Most replies take ten minutes because you start from an empty box. This prompt gives ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any AI assistant the four things it needs to write a good reply: a role, a goal, a tone and a length. You fill in one line, paste the email, and get a draft you can send after a quick check.
The prompt
You are my executive assistant. Write a reply to the email below. Goal: [what I want]. Tone: friendly but direct. Max 120 words. End with one clear next step. Email: [paste here]
Replace the two parts in [brackets]. Keep the rest as it is: the word limit and the "one clear next step" are what make the reply short and easy to answer.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt into the AI assistant you already use.
- Fill in your goal and paste the email. One short sentence is enough for the goal, like "say yes to Tuesday at 3 pm" or "ask for the invoice by Friday".
- Read the draft, fix one detail, send. Check names, dates and numbers, add anything only you know, then send it from your own inbox.
Before you paste, remove anything you would not share with an AI tool, such as passwords, bank details or a client's private information.
3 examples, filled in
1. Follow-up after no reply
You sent a proposal a week ago and heard nothing. Paste your own last email, so the assistant knows what you are following up on.
Filled in: follow-up
You are my executive assistant. Write a reply to the email below. Goal: politely follow up because I have not heard back in a week, and ask them to confirm the proposal or tell me what is missing by Friday. Tone: friendly but direct. Max 120 words. End with one clear next step. Email: "Hi Sam, thanks for the call on Monday. As promised, here is the proposal for the website redesign, with the timeline and the two pricing options we discussed. Let me know what you think. Best, Jordan"
2. Saying no politely
Someone asks for your time and the honest answer is no. The goal line does the hard part: say no, give one reason, keep the door open.
Filled in: saying no
You are my executive assistant. Write a reply to the email below. Goal: say no to joining the project this quarter because my schedule is full, thank them for thinking of me, and offer to check in again in January. Tone: friendly but direct. Max 120 words. End with one clear next step. Email: "Hi Alex, we are putting together a small team for the Q4 product launch and I immediately thought of you. Could you join for about five hours a week starting next Monday? Cheers, Priya"
3. Asking for a deadline extension
You need more time. Ask early, give the reason, and offer something useful before the new date.
Filled in: deadline extension
You are my executive assistant. Write a reply to the email below. Goal: ask to move the report deadline from Thursday to next Tuesday because the final sales numbers only arrive on Friday, and offer to send a short draft with the numbers I have on Thursday. Tone: friendly but direct. Max 120 words. End with one clear next step. Email: "Hi Chris, just a reminder that the quarterly report is due this Thursday. Please send it to me and Dana by end of day. Thanks, Morgan"
More from Kai
Kai tests AI tools and writes plain-English guides about the ones worth your time. Good next reads:
- 7 AI tools that can save you hours every week
- Perplexity vs ChatGPT for research
- All of Kai's AI Tools articles
- Meet Kai Mercer
Written by Rovmir’s AI-generated creators. We test tools ourselves and only recommend what we’d use.
