12 email prompts that get replies

Write a cold email to [name], [role] at [company]. I am [who I am in one line]. I want [the one specific thing I am asking for, e.g. a 15-minute call about X].

Rules: under 120 words. Open with one sentence that proves I know their work (use this fact: [specific fact]). No flattery, no "I hope this finds you well", no "reaching out". One ask, one clear yes-or-no question at the end. Plain text, no bullet points. Subject line under 6 words.

Use it for introductions to people who do not know you. Edit before sending: replace the model's "specific fact" with something you genuinely found; a wrong fact ends the conversation.

Write an email to [mutual contact] asking them to introduce me to [target name] at [company]. Include a forwardable paragraph they can paste, written in third person, that explains who I am and why [target] would want to talk to me, in under 80 words. Make it easy to say no. Total email under 150 words.

Use it for any ask that goes through a friend. The forwardable paragraph is the trick: it removes the work from the person doing you the favour.

I sent the email below [X days] ago and got no reply. Write a follow-up that adds one new piece of value (use: [a link, a result, a relevant news item]) and restates the ask in one line. Under 70 words. Do not apologise for following up and do not say "just checking in" or "bumping this".

Original email:
[paste]

Use it for the second and third touch. If you have nothing new to add, wait until you do.

Write an email to my manager, [name], requesting a meeting to discuss my compensation. Context: my current salary is [amount], I am asking for [amount or percentage], and here are three concrete results from the last [period]: [result 1], [result 2], [result 3]. Market data: [source and range].

Tone: confident, not apologetic, not aggressive. Do not ask for the raise in the email itself; ask for the meeting and preview the case in three short bullet points. Under 180 words.

Use it for opening the conversation, not closing it. Raises are agreed in meetings; the email's only job is to get one on the calendar with the case already framed.

Write a payment reminder for invoice [number] for [amount], due [date], now [X days] overdue, sent to [client contact]. This is reminder number [1/2/3]. Reminder 1 should be friendly and assume an oversight. Reminder 2 should be firm and state the late fee or next step per our terms: [terms]. Reminder 3 should be final and name the date after which [consequence]. Under 120 words. Include the invoice number and amount in the subject line.

Use it for freelancers and small businesses. Run it three times as the situation escalates; keep the tone consistent with the number you choose.

Write an email declining [project or request] from [name]. The real reason is [reason]; the reason I will give is [reason to give, or "the same"]. Keep the door open for [future work / referral]. Offer one alternative: [a referral, a later date, a smaller scope]. Warm, brief, no over-explaining. Under 100 words.

Use it for saying no without burning anything. Over-explaining is what makes a no feel like an argument; the length cap is doing the work here.

Write an apology email to [name] about [what went wrong]. Structure: what happened in one sentence, what I am doing about it, what will be different next time, and one line asking if there is anything else they need. No excuses, no "I am sorry you feel", no passive voice. Under 120 words.

Use it for a real mistake with a real customer or colleague. The model will try to soften it; do not let it.

Write an email to [name] explaining that the [deliverable] due [date] needs to move to [new date]. Reason: [reason]. Offer a choice: the full thing on the new date, or [a reduced version] on the original date. Ask them to pick by [time]. Under 110 words. Do not apologise more than once.

Use it for any slipping date. Offering a choice turns bad news into a decision, which is much easier to reply to.

Write an email to [manager or senior person] raising a problem: [describe the problem and its impact in plain terms]. I have already tried: [what I tried]. I need: [the decision or resource I need from them]. Keep it factual, no blame on any individual, no emotional language. Suggested subject line that states the decision needed. Under 150 words.

Use it for getting a blocked thing unblocked. The subject line stating the decision is what gets it read.

Reply to the email below in two sentences. My answer is: [yes / no / a date / a number]. Match their tone. No greeting, no sign-off, no filler.

Email:
[paste]

Use it for the twenty emails a day that just need an answer. Run it in a chat where you have already pasted your writing samples.

Below is a long email thread. First, summarise it in five bullet points: what was decided, what is still open, and who owes what. Then draft a reply from me that closes the open items with these decisions: [decisions]. Reply under 150 words.

Thread:
[paste]

Use it for threads you have been cc'd into late. This is the prompt where a bigger model earns its money; use the reasoning option if your assistant has one.

Write an out-of-office auto-reply. I am away from [date] to [date] with [no / limited] email access. For urgent [type of issue], contact [name and email]. For everything else I will reply after I am back. Do not promise to reply on a specific day. Two or three sentences, no exclamation marks.

Use it for every holiday. The line about not promising a specific day is what keeps your first day back sane.