI removes technical barriers, meaning you don’t need to code to make technology work for you. But it is a skill, and like any skill, it improves with practice and understanding. The better you get at prompting, the more you’ll benefit from the incredible opportunities AI is creating to make our work and communication more efficient and impactful.