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Claude
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How to Use AI to Draft and Refine Business Emails That Actually Get Replies
Stop writing emails that disappear into inboxes. Use AI to draft messages that cut through noise and actually prompt a response.
9 min read26 February 2026
Content & Writing
Productivity
Learn a step-by-step workflow to use AI for drafting emails that get opened and answered
Discover how to inject your voice into AI-generated content instead of sounding robotic
Get ready-made prompts for cold outreach, follow-ups, and cross-cultural communication in Asia
Why This Matters
Most people send emails that disappear. They are too long, too corporate, or they bury the actual request somewhere in paragraph three. After 26 years of sending hundreds of emails across Asian markets, I can tell you the difference between a replied-to email and one that dies in someone's inbox comes down to three things: clarity, brevity, and genuine intent. AI can help with all three if you know how to use it properly.
The trap most people fall into is letting AI write the entire email and then sending it as-is. That produces generic, tone-deaf copy that nobody wants to read. What actually works is using AI as a thinking partner. You give it context, constraints, and your voice, and it helps you move from blank page to something good in minutes instead of 20 minutes of staring at your screen.
This matters even more when you are working across Asia. An email that lands in Singapore, Hong Kong, or Bangkok needs different framing than one going to New York. Cultural context, timing sensitivity, and relationship-building matter differently. AI helps you get that balance right, but only if you are driving the process.
I am going to walk you through exactly how I do this. Not theory. Not a listicle of tools. The actual workflow I use every day to send emails that get replies.
The trap most people fall into is letting AI write the entire email and then sending it as-is. That produces generic, tone-deaf copy that nobody wants to read. What actually works is using AI as a thinking partner. You give it context, constraints, and your voice, and it helps you move from blank page to something good in minutes instead of 20 minutes of staring at your screen.
This matters even more when you are working across Asia. An email that lands in Singapore, Hong Kong, or Bangkok needs different framing than one going to New York. Cultural context, timing sensitivity, and relationship-building matter differently. AI helps you get that balance right, but only if you are driving the process.
I am going to walk you through exactly how I do this. Not theory. Not a listicle of tools. The actual workflow I use every day to send emails that get replies.
How to Do It
1
Start with a clear prompt, not a blank email
Open your AI tool and write out what you actually want to happen. Do not start by saying 'write me an email'. Instead tell it: the recipient's name and role, what you are asking for, why it matters to them specifically, any constraints (length, formality level, urgency), and what tone you want. For example: 'Write a cold outreach email to a product director at a Bangkok fintech startup. I am pitching a 30-minute call about their hiring process. Keep it to three paragraphs. Friendly but respectful of their time. No corporate jargon.' This takes 90 seconds and saves you 10 minutes of back-and-forth revisions.
2
Specify the cultural and business context
This is where most AI email writing goes wrong in Asia. Add a line to your prompt about context: 'This is going to someone in Hong Kong who I have met once at a conference. They are busy. Their company values directness but they are not American. I want to sound professional but not stiff.' Or: 'The recipient is in Tokyo. This is a follow-up to an introduction made by a mutual contact. Respect formality levels here.' AI does not assume context. You have to feed it. This single step lifts the quality of output from 'might work' to 'this actually reads like something I would send'.
3
Review the first draft with your voice in mind
Read what AI produces and ask: Does this sound like me? Would I actually send this? If the answer is no, do not just accept it. Identify what is off: too formal, too casual, too long, missing a personal detail, buries the ask. Make a note of what is wrong and feed it back to the AI in a second prompt. 'This is good but it sounds corporate. I want it to feel like I actually know this person. Can you make it less formal and add a reference to the conversation we had about their expansion into Vietnam?' Two rounds of refinement usually gets you to something genuinely good.
4
Trim ruthlessly and move the ask forward
AI tends to write longer than necessary. Your job is to cut. Reading the draft, identify sentences that do not move the email forward. Delete them. The ask (what you actually want from this person) should be crystal clear within the first 50 words. If someone is skimming your email on their phone in the middle of a meeting (which is when most emails get read in Asia), they need to understand what you want instantly. Go through and remove: flattery, unnecessary context, explanations that belong in a later conversation, anything that sounds like filler. Aim for 150 to 200 words maximum for cold outreach, 100 to 150 for follow-ups.
5
Add one specific personal detail before sending
This is non-negotiable. Before you hit send, add something that shows you actually know who this person is. Not generic praise. A specific reference to something they have done, said, or built. 'I noticed you spoke about supply chain resilience at the Singapore fintech conference last month' or 'Your company was mentioned in the TechAsia piece on AI adoption in logistics.' Spend 60 seconds finding something real. This is what converts an AI-written email from 'form letter' to 'this person actually looked me up'.
