Reply to work emails faster without sending a robot
To reply to work emails with AI, paste the message you got and a few bullets about what you want to say. Edit the draft so it sounds like you, then send it yourself.
Next step: do Step 1. Copy the box, fill in the blanks, and paste it into the chat.
A prompt is the message you paste. A Director check is a short look before you use the result.
What you'll need
- The email you are answering
- Three bullets in your own words: the answer, the ask, and any date
- A minute to read the draft out loud
Step 1: Give the incoming mail and your point
Draft a reply to this email. Sound like a person, not a help desk.
Email I received:
[paste]
What I want to say, in bullets:
- [answer]
- [ask or next step]
- [date, if there is one]
Under 120 words. No "I hope this email finds you well." No "Certainly."
Do not add facts, promises, or attachments I did not mention.
If the email asks for something I did not answer in the bullets, ask me before you include it.
Step 2: Match a voice you have already used
Here is a short email I wrote before, so you can hear me:
[paste one real email you are willing to share]
Rewrite the draft in that voice. Keep my facts. Cut any sentence that only exists to sound polite.
If you like the result, save two lines in custom instructions: "Write email replies short, warm, and direct. Do not open with a filler greeting." That note applies to later chats. It does not replace reading this reply.
Step 3: Send from your mail, not from the chat
Copy the draft into your real mailbox. Check the To line yourself. The chat does not know who was on the thread. Fix names. Then send.
If the email is a no, a complaint, or a chase for money, stop and switch to Write a difficult work email. That guide is built for the tense ones. This one will sand them down too far.
Common mistakes
- Pasting a 40-message thread when you only needed the last ask.
- Letting the draft promise a date you did not choose.
- Sending "Just circling back" five times. Say the ask once, with a date.
- Using this page for a letter to a customer who is angry. That is the difficult-email page, or a complaint you are writing if you are the customer.
Privacy: what not to paste
Work email often has other people's addresses, phone numbers, and files. Delete those before you paste. If your employer says work mail stays in the company tool, use that tool. Do not forward a customer thread into a personal account to get a nicer sentence.
Director check: look before you use it
- Is the answer actually yours? If the draft commits you to work you did not offer, take it out.
- Are the names and dates right? Check the original, not the draft.
- Did you leave in a filler opening? Delete it.
- Is this ordinary mail? If you are nervous to send it, use the difficult-email guide instead.
One extra tip
A weekly note to your manager is a different shape from a reply. Use Write a weekly status update for that. The Work hub lists both.
Common questions
Is this the same as the difficult-email guide?
No. This page is for ordinary replies you are slow to write. Pushing back, saying no, or chasing money is the difficult-email workflow. Use that one when the stakes are higher.
Can I paste a whole thread?
Paste only the latest message and the one fact the person needs, unless the older messages change the ask. Long threads hide other people's addresses and side comments you did not mean to share.
How do I stop rewriting my tone every time?
Save a short note about how you write, in the tool's custom instructions if it has them. In ChatGPT that is Settings, then Personalization, then Custom instructions, on every plan. Keep it under a few sentences.
By Joe Rangel · Last updated · More Work guides