Charleston AI Playbook

Directory / Prompts / Sales & email

Cover note for a proposal

Updated

Problem it solves

The proposal is attached and the email says “see attached.” The reader needs the point in the email itself.

Best tool

  • ChatGPT (free chat)
  • Claude (free chat)
  • Gemini (free chat)
  • Copilot (free chat)

The free chat is enough for one draft. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and the free Microsoft Copilot chat can each do this. A paid plan only helps if you hit a usage limit. Copilot inside Word, Excel, or Outlook is a separate paid Microsoft 365 feature. You do not need it to try this once.

Copy-paste prompt

Write a cover email for a proposal. Under 150 words. State what it covers, the price if provided, and the next step. Do not add a claim about results.

Who it is for: [name or role]
What the proposal covers: [scope in one or two sentences]
Price: [price or "price is only in the attachment"]
Next step: [a call on a date, or a reply]
Your name: [name]

Replace every [bracket]. If you cannot fill one, delete that line.

Example output

A usable draft is a cover email a busy person can read without opening the file, and it does not promise an outcome.

Tips

  • If the price is complicated, say it is in the attachment instead of letting the draft simplify it wrong.
  • Results you hope for are not facts. Leave them out.

Time saved

Estimate: the cover note is a few minutes after the proposal exists. Writing the proposal is the long part and is a different prompt.

How to use it

  1. Copy the prompt. Copy the prompt on this page into a free chat.
  2. Fill every bracket. Replace each [bracket] with a fact from your own notes. If you cannot fill one, delete that line instead of guessing.
  3. Edit before you use it. Read the draft against your notes. Delete any price, date, name, or promise you did not supply. You decide what gets sent.

Where this came from

  • Original to this library.