36 AI Prompt Ideas You Can Copy and Use at Work

Use it when you know the topic well but the page is blank.

You are a content editor. I want to write about [topic] for [audience]. Before you draft anything, ask me the eight questions you most need answered to make this piece specific and useful. Ask them one at a time and wait for my reply. After the last answer, propose an outline.

Use it when you have a subject but every headline sounds the same.

Here is a topic: [topic]. Our reader is [who they are and what they are trying to do]. Give me ten different angles for an article. For each one, write a working title, the single claim the piece would argue, and one reason a reader might disagree with it.

Use it when your draft says the right things but takes too long to say them.

Edit the draft below. Cut it by about [30]% without removing any facts or examples. Keep my wording where it is already clear. Do not add new sentences. After the edited version, list the five largest cuts you made and why. [paste draft]

Use it when an article is published and you need to promote it.

Read the article below. Write [five] LinkedIn posts that each make one point from it. Each post should open with a concrete observation, not a question, stay under [120] words, and end by pointing to the article. Vary the structure so they do not read like a series. [paste article]

Use it when you are about to publish a landing page or announcement.

Act as a sceptical [job title] who is considering [product or offer]. Read the page copy below and list every question, doubt or missing detail that would stop you from taking the next step. Order them from most to least serious. Then suggest one sentence I could add to answer each of the top five. [paste copy]

Use it when you need a month of topics that support one goal.

We sell [product or service] to [audience]. Our goal this quarter is [goal]. We can publish [number] pieces a week. Plan four weeks of content in a table with columns for week, topic, format, the search or sales question it answers, and the call to action. Do not repeat a topic in a different format.

Use it when you are deciding what kind of page a keyword needs.

The keyword is "[keyword]". Describe the most likely reasons someone searches for this, split into informational, commercial and transactional intent. For each, say what type of page would satisfy it and what the searcher wants to see in the first screen.

Use it when you have the top results open and want to cover the topic properly.

Below are the headings from the top [five] pages ranking for "[keyword]". Identify the subtopics all of them cover, the ones only some cover, and anything none of them address that a reader would still want. Then write an outline for a page that covers the common ground and adds the missing parts. [paste headings]

Use it when a page is written and needs a better search snippet.

Write eight title tags under 60 characters and eight meta descriptions under 155 characters for the page below. The primary keyword is "[keyword]" and should appear near the start of each title. Make the descriptions say what the reader gets, in plain words. No exclamation marks. [paste page summary]

Use it when you want an FAQ section that answers real questions.

List fifteen questions a [type of buyer] would ask about [topic] before purchasing, in the words they would type into a search box. Group them by stage: just learning, comparing options, ready to buy. Mark the five you think are asked most often.

Use it when you have a new page and a list of existing URLs.

Here is a new article and a list of our existing pages with their titles. Suggest which existing pages should link to the new article and which the new article should link to. For each link, give the anchor text and the sentence where it fits most naturally. [paste article] [paste list of pages]

Use it when a post has lost traffic and needs updating.

This article was published in [year]. Read it and list what is probably out of date, what is thin compared with what a reader would expect today, and what should be removed. Do not rewrite it. Give me a prioritised update plan with the reason for each change. [paste article]

Use it when you are writing to someone who has never heard of you.

Write a first-touch email to [name], [role] at [company]. What I know about them: [one or two facts]. What we do: [one sentence]. The email should be under 90 words, mention one specific reason I chose them, make one clear ask, and sound like a person wrote it. No flattery and no "I hope this finds you well".

Use it when your first message went unanswered.

Below is an email I sent [number] days ago with no reply. Write a follow-up under 60 words that adds one new piece of value, such as a relevant example or a shorter ask, instead of repeating the first email. Give me two versions with different angles. [paste email]

Use it when a campaign is ready but the open rate worries you.

The email below goes to [audience]. Write twelve subject lines under 45 characters. Make four that state the benefit, four that are specific and factual, and four that raise curiosity without being vague. Tell me which two you would test first and why. [paste email]

Use it when you have a first meeting with a prospect tomorrow.

I have a 30-minute call with [role] at a [size and type of company]. They reached out about [problem]. Write ten questions that will help me understand their situation, in an order that moves from easy to more probing. Add the three things I should listen for that would mean we are not a good fit.

Use it when the meeting is over and you need to send a summary.

Here are my rough notes from a sales call. Write a follow-up email that thanks them briefly, summarises what they told me in their own terms, lists the next steps with owners and dates, and flags anything I still need from them. Keep it under 180 words. [paste notes]

Use it when the same pushback keeps coming up.

