The quality of what Claude Cowork produces is directly tied to the quality of the instructions you give it. A vague prompt produces vague output. A specific, well-structured prompt with context and constraints produces output that is immediately useful — typically requiring only minor review before it is ready to use.
This library contains 50-plus ready-to-use prompt templates across the most common UK business functions, developed through working with teams in professional services, marketing, recruitment, accountancy, and operations. These are prompts that have been tested on real workflows, not theoretical examples.
Copy any prompt, replace the bracketed sections with your specifics, paste into Claude Cowork, and you will have a working output within seconds. They are starting points — adapt them for your context, your clients, and your team's preferred tone.
Email prompts
These eight prompts cover the most common professional email scenarios. Always specify the recipient relationship and any specific tone or length requirements.
Write a warm, professional response to an enquiry from [Name] at [Company] asking about [topic/service].
Cover: (1) thank them for getting in touch, (2) confirm you can help with [specific need], (3) propose a [15/30]-minute call, (4) a soft call to action.
Maximum 150 words. Tone: [professional and warm / direct / formal].
Sign off as [Your Name] from [Your Company].Write a follow-up email to [Name] at [Company] after our meeting on [date].
Key points discussed: [bullet points]
Agreed next steps: [bullet points]
Documents or links to share: [list or 'none']
Tone: professional and action-oriented. Maximum 200 words.Write a polite rejection email to [Name] who applied for / proposed [role / service / partnership].
Reason for rejection: [brief reason]
Tone: warm but clear. We want to: [keep the door open / close the conversation positively].
Maximum 120 words. No false promises.Write a friendly but clear follow-up email to [Name] about [outstanding item].
This is the [first / second / third] follow-up.
Tone: not pushy, but clear about what we need and why it matters.
Maximum 100 words.Report writing prompts
These prompts cover the most common business report types. Pair them with your existing templates for best results.
Write a professional client update for [Client Name] — week of [date].
Key updates: [bullet points]
Any blockers: [list or 'none']
Next week's focus: [bullet points]
Format: three short sections — This Week, Status, Next Steps.
Maximum 300 words. Tone: [confident / reassuring].Write the [department] section of our board report for [month].
Highlights: [list]. Risks: [list or 'none'].
Metrics vs target: [list with figures].
Format: formal, with subheadings — Performance Summary, Key Achievements, Risks and Mitigations, Outlook.
Maximum 350 words.Write a 1-page proposal summary for [client name/type].
What we are proposing: [brief]. Why this approach: [2–3 reasons].
Deliverables: [list]. Timeline: [overview]. Investment: [amount or range].
Format: concise executive summary with clear sections. Professional and confident.
Maximum 400 words.Document summarisation prompts
Use these when you need to quickly extract the most important information from a long document.
Summarise the following document in [word count] words.
Focus on: key points and findings, main decisions or conclusions, action items or obligations, anything requiring attention.
Format: brief overview paragraph followed by bullet points.
[Paste document text or upload the file.]Summarise the key provisions of the following agreement for a non-legal reader.
Focus on: duration and termination rights, payment terms, key obligations for each party, liability provisions, anything unusual or requiring attention.
Maximum 400 words.
[Paste agreement text or upload the document.]Convert the following meeting notes into a structured summary.
Include: decisions made, action items (with owner and deadline if mentioned), key discussion points, follow-up required.
Format as a clean, prioritised action list.
[Paste meeting notes.]Research and data prompts
These prompts are useful for research orientation, competitor analysis, and data extraction tasks.
Produce a structured competitor overview for [company name].
Include: what they do, their apparent target market, key services and pricing (if publicly available), their positioning and messaging, any apparent strengths or weaknesses.
Sources: their public website and available public information only.
Maximum 400 words.From the following text, extract all numerical figures, percentages, dates, and financial values.
Present as a structured list with: the figure, what it refers to, and the relevant context or section.
[Paste document text.]Analyse the following customer feedback and identify:
- Main themes mentioned (positive and negative)
- Recurring specific issues
- Overall sentiment
- Actionable recommendations based on what you have read
[Paste feedback text or reviews.]Five rules for better prompts
1. Specify the length. "Write a short summary" is vague. "Write a 200-word summary" produces a 200-word summary, every time. Be specific about the output you need.
2. State the tone explicitly. "Professional", "warm", "direct", "formal" are all useful, but describing what the tone means for your context is better: "professional but not stiff, like a trusted senior adviser writing to a client they know well."
3. Give Claude a template to follow. Paste your existing document structure — headings, subheadings, approximate section lengths — and say "follow this format exactly." Claude will match it precisely, including your house style.
4. Tell Claude what to exclude. "No jargon", "no passive voice", "no bullet points in the executive summary", "do not exceed 300 words." Claude follows these constraints reliably, which saves editing time.
5. Iterate and save your best prompts. Your first prompt is rarely your best. When a prompt produces output you are happy with, refine it, save it in Claude's Projects feature, and share it with your team. A well-crafted prompt is a genuine team asset.
September 2026 update: seven new prompt patterns
Seven patterns we’ve validated across UK small businesses since publishing this guide. Add these to your library.
Analyse my writing style from these three examples: [EMAIL 1] [EMAIL 2] [EMAIL 3]. Create a "Voice Guide" covering greeting style, sentence structure, tone, formality, and how I close. Format as bullet points I can save in a Claude Project as reference material.Attached is a [document type, e.g. 40-page contract]. Please: 1) One-page executive summary. 2) The three most commercially significant clauses from [my side]'s perspective. 3) Any inconsistencies. 4) Three follow-up questions I should raise before signing. Cite specific clause numbers. Do not invent details.Below is a year of correspondence, meeting notes, and reports for [client name]. Produce: 1) Three biggest themes of the year with specific evidence. 2) Draft year-end review letter in our voice. 3) Top three recommendations for the coming year based on the patterns.Extract and categorise transactions from the attached statement. Output: Date | Description | Amount | Category. Categories: [YOUR STANDARD LIST]. Then summary by category. Flag unusual transactions. UK date format.Below is a transcript from today's [meeting type]. Produce minutes in this format: attendees, key decisions, action items (owner, action, deadline), risks raised, next meeting date. Professional, third-person. Do not invent details.Score each attached CV against the role brief. For every CV: overall score 0-100 (essential 70%, nice-to-have 30%), top 3 reasons for the score, one follow-up question for first-stage call, red flags or "none". Sort by score.Attached is [describe spreadsheet]. Before I send this out, sense-check for: likely typos, missing data, duplicates, formula errors, totals that don't reconcile, dates that look wrong. Numbered list of concerns with cell references.What’s new since February 2026: Claude Fable 5.1 (1M-token context) makes long-document workflows genuinely usable. Voice guides in Projects have gone from "nice to have" to "the single most important setup step" for consistent output. And the "Can Claude do X?" content cluster on our blog now has 18 in-depth guides covering specific capabilities — see the blog index for the full list.