# Claude Prompts: 15 Copy-Paste Prompts for Everyday Work
> 15 Claude prompts for email, writing, planning and analysis, plus the 5 habits that make Claude answer well on the first try. Copy, fill in, paste.
Canonical: https://nexin.si/blog/claude-prompts
[Claude](https://nexin.si/blog/category/claude)
Nexin · October 30, 2026 · 7 min read
**Short answer:** a good Claude prompt says who the answer is for, gives Claude the material to work from, names the exact format you want and tells it to ask instead of guessing. The 15 prompts below follow that shape. Copy one, replace the words in [brackets] and paste it into Claude on the web, the desktop app or your phone. They work on the free plan too ([is Claude free?](https://nexin.si/blog/is-claude-free) covers the limits).
## What makes a Claude prompt work?
Claude answers well when the prompt removes guesswork. Five habits cover most of it:
1. **Give it the material.** Paste the text you want worked on. Claude can’t improve what it can’t see, and answers built from your text beat answers built from its guesses.
2. **Say who reads the result.** “For my manager, who has two minutes” changes length, tone and order more than any adjective.
3. **Name the format.** A table with these columns, five bullets, 120 words. A shape you can check is a shape Claude can hit.
4. **Wrap long inputs in tags.** Claude reads labelled sections well, so put pasted text inside tags like `` and `` and refer to them by name.
5. **Let it ask.** End with “If something is missing, ask me before you start.” One round of questions costs less than a rewrite.
| Habit | Weak prompt | Better prompt |
|---|---|---|
| Material | “Write a follow-up email” | “Write a follow-up to the email below” + the email |
| Reader | “Make it short” | “For a busy client who skims on mobile” |
| Format | “Summarize this” | “5 bullets, then one line with the decision needed” |
| Tags | Text pasted mid-sentence | `...` and “use only the report” |
| Questions | Claude fills gaps itself | “Ask me up to 3 questions first” |
## Which Claude prompts help with email?
Three prompts cover most inbox work: replying, following up and reporting.
**1. Reply to a hard email**
```
Here is an email I need to answer:
[paste the email]
What I want to say: [your point in one or two lines]
Write a reply under 150 words. Calm, direct, no apologies I don't owe. Keep any facts from the email exactly as written.
```
**2. Follow up without sounding pushy**
```
I sent this [days] days ago and got no reply:
[paste your email]
Write a 3-sentence follow-up that adds one new useful detail: [detail]. End with a question that's easy to answer yes or no.
```
**3. Turn notes into a clear update**
```
[paste rough notes]
Write a status update for [who reads it]. Format: Done, In progress, Blocked (with what I need from them). Bullets only, no intro paragraph.
```
For cold outreach, the [Cold Email Writer](https://nexin.si/library/cold-email-writer) prompt in the library has the fields already laid out.
## Which Claude prompts help with writing?
These keep your voice while Claude does the editing.
**4. Edit without changing my voice**
```
[paste your text]
Edit for clarity and length. Keep my words wherever they work, cut filler, fix grammar. Show the edited version, then list the 3 biggest changes and why.
```
**5. Make AI text sound like a person**
```
[paste the text]
Rewrite it so it reads like one person talking to another. Remove stock phrases, vary sentence length, keep every fact. Don't add new claims.
```
The [humanize AI text](https://nexin.si/blog/humanize-ai-text) guide lists the phrases worth cutting by hand.
**6. Outline before drafting**
```
Topic: [topic]. Reader: [who]. Goal: [what they should do or understand after].
Give me an outline: a one-line point for each section, in order, and the one example each section needs. Don't write the article yet.
```
**7. Rewrite one sentence five ways**
```
Sentence: [sentence]
Give 5 rewrites: shorter, plainer, more formal, more friendly, and one that leads with the benefit. Label each.
```
## Which Claude prompts help with planning?
Use these before the work starts, when a clear plan saves the most time.
**8. Break a project into steps**
```
Project: [what you want done] by [date]. Constraints: [time, budget, people].
List the steps in order, each with a rough time estimate and what it depends on. Flag the step most likely to slip.
```
**9. Set goals you can measure**
```
Goal in my words: [goal]
Rewrite it as a SMART goal: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound. Then list the first 3 actions for this week.
```
The [SMART Goals](https://nexin.si/library/smart-goals) prompt does the same with fields to fill in.
**10. Prepare for a meeting**
```
Meeting: [topic] with [who], [length] minutes. What I need out of it: [outcome].
Write an agenda with times, the 3 questions I must ask, and the objections they're likely to raise with a one-line answer to each.
```
**11. Turn a transcript into minutes**
```
[paste transcript or notes]
Write meeting minutes: decisions, action items (owner, due date), open questions. Use only what's in the transcript; mark anything unclear as [UNCLEAR].
