Writing a good prompt from scratch every time is inefficient. This page collects ready-to-use prompt templates by task — just copy one and fill in the [ ] parts. (If you want prompt "principles," see how to ask Claude well and the prompt writing guide. This page is a template library.)
Most good prompts have four parts: role/context, task, input, and output format. The templates below follow that structure, so you only change the bracketed parts to fit your situation.
Summarize
Read [the text] and summarize the key points in 5 bullets so [an exec]
can grasp it in 30 seconds. One sentence each; explain any jargon.For doing long-document summaries well, see the document summary guide.
Draft and edit
Write a draft [blog post] about [topic].
Audience: [beginners]; length: around [800 words]; tone: [friendly].
Outline first, and if I agree, continue with the body.Write an email
Write a polite email to [a client] for the situation below.
Situation: [the timeline slipped a week; apologize and propose a new date].
Tone: [polite but concise]; end with a clear next action.More email tips are in the writing emails guide.
Explain code
Explain what the code below does for [a junior developer].
Line-by-line is too long; go summary -> core logic -> gotchas.
[paste code here]Translate
Translate the [Korean] text below into [English].
Use: [work email]; tone: [formal]; prefer natural phrasing over literal.
[source text]Brainstorm
Give me [10] ideas for [a product launch].
Constraints: [small budget, ship within 2 weeks]. Add a one-line reason
to each, and keep them distinct angles.For deeper ideation, see brainstorming with Claude.
Tables and data
From the text below, extract [name, price, stock] into a table.
Mark missing values as "unknown" and sort by price descending.
[source text]Explain a concept
Explain [concept] so [a middle schooler] gets it.
One-line definition, then an everyday analogy, then one common misconception.Getting more out of the templates
- Add an example and the output format comes out more accurately (e.g. "like this: …").
- Don't aim for one shot — look at the result and iterate ("shorter," "change the tone").
- Paste long material into the body, but clearly separate the instruction from the material.
Templates are a starting point. Fill the [ ] parts for your situation, and always verify and review any output that contains facts before using it.