# Summarize a long email in three lines for an executive

Boils a long email down to a three-line summary an executive can read in ten seconds and act on.

- Topic: Email & Workplace Communication
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Email, Write, Summarize, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/summarize-a-long-email-in-three-lines-for-an-executive

## Prompt

```text
Turn this long email into a three-line summary for an executive.

**Email (or thread):** [PASTE]
**Executive and what they care about:** [e.g. "CFO - cost and risk", "COO - delivery dates"]
**Why I'm forwarding it:** [FYI / needs a decision / needs their help / risk warning]

Write exactly three lines:
1. **What this is** - the core point or issue in one sentence.
2. **Why it matters** - the business impact (cost, revenue, risk, customer, timing), using only numbers that appear in the email.
3. **What's needed** - the decision, action, or "no action needed", with owner and deadline if stated.

Rules:
- Each line under 25 words. No jargon, acronyms the executive may not know, or internal nicknames.
- Lead with the answer, not the history.
- If the email is unclear about impact or the ask, say so on that line with [UNCLEAR] rather than guessing.

Then give me:
- **A one-line forwarding note** I can put above the summary.
- **Anything material left out** of the three lines (risks, disagreements, caveats) that I should know about before I send.

Do not add facts, numbers, or conclusions that are not in the source.
```

## What to fill in

- PASTE
- e.g. "CFO - cost and risk", "COO - delivery dates"
- FYI / needs a decision / needs their help / risk warning
- UNCLEAR

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.