12 copy-and-paste AI prompt templates for everyday work

The formula behind every template

OpenAI, Anthropic and Google all give the same core advice in their prompting guides: be specific, provide context, and say what format you want. Each template below follows that pattern: role → task → context → format. Replace anything in [brackets].

Communication

1. Email draft: "You are a professional assistant. Turn these notes into a polite email to [recipient] asking for [request] by [date]: [notes]. Keep it under 120 words."

2. Tone fix: "Rewrite this message so it sounds friendly but firm. Keep the meaning the same: [text]"

3. Reply summary: "Summarize this email thread in 3 bullets, then list any questions I need to answer: [thread]"

Meetings and planning

4. Agenda: "Create a 30-minute meeting agenda for [goal] with [attendees]. Include timings and the decision we need to make."

5. Action items: "From these meeting notes, list every action item with an owner and due date in a table: [notes]"

6. Project plan: "Break [project] into phases and tasks for a [size] team over [weeks] weeks. Flag the riskiest step."

Writing and reports

7. Outline: "Give me an outline for a [length] report on [topic] for [audience]. Use headings and one sentence per section."

8. Simplify: "Explain this to a non-expert in plain English, under 150 words: [text]"

9. Critique: "Act as a tough editor. List the 5 weakest points in this draft and how to fix each: [draft]"

Learning and decisions

10. Tutor: "Teach me [topic] step by step. After each step, ask me a question and wait for my answer."

11. Compare options: "Compare [option A] and [option B] for [goal] in a table of pros, cons, cost and risk. Then recommend one and explain why."

12. Pre-mortem: "Imagine [plan] failed six months from now. List the 5 most likely reasons and how to prevent each."

Build your own

Use our free AI Prompt Builder at /tools/ai-prompt-builder to fill in role, task, context, format and tone — it assembles a clean prompt you can copy into any assistant. Always check AI output for facts before you send or publish it.