```
## Which Claude prompts help with analysis?
Paste the material, and Claude reads it for the parts you’d otherwise skim past.
**12. Summarize a long document**
```
[paste the text]
Summarize for [reader] in 5 bullets. Then: the one thing they must act on, and any number in the text that looks inconsistent.
```
**13. Compare options**
```
I'm choosing between: [option A], [option B], [option C]. What matters to me: [criteria].
Make a table with one row per option and one column per criterion. Then recommend one in two sentences and say what would change your answer.
```
**14. Run a SWOT on an idea**
```
Business or idea: [description]. Market: [who buys]. Known competitors: [names].
Write a SWOT analysis with 3 to 5 points per box. Use only what I told you; mark guesses as [ASSUMPTION].
```
**15. Find the holes in a plan**
```
[paste the plan]
Act as a skeptical reviewer. List the 5 weakest points, from most to least serious, each with the question I should be able to answer before going ahead.
```
## When should a prompt become a skill?
A prompt is something you paste every time. If you paste the same one every week with the same rules, it’s a candidate for a Claude skill: a saved set of instructions Claude loads by itself when the task comes up. [What are Claude skills?](https://nexin.si/blog/what-are-claude-skills) explains how they work, and [how to create a Claude skill](https://nexin.si/blog/how-to-create-a-claude-skill) walks through writing one. For rules Claude should follow in every chat of a coding project, a [CLAUDE.md](https://nexin.si/blog/claude-md) file does the job.
| Use | Best fit |
|---|---|
| A one-off task | A prompt |
| The same task every week, same rules | A skill |
| Rules for every chat in a code project | CLAUDE.md |
## FAQ
### What is the best prompt for Claude?
There’s no single best one. The prompts that work best give Claude your material, the reader, the format and permission to ask questions. Prompt 1 or 12 above is a good place to start.
### Do Claude prompts work in ChatGPT?
Yes. Every prompt above is plain text and works in ChatGPT and other assistants. The tag habit helps most with Claude, but it doesn’t hurt elsewhere.
### Should I use XML tags in Claude prompts?
For long inputs, yes. Wrapping pasted text in labelled tags like `` keeps it apart from your instructions, so Claude doesn’t confuse the two. For a short question, plain text is fine.
### How long should a Claude prompt be?
As long as the task needs and no longer. A one-line question is fine for a quick fact; a task with an audience, a format and rules usually takes four to eight lines plus the pasted material.
### How do I write my own Claude prompts?
Start from what you’d tell a new colleague: the task, who it’s for, what good looks like and what to avoid. The [AI Prompt Generator](https://nexin.si/library/ai-prompt-generator) turns a rough request into that structure.
---
**Prompts you fill in, not rewrite.** The Nexin [library](https://nexin.si/library) has these jobs as ready prompts with fields, like the [Cold Email Writer](https://nexin.si/library/cold-email-writer) and [SWOT Analysis](https://nexin.si/library/swot-analysis), plus skills you install in Claude once, like [Meeting Minutes](https://nexin.si/library/meeting-minutes) and [Summarizer](https://nexin.si/library/summarizer). It comes with Nexin Lite ($14 once, 7-day money-back guarantee) or Nexin Pro ($19 a month, 7 days free), and new items are added every week. [See pricing](https://nexin.si/#pricing).
**About this article.** Written by the team that builds Nexin, a content system of tools and prompts for Claude and ChatGPT. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Write to [support@nexin.si](mailto:support@nexin.si).
## Turn one idea into every channel.
[See pricing](https://nexin.si/#pricing)
More in Claude
[CLAUDE](https://nexin.si/blog/category/claude) Oct 22, 2026 · 4 min
## [Is Claude Free? What the Free Plan Includes in 2026](https://nexin.si/blog/is-claude-free)
Is Claude free? Yes, Claude.ai has a free plan with usage limits. What it includes, what needs Pro ($20) or Max, and whether Claude Code is free.
[CLAUDE](https://nexin.si/blog/category/claude) Oct 22, 2026 · 5 min
## [CLAUDE.md: What It Is and What to Put in It](https://nexin.si/blog/claude-md)
What a CLAUDE.md file is, where Claude Code reads it from, what to put in it (rules, commands, tests, limits) and what to leave out, with a starter template.
[CLAUDE](https://nexin.si/blog/category/claude) Oct 19, 2026 · 5 min
## [Jasper AI Alternative for Social Media: Claude + Nexin](https://nexin.si/blog/jasper-ai-alternative-for-social-media)
A Jasper AI alternative for social media if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT: add a method per channel and one brand file, from $19 a month.