Prompt Library
Copy-ready AI prompts for practical business tasks. Paste into ChatGPT, Copilot, or any AI tool and fill in the bracketed details.
Write a professional follow-up email after a sales meeting
What it helps with: Keep deals moving with a clear, polite follow-up that summarises what was agreed and the next steps.
Write a professional follow-up email after a sales meeting. The meeting was with [Name] at [Company] on [Date]. We discussed [key topics]. The agreed next steps are [next steps]. The tone should be warm and professional. Keep it concise — no more than three short paragraphs.
Create a one-week social media plan for a local business promotion
What it helps with: Plan a week of posts around a promotion without staring at a blank page.
Create a one-week social media plan for a local business promotion. The business is [describe business]. The promotion is [describe promotion]. Generate a seven-day posting schedule with a suggested caption for each day. Include a mix of promotional, educational, and engagement posts. Keep the tone [friendly/professional/playful].
Create a structured appraisal conversation guide
What it helps with: Run fairer, more consistent appraisals with a simple, repeatable conversation structure.
Create a structured appraisal conversation guide for a line manager. The employee's role is [job title]. The review period is [e.g. past 6 months]. Generate a set of open questions covering: achievements, areas for development, wellbeing, and goals for the next period. Keep the questions clear and non-leading.
Analyse software subscriptions and identify possible savings
What it helps with: Spot duplicate or unused tools and the right questions to ask before you renew.
I will give you a list of software tools my business currently subscribes to. For each one, suggest questions I should ask before renewing and flag any that may duplicate each other. Here is my current subscription list: [paste list of tools and monthly/annual costs]. Highlight any obvious overlaps and suggest what to review or cancel.
Create a Cyber Essentials readiness checklist for a small business
What it helps with: Understand the basics to review before starting a certification application.
Create a Cyber Essentials readiness checklist for a small business with [number] employees. We use [Windows/Mac/both] devices and [describe main software, e.g. Microsoft 365]. List the five Cyber Essentials control areas and for each one give me three to five practical questions to ask ourselves before starting the certification process.
Prompts are general business tools. Always review outputs before using them in real situations.
Safe Business Prompting
Prompts designed to keep confidential information out of AI tools while still getting useful work done. Each one is built on the IT Club COVER framework and tells you what to leave out and what a human must still check.
The COVER framework
Context
State the audience and situation without including confidential information.
Objective
Define one clear task.
Verification
Require sources, or identify what must be verified before the output is used.
Exclusions
State what the model must not invent, assume or disclose.
Result format
Specify format, length and tone.
The COVER base prompt — adapt it to any task:
Context: This is for [audience] and concerns [general situation]. Do not use or request personal, confidential or security-sensitive information. Objective: Help me [specific task]. Verification: Separate established facts, assumptions and suggestions. Identify anything that requires checking against a current authoritative source. Exclusions: Do not invent figures, quotations, laws, customers, evidence or results. Do not make professional legal, financial, health or regulatory decisions. Result: Return the answer as [format], using plain UK English. Finish with a short section titled "Check before use".
Rewrite an email
Intended use: Improve the tone, clarity or structure of an email you have already drafted, without exposing who it is really for.
Context: This is a business email to [a customer / a supplier / a colleague] about [general topic, e.g. a delayed delivery]. Names and details have been replaced with placeholders. Objective: Rewrite the draft below to be [clearer / warmer / firmer / shorter] while keeping every commitment unchanged. Verification: List any sentence where you changed the meaning rather than the wording. Exclusions: Do not add promises, dates, figures or apologies that are not in the draft. Do not invent context. Result: Return the rewritten email in plain UK English, followed by a short "Check before use" section. Draft: [paste draft with names and identifying details replaced by placeholders]
Do not include: Real names, email addresses, account or order numbers, amounts under dispute, or anything covered by confidentiality.
Human checks required: Confirm commitments, dates and figures are unchanged; reinsert real details yourself; read in full before sending.
Plan a meeting
Intended use: Turn a rough purpose into a structured agenda with timings.
Context: I am preparing a [30/60]-minute internal meeting for [general purpose, e.g. quarterly planning] with [number] attendees. No confidential details are included. Objective: Produce a practical agenda with timings, a clear intended outcome for each item, and suggested pre-reading. Verification: Flag any agenda item that assumes information I have not given you. Exclusions: Do not invent attendees, projects or business facts. Result: Return a one-page agenda in plain UK English with a "Check before use" section.
Do not include: Attendee names, sensitive HR or commercial topics, or details of unannounced plans.
Human checks required: Check timings are realistic and items match what the meeting genuinely needs to decide.
Summarise a non-confidential document
Intended use: Get a faithful summary of a public or non-sensitive document you need to digest quickly.
