Most people type one line into an AI tool, get something generic back, and decide it doesn't work. The fix is almost always the same: tell it who you are, who the output is for, and what "good" looks like. Every prompt below does that for you. Fill the square brackets, paste, and edit the result. It's a draft, not a final.
How to use these- Paste the whole prompt, including the brackets you filled in.
- If the first answer is off, don't start again. Reply with "shorter", "more formal", "in Hinglish" or "use bullet points".
- Never paste customer phone numbers, bank details or anything you wouldn't email to a stranger.
- Read everything before you send it. AI is confident even when it's wrong.
The one line that fixes most prompts
Put this at the top of anything you ask, and the quality jumps:
You are helping [your name], who runs [type of business] in [city]. Our customers are [who they are]. Keep the tone [friendly / formal / direct]. Write in [English / Hinglish]. Ask me one question if anything important is missing.
Emails
1. Reply to an enquiry
A customer sent this email: [paste email]. Write a reply that answers their question, mentions [one thing you want them to know], and ends by asking for a call this week. Under 120 words. Friendly, not salesy.
2. Chase a payment without sounding rude
Write a polite reminder for invoice [number] of Rs [amount], due on [date], now [X] days late. This is the [first / second] reminder. Keep it short, assume they forgot, and make it easy to pay: [payment details or link].
3. Decline nicely
Write a short, warm email saying no to this request: [describe]. Give one honest reason, suggest one alternative, and leave the door open for future work.
4. Follow up after a meeting
Here are my rough notes from a meeting with [name] at [company]: [paste notes]. Write a follow-up email that thanks them, lists what we agreed as bullet points, states who does what by when, and asks them to confirm.
5. Turn a long email into a short one
Rewrite this email in half the words without losing anything a busy person needs to act on: [paste email].
WhatsApp replies
6. Standard first reply
Write a WhatsApp reply to a new enquiry for [service]. Thank them, ask the two questions we always need ([question 1], [question 2]), and say when they'll hear back. Two or three lines, in [English / Hinglish].
7. Price question
A customer asked 'what's the price?' on WhatsApp. Our pricing depends on [what it depends on]. Write a reply that gives a starting range of Rs [X] to Rs [Y], explains in one line why it varies, and asks one question to narrow it down.
8. Angry customer
A customer is upset because [what happened]. Write a WhatsApp reply that apologises properly without excuses, says exactly what we will do and by when, and offers a call. Short. No corporate language.
9. Set a boundary on timing
Write a friendly WhatsApp message explaining that we reply between [hours] on [days], so a message sent tonight will get an answer tomorrow morning. Warm, not defensive.
10. Ten replies for the same ten questions
Here are the ten questions customers ask us most: [list them]. Write a short, friendly WhatsApp reply for each, in [English / Hinglish], that I can save as templates. Keep every reply under 50 words.
Reports and summaries
11. Weekly report from raw numbers
Here are this week's numbers and last week's: [paste table]. Write a weekly report for the owner with: three lines on what changed and why it matters, the numbers in a small table, and one thing to decide this week. Plain English.
12. Summarise a long document
Summarise this document in five bullet points for someone who has two minutes. Then list anything that needs a decision or a deadline: [paste text].
13. Explain a spreadsheet
Here are the column headers and five sample rows from a spreadsheet: [paste]. Explain in plain English what this sheet tracks, what looks inconsistent, and three checks I should add.
14. Meeting notes into actions
Turn these messy meeting notes into: decisions made, action items with owner and date, and open questions: [paste notes].
15. Monthly update for a client or investor
Write a monthly update for [client / investor] covering: what we did, what the numbers say ([paste]), what didn't go to plan, and what's next. Honest, confident, under 250 words.
Thinking and planning
16. Pressure-test a decision
I'm about to [decision]. Argue against it as a sceptical, experienced business owner. Give me the five strongest reasons not to do it and what I'd need to be true to go ahead anyway.
17. Break a big task into steps
I need to [goal] by [date]. I have [resources and constraints]. Break this into weekly steps, flag the step most likely to slip, and tell me what to do first tomorrow morning.
18. Write a simple SOP
Here is how we currently do [task], roughly: [describe]. Write it as a step-by-step SOP a new hire could follow on day one, with a short checklist at the end and the two most common mistakes.
19. Find what to automate
Here is a list of tasks my team does every week and roughly how long each takes: [list]. Rank them by how easy they are to automate and how much time they'd save. Explain your ranking in one line each.
20. Prepare for a difficult conversation
I need to tell [who] that [what]. Write three ways to open the conversation, the likely objections, and a calm response to each.
Customers and sales
21. Describe your service clearly
Here's how I usually describe what we do: [paste]. Rewrite it in one sentence a 15-year-old would understand, then in one sentence for a busy CEO, then as three bullet points for a website.