Prospects often tell us: "[objection]". We sell [product] to [audience]. Give me three honest ways to respond. Each should acknowledge the concern first, then offer a fact, an example or a question. Do not dismiss the objection or use pressure.

Use it when you have an export and need the story in it.

Below is a table of [what it contains] for [period]. Describe the three most important things it shows, with the numbers that support each. Then list anything that looks unusual and might be a data problem instead of a real change. Do not speculate about causes you cannot see in the data. [paste table]

Use it when you know what you want but not the exact syntax.

I use [database, for example BigQuery]. Here are the tables and columns: [paste schema]. Write a query that returns [what you need], grouped by [dimension], for [date range]. Add a comment above each step. Then tell me what assumptions you made about the data that I should verify.

Use it when a query runs but the numbers feel wrong.

Review the SQL below. Look for joins that could duplicate rows, filters that might drop records unintentionally, date ranges that are off by one, and anything that would make totals disagree with a simple count. Explain each issue in one or two sentences and show the corrected line. [paste query]

Use it when two teams report different numbers for the same thing.

We need one written definition for "[metric]". Ask me the questions you need to pin it down: what counts, what is excluded, which date applies, which system is the source, and how edge cases are treated. After my answers, write the definition in a form I can put at the top of a dashboard.

Use it when you need to send the weekly numbers to people who will read two lines.

Here are this week's figures and last week's. Write a summary for executives in five bullet points. Lead with what changed most, give the number and the comparison, and say plainly whether it needs a decision. No adjectives such as "strong" or "significant" unless a number follows them. [paste figures]

Use it when someone asks a vague question such as why sales dropped.

A stakeholder asked: "[question]". We have data on [what you have]. Before I pull anything, list the possible explanations, the specific cut of data that would confirm or rule out each one, and the order to check them in so the cheapest tests come first.

Use it when you have a transcript or messy notes.

Turn the notes below into three sections: decisions made, action items with an owner and a date for each, and open questions. If an owner or date was not stated, write "not assigned" instead of guessing. Keep each item to one line. [paste notes]

Use it when you have twenty pages and ten minutes.

Summarise the document below for someone who has to decide [what decision]. Give me the main argument in two sentences, the five facts that matter most for that decision, and anything the document leaves unclear. Quote the exact wording for any figure or commitment. [paste document]

Use it when you want a critic before your manager becomes one.

Here is my plan for [project]. Act as an experienced [role] who has seen similar projects fail. Tell me the weakest three parts, what would have to be true for each to work, and what you would ask me in a review meeting. Be direct. I do not need encouragement. [paste plan]

Use it when a technical message has to go to a non-technical person.

Rewrite the message below for [who they are]. They do not know the terms [list jargon]. Keep every fact and every request. Use short sentences and put what they need to do in the first line. [paste message]

Use it when a task lives in one person's head.

I am going to describe how we do [task]. Ask me questions until you understand each step, who does it, what tool they use and what can go wrong. Then write it as a numbered procedure that a new team member could follow without help.

Use it when you are choosing between tools, vendors or approaches.

I am deciding between [option A], [option B] and [option C] for [purpose]. What matters most to us: [criteria in order]. Build a comparison table using only what I tell you and what is generally known, and mark anything you are unsure about. Finish with the question I should answer to break a tie.

Use it when you are new to a subject and textbooks start too far ahead.

Teach me [topic]. I already know [what you know] and nothing more. Explain one idea at a time, give an example from [a field you know well], then ask me a question to check I understood before moving on.

Use it when one explanation did not land.

Explain [concept] three times: once in two plain sentences, once with an everyday comparison, and once the way a specialist would say it to a colleague. Then tell me the most common misunderstanding people have about it.

Use it when you have read the material and want to know if it stuck.

I have been studying the notes below. Ask me ten questions, one at a time, starting easy and getting harder. After each answer, tell me whether I was right and correct me briefly if not. At the end, list the areas I should review. [paste notes]

Use it when you have formed an opinion and want it tested.

Here is what I believe about [subject] and why. Give me the strongest case against my view, as someone who holds the opposite position would argue it. Then tell me which of my reasons is weakest and what evidence would change my mind. [paste your view]

Use it when you want to learn a skill alongside a full-time job.

I want to learn [skill] to the point where I can [specific outcome]. I have [hours] a week for [number] weeks. Build a weekly plan with what to study, one small project per week to practise it, and how I will know I am ready to move on.

Use it when a dense document is beyond your background.

I am going to paste a section of a [research paper or report]. Explain what it says in plain language, define each term the first time it appears, and tell me what a careful reader would question. Keep your explanation shorter than the original. [paste section]