Context: The text below is a non-confidential document about [general topic]. I have checked that it contains no personal or confidential information. Objective: Summarise it in [length, e.g. 200 words] for [audience]. Verification: Quote the exact passage that supports each main point of the summary. Flag anything ambiguous. Exclusions: Do not add information that is not in the document. Do not soften or strengthen its claims. Result: A summary plus a bullet list of supporting quotations, in plain UK English, ending with "Check before use". Document: [paste non-confidential text]
Do not include: Contracts, board papers, client documents, or anything you have not confirmed is safe to share externally.
Human checks required: Spot-check the summary against the original; confirm quoted passages actually appear in the document.
Brainstorm content ideas
Intended use: Generate starting ideas for articles, posts or campaigns without revealing strategy.
Context: I create content for [type of business] serving [general audience]. This is early brainstorming only. Objective: Suggest 15 content ideas about [general theme], each with a working title and two-sentence angle. Verification: Mark any idea that relies on a factual claim I would need to verify. Exclusions: Do not invent statistics, trends, customer stories or competitor details. Result: A numbered list in plain UK English with a closing "Check before use" note.
Do not include: Unannounced products, campaign budgets, competitive strategy or customer insights data.
Human checks required: Treat every idea as unverified; check factual angles against real sources before commissioning.
Review a marketing claim
Intended use: Pressure-test a claim before publication for support, precision and potential to mislead.
Context: I am reviewing a draft marketing claim for [type of business]. The claim is quoted below with placeholders where needed. Objective: Identify what evidence would be needed to support this claim, how a sceptical customer or regulator might read it, and safer alternative wordings. Verification: List each part of the claim as verifiable, vague or unsupported. Exclusions: Do not tell me the claim is compliant or lawful — flag concerns and questions only. Result: A short analysis table plus three alternative wordings, ending with "Check before use". Claim: [paste claim]
Do not include: Unpublished performance data, customer identities, or claims about named competitors.
Human checks required: Verify the supporting evidence actually exists; get professional advice for regulated sectors before publishing.
Prepare customer FAQs
Intended use: Draft first-pass FAQ answers from information you already publish.
Context: I am drafting FAQs for [type of business]. The verified source information is pasted below — it is the only information to use. Objective: Draft [number] FAQ entries with concise answers based solely on the source material. Verification: After each answer, cite which part of the source it came from. Mark any question the source cannot fully answer as "NEEDS INPUT". Exclusions: Do not fill gaps with plausible answers. Do not invent policies, prices or timescales. Result: FAQ entries in plain UK English ending with "Check before use". Source material: [paste your published, verified information]
Do not include: Draft policies not yet agreed, internal-only pricing or anything you would not publish as-is.
Human checks required: Confirm every answer matches current policy; have the owner of each policy area approve their entries.
Draft an internal process
Intended use: Turn a rough description of how work happens into a clear written procedure.
Context: I am documenting an internal process for [general activity, e.g. onboarding a new supplier] in a small business. Role titles are used instead of names. Objective: Turn my rough notes below into a numbered step-by-step procedure with responsibilities per step. Verification: List the assumptions you made and questions that need answering before this is adopted. Exclusions: Do not add steps, tools or approvals I have not mentioned without marking them clearly as suggestions. Result: A procedure document in plain UK English ending with "Check before use". Notes: [paste rough notes with names and system credentials removed]
Do not include: Passwords, system credentials, security configurations or personal data of staff.
Human checks required: Walk the drafted process against reality with the people who do the work; remove suggested steps that don't fit.
Identify risks in a plan
Intended use: Stress-test a plan or decision by surfacing risks you may have missed.
Context: A small business is considering [general plan, e.g. moving a core system to a new provider]. Details are generalised. Objective: List the main risks, grouped by category (operational, financial, security, people, supplier), each with an early warning sign and a possible mitigation. Verification: Rank the risks by how much they depend on facts you do not have, and say what information would change the ranking. Exclusions: Do not estimate specific probabilities or costs. Do not present mitigations as sufficient. Result: A risk table in plain UK English ending with "Check before use".
Do not include: Real supplier names under negotiation, contract values, or commercially sensitive timing.
Human checks required: Validate risks against your actual situation; assign each real risk an owner before acting on the plan.
Compare options
Intended use: Structure a decision between two or three options using criteria that matter to you.
Context: A small business is choosing between [Option A] and [Option B] for [general purpose]. Public information only. Objective: Build a comparison across these criteria: [list criteria, e.g. cost model, security, support, exit]. Where you do not know, say so. Verification: Mark every cell of the comparison as "verified from source", "commonly reported" or "unknown — check". Exclusions: Do not invent prices, features or terms. Do not declare a winner. Result: A comparison table plus a list of questions to ask each provider, ending with "Check before use".
Do not include: Quoted prices under NDA, negotiation positions, or internal financial constraints.
Human checks required: Verify every 'commonly reported' and 'unknown' cell against current official sources before deciding.