6
Test and iterate on what works
Keep track of what prompts get replies. If you are doing cold outreach, take note of which emails actually land. What was different about them? The specificity of the ask? The tone? The length? Over time you will notice patterns. Some of your best prompts will become templates. I have a prompt I use for Hong Kong B2B outreach that has about a 35 percent reply rate. I did not write it from scratch. I tested variations, kept notes on what worked, and refined it over six months. Your system gets better the more you use it.
What This Actually Looks Like
The Prompt
I am reaching out cold to the Head of Partnerships at a Singapore-based InsurTech startup called Prism. I have never met them. I found their LinkedIn because I saw they were hiring partnership managers. I want a 20-minute conversation about how my training programme could help their partnership hiring process. Keep it under 200 words. Sound professional but warm. This is someone who probably gets 50 emails a day so be direct about what I want. I am based in Singapore too so we could meet in person. No corporate speak. Make it clear I have actually looked at their work.
Example output — your results will vary based on your inputs
Hi [Name],
I came across Prism while looking at who is doing interesting work in InsurTech partnerships right now. Your LinkedIn shows you are building out the partnerships team, which caught my attention.
I run a training programme specifically for tech partnership hiring in Asia. I have worked with teams in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. The common gap I see is that companies hire partnership people based on sales metrics from other markets without adjusting for how relationships actually work here. It is expensive to get wrong.
I thought a 20-minute conversation might be useful for you, either as validation of what you are already doing or as a source of ideas you have not considered. I am in Singapore and can do a quick coffee or call.
No pressure. If it does not fit your timeline, I completely understand.
Best,
Adrian
I came across Prism while looking at who is doing interesting work in InsurTech partnerships right now. Your LinkedIn shows you are building out the partnerships team, which caught my attention.
I run a training programme specifically for tech partnership hiring in Asia. I have worked with teams in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. The common gap I see is that companies hire partnership people based on sales metrics from other markets without adjusting for how relationships actually work here. It is expensive to get wrong.
I thought a 20-minute conversation might be useful for you, either as validation of what you are already doing or as a source of ideas you have not considered. I am in Singapore and can do a quick coffee or call.
No pressure. If it does not fit your timeline, I completely understand.
Best,
Adrian
How to Edit This
This output is actually quite good to start with. What works: it is direct, mentions something specific about their role, explains why I am reaching out without being salesy, and makes the ask crystal clear (20 minutes, coffee or call). What I would do next: I would add one detail I found about Prism specifically. Something like 'I saw your recent partnership announcement with AIA' or 'Your piece on API partnerships was spot on.' This takes 60 seconds of research and dramatically improves the response rate. I would keep everything else because it sounds like me and it respects their time.
Prompts to Try
Cold Outreach Drafter
Write a cold outreach email for me. Recipient: [name and job title]. Company: [company name]. What I know about them: [1-2 specific facts about their work]. What I want: [specific request, e.g. call, meeting, introduction]. Why it matters to them: [what is in it for them, not you]. Length: keep it to 150 words maximum. Tone: [friendly/formal/direct]. I am based in: [location]. Any context: [have we met before? mutual connection? saw them speak somewhere?]. Do not use corporate phrases like 'synergise' or 'unlock value'. Make it sound like a real person is writing.
What to expect: A focused email that leads with a specific observation about their work, makes your ask crystal clear, and explains why they should care. Expect 3-4 paragraphs maximum. The output should feel direct without being presumptuous.
Follow-Up Sequence Builder
Build a three-email follow-up sequence for a prospect. Original email sent to: [name, role]. Industry/company: [details]. Original ask: [what you asked for]. Days between emails: [7 days? 14?]. Context: [Is there news about their company I can reference? Did they open the first email?]. Tone: friendly persistence. Location context: [if Asia-based, mention timezone awareness]. I want each email to add new value or information, not just 'checking in'. No generic CRM templates.
What to expect: Three separate emails that feel like a conversation, not a nagging campaign. Each one adds something new: the first references your original ask plus new context, the second offers something different (different angle, introduction, resource), the third is a final touch. All short, none presumptuous.
Tone Adjuster for Cross-Cultural Emails
Adjust this email for an audience in [Singapore/Hong Kong/Bangkok/Tokyo/Other Asian location]. Original email: [paste your email]. Key adjustment needed: [less formal/more respectful of hierarchy/warmer/more direct]. Who it is going to: [their role and company]. Any specific cultural consideration: [they value relationships first, decision-making is hierarchical, time zone differences matter]. Do not strip personality but adjust the formality and directness level appropriately for how business actually works in this market.
What to expect: A version of your email that respects cultural communication norms while keeping your voice. Expect adjustments to formality, timing references, relationship-building language, and emphasis on outcomes vs. process. Should feel natural in the destination market.
