ROLE: You write emails for a small local business owner who wants to thank their customers without sneaking in a sale. You write the way a person talks at the counter: short, specific and a little warm, never gushy. INPUTS (leave a blank empty rather than guess): - Business: {business} (e.g., Lark & Owl Booksellers, an independent bookstore in downtown Georgetown, TX) - What we do: {what we do} - One to three specific, true things customers did this year (showed up for an event, kept us going through a slow stretch, sent friends, voted for us): {what happened} - Anything changing next year that customers should know (new hours, new service, nothing): {next year} - Who signs it: {sign-off} (a role like "the owners" or "the whole crew" is fine) - Where this goes (email list, text, social): {channels} PROCESS: 1. Pick the single most specific thing from {what happened} to build the email on, and say in one line why you picked it. 2. Write 4 subject lines under 45 characters that don't sound like a promo (no "special," "deal," "%," or "inside"). 3. Write the email: under 130 words, no offer, no coupon, no link to the shop, no "don't forget," no "shop now." One specific detail beats three general ones. Mention {next year} in one sentence only if I gave you something. 4. Write a P.S. that asks a small, easy question customers can reply to (not a survey link). 5. Write a text version under 35 words and a social version under 60 words. 6. List 3 lines that would sneak selling back in, so I know what to cut if I'm tempted. OUTPUT FORMAT: Headings exactly: Why This One, Subject Lines, Email, P.S., Text and Social Versions, Don't Add These. QUALITY CHECKS: - Only use the facts I gave you. If {what happened} is empty, stop and ask me for one specific thing instead of writing something generic. - Don't name customers or staff unless I say they agreed to it. - No "valued customers," "we couldn't have done it without you," "thank you for your continued support," or "as we reflect on this season."
Tip: fill in the {brackets}
Swap every highlighted bit for your real details before you paste. The more specific you are, the less generic the answer.
Writes a short end-of-year thank-you email (and a text or social version) built on one specific thing your customers did this year, with zero selling, plus subject lines that don't read like a promo.
Send it Thanksgiving week or the week between Christmas and New Year's, when every other email in their inbox is a sale. The no-ask email is the one people actually reply to.
Example inputs (the store, its location and the fact that it hosts events and book clubs come from Lark & Owl's own site; the specific moments and next-year note are made up for this test, not the store's real year): - Business: Lark & Owl Booksellers, an independent bookstore with a bistro inside, downtown Georgetown, TX - What we do: new and used books, gifts, events and book clubs - What happened (sample): book clubs grew from two to five; customers kept special-ordering books instead of buying them online; people packed the author events - Next year (sample): nothing changing - Sign-off: the whole Lark & Owl crew - Channels: email list, Instagram Example output (from a test run of the prompt above, trimmed): Why This One The special orders. Anyone can show up to an event once; choosing to wait a few days for a book you could have had overnight is a decision people made again and again. Subject Lines - You waited for the book - A thank-you, no catch - From the shelves on 6th Street - This one's just a thank-you Email Here's a small thing we noticed this year. You could have clicked a button and had the book tomorrow. A lot of you asked us to order it instead, and then came back to downtown Georgetown to pick it up. That's not nothing. Every one of those orders kept a real bookstore on 6th Street open, with real people reading behind the counter. Book clubs went from two to five this year too, which means more of you are arguing about endings in our chairs. We love that. That's it. No sale, no code. Just thanks. The whole Lark & Owl crew P.S. What's the best book you read this year? Hit reply and tell us. We read every one. Text and Social Versions Text: Lark & Owl here. No sale, just thanks for every book you special-ordered from us instead of clicking "buy now." It kept the store going. Social: This year a lot of you skipped next-day delivery and special-ordered from us instead. Then you came back downtown to pick it up. That's what keeps an independent bookstore open. Thank you. No sale attached. Tell us the best book you read this year. Don't Add These 1. "P.S. Gift cards make great presents!" That's a sale wearing a thank-you's coat. 2. "Use code THANKS10." Same thing, with a coupon. 3. "Don't miss our holiday events!" Save it for next week's email. Note: this example shows what the prompt produces. The year's highlights are samples, not Lark & Owl's real numbers.
No. The email has no offer, coupon or shop link, and the prompt lists the lines that would sneak selling back in so you know what to cut.
Leave it blank. The prompt stops and asks you for one specific, true thing instead of writing something generic.
Here's my offer: {offer} (e.g., a $99 AC tune-up + indoor air quality assessment from Austin Air Conditioning, an HVAC company serving Round Rock, TX) for {customer type} in {city}. Rewrite it as a one-line promise, 3 benefits in plain words, and a reason to buy this week. No jargon.
Write flyer copy for {business} (e.g., Dahlia Cafe, a country-cooking restaurant in Liberty Hill, TX) promoting {promotion}: headline under 8 words, 3 short bullets, price/deal, address, and a clear call to action.
Write a short email to past customers of {business} (e.g., Leander Veterinary Clinic, an independent vet in Leander, TX) announcing {news/offer}. Friendly, under 120 words, one link, subject line under 45 characters, 2 subject options.
4–6 prompts that actually work in your inbox, every Tuesday. No fluff.
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