22. Handle an objection
Prospects often say '[objection]'. Write three short, honest responses that don't sound like a script, plus one question I can ask back.
23. Proposal outline
Write a one-page proposal outline for [service] for [type of client]. Sections: their problem in their words, what we'll do, what they get, timeline, price of Rs [X], what we need from them. Keep each section to three lines.
24. Ask for a testimonial
Write a short message asking [client name] for a two-line testimonial about [project]. Make it easy: include three questions they can answer instead of writing from scratch.
25. Reactivate old customers
Write a WhatsApp message to customers who bought [product/service] more than [X] months ago and haven't been back. Mention [what's new], keep it under 60 words, and don't sound like a broadcast.
Hiring and team
26. Job post that attracts the right person
Write a job post for a [role] at [type of business] in [city]. Salary Rs [range]. Describe a real week in the job, three things the person must be good at, and one honest downside. No buzzwords.
27. Interview questions
Give me eight interview questions for a [role] that test real ability, not rehearsed answers. For each, say what a strong answer sounds like and what a weak one sounds like.
28. Feedback to a team member
I need to give feedback to [role] about [issue]. Write it as I'd say it in a five-minute conversation: specific example, why it matters, what I'd like to see instead, and a question inviting their view.
29. Onboarding checklist
Create a first-week onboarding checklist for a new [role] at [type of business]. Day by day, with who they should meet, what they should read, and one small task to complete by Friday.
30. Team announcement
Write a short message to the team announcing [change]. Say what's changing, why, what it means for them, and where to ask questions. Reassuring but honest.
Social media and content
31. LinkedIn post from an experience
Something happened at work this week: [describe in 3 lines]. Write a LinkedIn post about it in my voice: [paste one of your old posts or describe your tone]. First line must make people stop scrolling. No hashtags, no 'I'm thrilled to announce'.
32. Ten post ideas
I run [type of business]. My customers struggle with [three problems]. Give me ten LinkedIn post ideas, each as a one-line hook, that share something useful without selling.
33. Instagram caption
Write an Instagram caption for a photo of [describe]. Two lines, a bit of personality, one question at the end. [English / Hinglish]. Add five relevant hashtags at the end only.
34. Reel script
Write a 30-second reel script about [topic] for [audience]. Hook in the first two seconds, three quick points, one clear takeaway. Write it the way I'd say it out loud, not the way I'd write it.
35. Repurpose one post into five
Here's a post that did well: [paste]. Turn it into: a shorter version, a version with a different opening line, a carousel outline (six slides), a reel script, and a one-line tweet.
Everyday odd jobs
36. Translate and keep the tone
Translate this into [Hindi / English] keeping the same tone and formality. If a phrase doesn't translate well, tell me and suggest an alternative: [paste].
37. Explain a contract clause
Explain this clause in plain English and tell me what could go wrong for me if I sign it. Then tell me what question to ask a lawyer: [paste clause].
38. Write a policy
Write a simple [refund / leave / work-from-home] policy for a [size] team at [type of business]. One page, plain language, with three example situations and how the policy handles each.
39. Check your own writing
Read this and tell me: where is it unclear, where is it too long, and where does it sound like a robot wrote it? Then show the fixed version: [paste].
40. Ask a better question
I want to ask an AI tool for help with [goal], but I'm not sure how to phrase it. Ask me the five questions you'd need answered, then write the prompt for me.
Mistakes people make with prompts
- No context. "Write an email" gets you a generic email. "Write an email to a customer who's waited two weeks for a refund" gets you a useful one.
- Accepting the first draft. The second reply is usually better than the first. Say what to change.
- Trusting facts. Numbers, laws, prices and names must be checked. The tool will invent them with a straight face.
- Pasting private data. Use placeholders for names and phone numbers unless your company has a policy that allows it.
- Making it sound perfect. Leave a little roughness in. Perfectly smooth writing reads as machine-made in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which AI tool should I use these with?
Any of the main ones: ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. They all handle these prompts well. Pick the one your team already has.
Do these work in Hindi or Hinglish?
Yes. Add "write in Hinglish" or "write in Hindi" to the prompt. Claude and Gemini handle Hinglish tone particularly well.
Can I save these as templates?
Yes. In ChatGPT you can build a custom GPT, in Claude a project, and in most tools you can pin a saved prompt. Or keep a simple Google Doc with the ten you use most.
Is it safe to paste customer messages?
Remove names, phone numbers and payment details first. For anything sensitive, check whether your tool's plan excludes your data from training; the business plans usually do.
Deepanshu Singh co-founded LZ Worth, a Delhi studio that builds AI automations, apps and content systems. He has tested more than 150 AI tools and would rather tell you which ones to skip. More about him.