Rewrite and Edit Prompt Template

Use this template when you have an existing draft that needs improvement — not a complete rewrite from scratch, but targeted changes to tone, structure, length, or clarity.

Template

Rewrite or improve the following draft.

WHAT THIS IS
[Brief description of what this piece is and where it will be used.
Examples: internal email to the engineering team / product announcement for customers / help article for new users]

AUDIENCE
[Who will read this? What do they know and what do they care about?]

CURRENT PROBLEM
[What is wrong with the existing draft? Be specific.
Examples: the tone is too formal for this audience / it is twice as long as it needs to be / the main point is buried in the third paragraph / it is full of generic corporate language / it sounds like AI wrote it]

TARGET TONE
[How should the rewrite feel?
Examples: direct and plain / warm and conversational / confident without being promotional / candid and professional]

WHAT TO KEEP
[Is there anything from the existing draft that should remain — specific points, a particular phrase, the core structure?]

WHAT TO CUT OR CHANGE
[Specific things to remove or transform — examples: the intro paragraph / the closing cliché / all bullet points / any hedging language like "it seems" or "we believe"]

LENGTH GUIDANCE
[Should the rewrite be shorter, similar in length, or is length flexible?
Examples: cut by at least 30% / match the original length / no more than 200 words]

DRAFT TO IMPROVE
[Paste the existing draft here]

Tips for using this template

The more specific your "current problem" description, the better the rewrite will be. "It is too long" is okay. "The last two paragraphs repeat the intro and add no new information" is better.
If you want the structure to stay the same but the language to change, say so explicitly: "Keep the same three-section structure but rewrite the language in a more direct register."
If you want AI to make structural changes, say so: "Reorganize so the most important point comes first."
For emails, add the recipient's context: "This person is a senior engineer who values brevity and directness."

Refinement prompts to keep handy

After seeing the rewrite, use these if needed:

"The tone improved but it is still too long. Cut to under [X] words while keeping the main points."
"Good direction. The opening line is still weak — rewrite just the first sentence to be more direct."
"The rewrite lost some of the original's warmth. Adjust the tone to be direct but not cold."
"The structure is better but the third point is still vague. Make it more concrete with a specific example."