Prepare questions for a solicitor
Intended use: Arrive at legal advice prepared, so paid time is spent on answers rather than explanation.
Context: A small business owner is preparing for a meeting with a solicitor about [general area, e.g. reviewing standard customer terms]. The scenario below is anonymised. Objective: Produce a list of clear, specific questions to ask, ordered by importance, plus a list of documents and facts worth bringing. Verification: Flag which questions depend on facts specific to my situation. Exclusions: Do not answer the legal questions yourself. Do not predict what the law says or how a dispute would end. Result: A one-page preparation sheet in plain UK English ending with "Check before use". Situation: [describe in general, anonymised terms]
Do not include: Names of other parties, live dispute correspondence, or privileged documents.
Human checks required: This prepares questions only — the solicitor provides the legal answers. Bring original documents, not AI summaries.
Prepare questions for an accountant
Intended use: Structure an accounting or tax conversation before the meeting.
Context: A small business owner is preparing to meet an accountant about [general topic, e.g. equipment purchase timing]. Figures are rounded or replaced with placeholders. Objective: Produce the key questions to ask, the records worth bringing, and the trade-offs to understand — as questions, not conclusions. Verification: Flag which questions depend on current tax rules that must come from the accountant or official guidance. Exclusions: Do not calculate tax positions or state current rates, thresholds or deadlines as fact. Result: A preparation sheet in plain UK English ending with "Check before use". Situation: [general description with placeholder figures]
Do not include: Exact revenue and salary figures, bank details, tax references (UTR, VAT number) or payroll data.
Human checks required: Treat every rule or threshold mentioned as unverified; the accountant and HMRC guidance are the sources.
Check an AI-generated article
Intended use: Use one AI pass to make the human review of another AI draft sharper — not to replace it.
Context: The article below was drafted with AI assistance for [audience] and must be checked before publication. Objective: List every factual claim in the article, and classify each as: verifiable (say where), vague, or unsupported. Separately flag overconfident wording, missing caveats and possible bias. Verification: Do not confirm any claim as true — identify what a human must check and against what kind of source. Exclusions: Do not rewrite the article. Do not add new claims. Result: A claim-by-claim checking table in plain UK English ending with "Check before use". Article: [paste draft]
Do not include: Unpublished commercial details embedded in the draft — remove them before checking.
Human checks required: A human verifies every flagged claim against real sources and owns the publish decision.
Identify missing evidence
Intended use: Find the gaps in an argument, proposal or business case before someone else does.
Context: Below is a draft [proposal / business case / argument] on [general topic], anonymised. Objective: Identify each point where the draft asserts something without evidence, and describe what evidence would be needed and where it might realistically come from. Verification: Distinguish between missing evidence (fixable) and claims that look untestable. Exclusions: Do not supply the missing evidence yourself or estimate figures to fill gaps. Result: A gap list ordered by importance, in plain UK English, ending with "Check before use". Draft: [paste anonymised draft]
Do not include: Investor names, confidential financials, or third-party data you are not entitled to share.
Human checks required: Gather the real evidence yourself; discard claims that cannot be supported rather than papering over them.
Turn notes into actions
Intended use: Convert messy meeting or project notes into a clear action list.
Context: Below are informal notes from an internal discussion about [general topic]. Names are replaced with role titles. Objective: Extract a list of actions, each with: what, which role owns it, any stated deadline, and open questions. Verification: Mark actions you inferred (rather than found stated) with [INFERRED]. Exclusions: Do not invent deadlines, owners or actions that the notes do not support. Result: An action table in plain UK English ending with "Check before use". Notes: [paste notes with names and sensitive details replaced]
Do not include: HR matters about named individuals, disciplinary discussions, or commercially sensitive decisions not yet announced.
Human checks required: Confirm each [INFERRED] action was actually agreed; check owners and deadlines with the people involved.
Anonymise a scenario before further analysis
Intended use: Prepare a real situation for safe AI analysis by stripping identifying detail first — a prompt to use before other prompts.
Context: I need to describe a real business situation to an AI tool for analysis, and I must remove identifying information first. Below is my draft anonymised version — the original stays with me. Objective: Review my draft and identify any remaining details that could identify a person or organisation — roles plus locations, dates, distinctive events, unusual amounts or unique circumstances — and suggest safer generalisations. Verification: Explain for each flagged detail how it could identify someone when combined with public information. Exclusions: Do not ask me for the original details. Do not fill in gaps with guesses. Result: A list of flagged details and suggested replacements, ending with "Check before use". Draft scenario: [paste your already-anonymised draft — never the original]
Do not include: The original, un-anonymised scenario. This prompt only ever sees your redacted draft.
Human checks required: Remember that removing a name is not anonymisation — apply the suggested generalisations and re-read as a stranger would before using the scenario anywhere.
These prompts help you avoid sharing confidential information with AI tools — they do not make any AI output correct. A human remains responsible for checking and approving everything before use.
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