Writing emails in English with an AI
Whether English is your first language or your third, some emails are hard to write: chasing an unpaid invoice, reaching out to a stranger, apologizing for a mistake, saying no to your boss. An AI assistant will not know your situation, but with a short brief it can hand you a solid draft in seconds.
Brief it like a busy assistant
Before asking for an email, answer three questions in a sentence or two:
- Who is reading it, and what is your relationship? A first contact, a long-time client, your manager, a landlord.
- What should happen after they read it? A reply by Friday, a meeting, a payment, a decision.
- What facts must be included? Dates, amounts, order numbers, names. Never let the AI guess these.
Then add the tone you want. "Warm but brief" and "firm, no apologies" produce very different emails from the same facts.
The tone dial
One useful trick is to ask for the same email at different points on a scale, then pick the one that feels right.
Write three versions of an email asking a colleague to send me the sales figures they promised last week: one very gentle, one neutral, one firm. Keep each under 80 words.
Try this promptSeeing the versions side by side makes it much easier to judge what is appropriate, especially when writing in a second language.
Five emails people put off writing
The follow-up that does not sound needy
Mention the previous message in one line, add something new or useful, and make the next step easy.
Write a short follow-up to a potential client who has not replied to my proposal for a website redesign sent two weeks ago. Add one useful idea for their homepage and suggest a 15-minute call.
Try this promptThe cold email
Short, specific and about them, not you. One clear request.
Write a cold email under 120 words to the owner of a local bakery, offering my services as a freelance photographer for their new menu. Mention one specific benefit and ask if they would like to see three sample photos.
Try this promptThe apology
Own the mistake, explain what you are doing about it, skip the excuses.
Draft an apology to a customer whose order was shipped to the wrong address. We are sending a replacement by express delivery at no cost and refunding the shipping fee.
Try this promptThe polite no
Thank them, say no clearly, offer an alternative if there is one.
Help me decline a request from my manager to lead a new project this quarter because I am already at full capacity, while showing I am open to helping next quarter.
Try this promptChasing a payment
Stay factual and friendly the first time, and keep the invoice details front and center.
Write a polite reminder for invoice number 2024-117, 850 dollars, due on the 1st and still unpaid. Include payment details placeholders and keep it friendly.
Try this promptMake it sound like you
AI drafts tend to sound a little generic. Two ways to fix that:
- Paste two or three emails you have written yourself and ask the assistant to match your style.
- After the first draft, ask for specific changes: "fewer adjectives", "start with the request", "remove the last sentence", "use contractions".
A 30-second checklist before you hit send
- Are all names, dates, amounts and references correct?
- Is the request in the first three lines?
- Would the reader know exactly what to do next?
- Is the subject line specific? Ask the AI for three subject line options if you are unsure.
- Is there anything you would not say out loud to this person? Remove it.
For more general advice on writing good requests, read our prompting tips.