The 8 Prompts I Use to Draft Client Emails (And the One I'd Never Skip)

Most professional services people spend 30-45% of their week in email. AI can take 40% of that back. The catch is the drafts have to not sound like AI.

These are the 8 prompts I use most. The 9th is the meta-prompt that catches AI tells.

1. The "I owe you an update" draft

Use when you've been quiet too long and need to send something without sounding defensive.

``` Draft a 4-sentence email to a client I haven't updated in {N} days.

Status: {WHERE_THINGS_ACTUALLY_ARE} Reason for the gap: {HONEST_REASON} Next concrete action: {NEXT_STEP} ETA on next action: {ETA}

Voice: warm but direct. Acknowledge the gap briefly without over-apologizing. Lead with status, not apology. End with the next action they should expect.

No phrases: "I wanted to reach out", "just wanted to check in", "circling back", "touching base", "I apologize for the delay". Use direct language instead. ```

The "no phrases" line is what makes this work.

2. The objection response

Use when a client pushes back on price, timeline, or scope and you need to respond without sounding wounded.

``` Draft a response to a client objection.

Their objection: {QUOTE_THEIR_WORDS} What's actually true on our side: {INTERNAL_REALITY} What I'm willing to flex on: {FLEX_LIST} What I'm not willing to flex on: {HARD_LIMITS}

Voice: confident, not defensive. Acknowledge the concern in their words. Restate the constraint. Offer one specific concession. End with a yes/no decision request.

Keep under 120 words. ```

Confidence is the secret. AI defaults to apologetic. Tell it directly to be confident.

3. The proposal recap

Use after a call to send the next-step recap before they forget what you agreed to.

``` Draft a recap of a sales call.

Call notes: {NOTES} Their stated problem: {PROBLEM} What I proposed: {SOLUTION} Price discussed: {PRICE} Next step they agreed to: {NEXT_STEP} Deadline for their decision: {DEADLINE}

Format: 4 sections with headers. - The problem you described - What I'd recommend - Investment - Next step

Keep each section to 2-3 sentences. End with a single clear ask. ```

Send within 30 minutes of the call. Conversion rates change dramatically when the recap is fast.

4. The "no, but here's a path" reply

Use when you can't do what they're asking and want to keep the door open.

``` Draft a reply declining a client request while keeping the relationship.

Their request: {REQUEST} Why I can't do it (the real reason): {HONEST_REASON} What I could do instead, if anything: {ALTERNATIVE} The relationship's value: {CONTEXT}

Voice: direct, friendly, no over-explanation. Decline in the first 2 sentences. Offer the alternative if one exists. Don't pad with "I really wish I could..." filler.

Under 80 words. ```

The 80-word constraint forces clarity.

5. The check-in that isn't a check-in

Use when you want to stay in front of a slow-moving prospect without "checking in."

``` Draft a 3-sentence email to a prospect who's gone quiet.

Their original interest: {INTEREST} Last conversation: {LAST_MSG} Something specific in their world: {EXTERNAL_TRIGGER (industry news, event, hire, etc.)}

Voice: I'm thinking about you because of this specific thing, not "are you still alive."

Start with the external trigger. Connect to their interest. End with a yes/no on a low-stakes next step.

Banned phrases: "just wanted to check in", "any update on...", "wanted to follow up", "circling back", "touching base". ```

The external trigger turns spam into relevance.

6. The internal-to-external translator

Use when an internal complex update needs to become a clean client-facing message.

``` Translate an internal status into a client-facing update.

Internal status (raw): {INTERNAL_STATUS} Client's level of technical depth: {LEVEL} What the client actually cares about: {THEIR_CONCERN}

Strip out: - Internal jargon - Vendor names the client doesn't need - Reasons for delays they don't need context on - Speculation

Keep: - What's done - What's next - Whether it affects their date or budget

Write in their voice level. End with a single confirmation request if action is needed. ```

The "strip out" list is the entire reason this works.

7. The intro email

Use when you're introducing two people who could help each other.

``` Draft a 2-paragraph intro email.

Person A: {NAME, role, what they're looking for} Person B: {NAME, role, what they can offer} Why I'm making this intro: {SPECIFIC_OVERLAP} What I'd like them to do next: {SPECIFIC_NEXT}

Format: 2 paragraphs. - Para 1: Why this intro, what each person does in 1 sentence each - Para 2: What I'd suggest as a next step

End with: "Both of you are now on this thread, take it from here."

No "I think you two should connect" filler. Be specific about the value. ```

Vague intros die. Specific intros get conversations.

8. The renewal nudge

Use when a recurring engagement is up for renewal and you want to surface it without being thirsty.

``` Draft a renewal nudge for a client whose engagement ends in {DAYS} days.

What we've delivered: {DELIVERABLES} Measurable outcomes (with numbers): {METRICS} What the next phase could include: {NEXT_PHASE_IDEAS} Original engagement value: {AMOUNT}

Voice: I'm offering to keep going if it's useful to you, not begging to keep going.

Structure: lead with the numbers (specific). Reference one thing we'd add next. End with a yes/no on a 30-min planning call.

Banned: "I hope you've enjoyed working with me", "I wanted to discuss renewal", anything that sounds like a sales pitch. ```

Numbers first. Sales pitch energy second. Conversion is materially better.

9. The meta-prompt: AI tell scanner

Use this after every draft. It catches the AI-isms that ruin the trust.

``` You are reviewing an email draft for AI tells.

Email draft: {DRAFT}

Flag any of these as present: - "I wanted to reach out" - "I hope this email finds you well" - "Just wanted to check in" - "Circling back" - "Touching base" - "Don't hesitate to..." - "Please let me know if you have any questions" - "I'm happy to..." - Em-dashes used as clause joiners (LLM tell) - Triple parallels ("X without Y. A without B. C without D.") - Over-use of "leverage", "robust", "seamless", "paradigm" - Sentences over 30 words

For each flag, suggest a replacement. Then output the cleaned email. ```

I run every important email through this. Catches what I can't see in my own writing because I'm too close to it.

The actual workflow

I have these 9 as Raycast snippets. Cmd+space, snippet name, fill in the placeholders, paste into Claude or my mail client.

For a typical 30-email day, this saves 90 minutes. Across a year, that's the equivalent of 12 working weeks.

The prompts are the cheap part. The discipline of running every draft through the AI tell scanner is what makes it not embarrassing.

What to do tomorrow

Pick the one prompt you'd use most this week. Set it up as a snippet (Raycast, Alfred, TextExpander, whatever). Use it twice tomorrow.

The investment is 20 minutes. The payoff is permanent.