Not all AI tools “think” the same way. The same request in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Microsoft Copilot can produce wildly different results — unless you speak their language.

Here’s a breakdown of 10 prompts optimized for specific AI assistants, with why they’re designed that way and how they can save you up to 3 hours a day.

1. Meeting Notes → Action Items (ChatGPT)

Prompt for ChatGPT: "You are an experienced project coordinator. Summarize this transcript into 3 sections: Decisions, Action Items (with owner & deadline), and Open Questions. Keep each bullet under 12 words. Output in Markdown."

Why it works here: ChatGPT follows role-based prompts and Markdown formatting instructions very well.

Time saved: ~30 min/meeting.

2. Inbox Triage (Microsoft Copilot for Outlook)

Prompt for Copilot: "Summarize all unread emails from today into a table with Sender, Subject, Urgency (High/Med/Low), and Recommended Next Step."

Why it works here: Copilot can directly pull emails from Outlook — short, structured requests get cleaner tables.

Time saved: 40–50 min/day.

3. Research to Slide Bullets (Claude)

Prompt for Claude: "Please condense this article into 5 concise bullet points, each under 12 words, plus 2 key statistics. Make it presentation-ready."

Why it works here: Claude excels at following length constraints and staying concise, making slides easier to build.

Time saved: ~1 hr per report.

4. Follow-Up Email Drafting (ChatGPT)

Prompt for ChatGPT: "Write a short, friendly follow-up email to [prospect name] after a call about [topic]. Reference 1 key point from the discussion and end with a direct question. Limit to 120 words."

Why it works here: ChatGPT’s tone control and conversation context handling make for polished, human-like emails.

Time saved: 15–20 min/email.

5. Task List Prioritization (Notion AI)

Prompt for Notion AI: "Organize this task list [paste list] into Urgent & Important, Important but Not Urgent, and Low Priority. Suggest deadlines and delegation options."

Why it works here: Notion AI works best for list restructuring inside a workspace where tasks already live.

Time saved: 10–15 min/day.

6. Report Summaries (Gemini)

Prompt for Gemini: "Summarize this quarterly report into 50 words for an executive brief, followed by 3 key takeaways and 3 recommendations. Keep language business-formal."

Why it works here: Gemini’s summarization is strong and context-aware for business tone, minimizing rewrites.

Time saved: 30 min/report.

7. Social Media Batch Creation (ChatGPT)

Prompt for ChatGPT: "Write 5 social media posts about [topic] in varied tones: Professional, Casual, Storytelling, Data-Driven, and Inspirational. Each 80–100 words with a call-to-action and 3 hashtags."

Why it works here: ChatGPT handles creative tone shifts in a single request better than most tools.

Time saved: ~2 hrs/week.

8. Policy Translation (Claude)

Prompt for Claude: "Rewrite this policy in plain English at an 8th-grade reading level. Keep under 200 words, use bullet points for rules, and bold any deadlines."

Why it works here: Claude is particularly strong at simplifying legal/technical language without losing accuracy.

Time saved: 45 min/document.

9. Prospect Research (Perplexity AI)

Prompt for Perplexity: "Summarize key facts about [company/prospect] — industry, size, latest news, and 1 conversation starter. Provide sources."

Why it works here: Perplexity pulls fresh, cited info from the web, perfect for sales prospecting.

Time saved: 15 min/prospect.

10. Event Follow-Up (Microsoft Copilot for Word)

Prompt for Copilot: "Summarize this event feedback into 5 highlights and 3 improvement points. Then draft a thank-you email including 2 key takeaways and an invitation to the next event."

Why it works here: Copilot inside Word can work directly on the event document and generate formatted text.

Time saved: 1.5 hrs/event.

Tool-Specific Prompting Principles

1. Know each tool’s strengths — e.g., ChatGPT for creative/tone, Claude for clarity, Copilot for embedded app tasks, Perplexity for cited research.
2. Adjust instruction style — some tools follow role-based prompts better, others need shorter directives.
3. Use native integrations — with Copilot or Notion AI, prompts work best when referencing existing workspace data.
4. Test and tweak — the “perfect” prompt in ChatGPT may need 20% rewording in Claude.

Bottom line: The same “save 3 hours/day” promise becomes much more realistic when you match prompts to the right AI tool. Use this as your reference library, and you’ll stop fighting the AI — and start letting it work for you.