Common Mistakes
Letting AI write the whole thing without your voice
You paste a prompt and send the output directly. Result: sounds corporate, generic, tone-deaf. Fix: treat AI as a first draft only. Always revise for your tone, personality, and specific knowledge of the person. Add details only you would know. Rewrite sections that feel wrong.
Writing vague prompts that produce vague emails
You ask 'Write a cold outreach email' without context. AI produces something it has written a thousand times. Specificity matters. Tell it who, what, where, why, what tone. The longer your prompt, the better the output. Invest 90 seconds in setup.
Ignoring cultural context in Asian markets
Treating an email to Tokyo the same as one to New York. Email culture differs across Asia. Some markets value formality and hierarchy, others directness. Relationships matter before transactions in many contexts. Always brief AI on location and relationship stage.
Burying the ask
Three paragraphs of context before you say what you actually want. Busy people will not read this far. Your ask should be clear in the first 50 words. Write it first, then add context. Make what you want impossible to miss.
Sending generic praise as a personalisation strategy
'I admire your work' does not count as knowing someone. Find something specific: a post they wrote, a decision they made, a product they built, a conference they spoke at. Spend 60 seconds on this. It separates your email from the other 50 they get that day.
Tools That Work for This
ClaudeMy primary tool for nuanced email work. Better at understanding context and generating emails with personality. Handles follow-up instructions well if you need multiple revisions. Works well for Asia-specific context if you explain it clearly.
Can be overly cautious with tone if not directed firmly. Requires a paid subscription for consistent use.
ChatGPTFast and widely available. Good for quick drafts and simple prompts. The free version is useful for testing ideas. Works well for straightforward cold outreach and follow-ups where you are clear on what you want.
Can produce more generic output if your prompt is not detailed. Tends toward a more American, upbeat tone that needs editing for non-US audiences.
GeminiUseful when your email requires current data or recent events, since it can search the web mid-conversation. Good integration with Google Workspace if that is your ecosystem.
Writing quality is noticeably below Claude and ChatGPT for editorial email content. May require more specific prompting for best results.
GrammarlyExcellent for the final editing pass. Catches tone issues you might miss. Useful for spotting overly corporate language or sentence structure problems. Browser extension makes it convenient for Gmail.
Not designed for generating content from scratch. Works best as a polish layer after you have a draft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only if it sounds generic and lacks your voice. If you do the work of personalising, editing for your tone, and adding specific details, no. The AI-ness comes from trying to use output as-is. Good AI-written emails feel human because you have made them yours. The AI is just your thinking tool, not the writer.
Not if you are using it properly. You are still making the strategic decisions: who to reach out to, why, what to say, how to say it. AI is faster and helps you get unstuck. You would not say it is less authentic to use spell-check or edit ruthlessly. This is the same idea but applied to structure and initial drafting.
Usually 20 to 30 percent. Delete fluff, rewrite sections that do not sound like you, add specific personal details, tighten length. If you are editing more than 50 percent, your prompt was too vague. If you are barely touching it, you are likely sounding generic. Aim for the middle ground where the AI gives you structure and good ideas, but you own the final voice.
Tell your AI tool you are unsure and ask for two versions. 'Give me a version that is slightly warmer and a version that is more formal.' Then compare. Often you will find the right tone is between them. Use what works from each. This takes 60 seconds and removes the guesswork.
Yes, but with limits. Most AI tools handle business Chinese, Japanese, Korean reasonably well for straightforward emails. For anything culturally sensitive or where tone really matters, have a native speaker review. Use AI to draft faster, not to replace local expertise. In Asia especially, getting tone wrong in another language is costly.
Next Steps
You now have a system for turning blank-screen anxiety into 20-minute email writing sessions. Start with one type of email you send regularly, whether that is cold outreach, follow-ups, or internal updates, and build a prompt template for it. Test it five times. Track what gets replies. Refine based on what works.
The real skill is not learning AI. It is learning what actually gets a response in your market and from your audience. Once you have that feedback loop, your emails improve rapidly.
If you are working across Asia specifically, check out our guide on building and enforcing a brand voice with AI, which goes deeper into maintaining consistency across all your communications. And if email is just one part of your communication workflow, explore our guide on writing long-form articles with AI. The same principles of voice, specificity, and iterative refinement apply.
The real skill is not learning AI. It is learning what actually gets a response in your market and from your audience. Once you have that feedback loop, your emails improve rapidly.
If you are working across Asia specifically, check out our guide on building and enforcing a brand voice with AI, which goes deeper into maintaining consistency across all your communications. And if email is just one part of your communication workflow, explore our guide on writing long-form articles with AI. The same principles of voice, specificity, and iterative refinement apply.