The AI Email Advantage: How People Are Outperforming Their Peers

DISCLAIMER: In no way, shape, or form am I saying you should use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and DeepSeek to do your work. But I am 100% saying you should always use AI to improve what you create. So let’s look at what the AI email advantage is.

Every day, I use an LLM like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or my new favorite, Manus.ai. (Manus is a beast; I’ll post about that experience separately.)

Why? Because I know that unless you use these tools every day in almost everything you do, you will fall behind on the AI skills required to succeed in the workplace and in life.

I know this may sound dystopian, and you might be saying, “Andrew, AI is just doing everything for you,” but nothing could be further from the truth. AI doesn’t perform well when you say, “Write me this blog post on X” or “Create a PPT presentation on AI in the workplace.” If you use AI in that way, you will receive, at best, some new insights, but you will not have something that you can truly own. It will look and feel AI-generated. I promise you don’t want that, and the more I use AI, the more I can recognize when someone has sent me an AI-generated email or work product—and I don’t appreciate it. I’ll discuss how to recognize AI-generated work in another post.

Today, I want to talk about how you should use AI to transform your email communication at work. This is the lowest-hanging fruit that will immediately make you more effective.

Leveling Up Your Work Emails with AI

We all write dozens of emails every week. Yet, how many of us take the time to craft truly effective messages? This is where AI can give you a serious email advantage.

Try this with your next email. Draft what you think is a great email, and then use ChatGPT or Claude to improve it.

And don’t just say, “Make it better.” You need to give the AI context for it to work.

It all depends on the topic. Let’s say I drafted an email to my executive team about interviews I need them to do for a new Sales Manager:

I will draft the email and paste it into Claude (my go-to for email recrafting) and say: “Claude, please review this email that is going to the leadership at my company. I need them to interview five candidates for our new Sales Manager position. Help make this email concise, focused, positive, actionable, and motivating.”

9 times out of 10, you will get a better version of what you wrote. And a TIP—don’t just accept the email draft it gives you. Keep revising the drafts with your AI writing partner to get it where you want it.

LLMs like Claude and ChatGPT work best when you have a conversation with them and iterate with them. Don’t treat AI like Google, which many people do. You get used to this Command & Response mind frame, which is not how AI works. Iteration is king.

The Email Makeover Process

Here’s my step-by-step process for using AI to transform any email:

1. Start with your own draft – Always begin by writing your thoughts in your own words. This ensures the message maintains your authentic voice and intent.
2. Add specific enhancement requests – Don’t just ask AI to “make it better.” Instead, use specific directions like:”Make this more concise while keeping the key points””Add a stronger call to action at the end””Make the tone more collaborative and less directive””Reorganize this for better flow and clarity”
3. Provide audience context – Tell the AI exactly who will be reading this email and what you know about them:”This is going to my CEO who prefers bullet points and data””These are field technicians who need clear, simple instructions””This customer is considering canceling their subscription”
4. Iterate on the results – This is where most people fail. Don’t accept the first version! Send it back with specific feedback:”The opening paragraph is perfect, but can you make the middle section more action-oriented?””This sounds too formal now. Keep the structure but make it sound more like me””Can you give me two alternate versions of the closing paragraph?”
5. Final human review – Always read through the final version carefully. AI might miss nuances about your relationship with the recipient or company-specific context.

Transforming Difficult Email Scenarios

Some email situations are particularly challenging. Here’s how AI can help with those:

The “I’m Not Happy” Email

When you need to express dissatisfaction without burning bridges, AI can help you strike the right tone. I might say:

“Help me rewrite this email about a missed deadline to my team. I want to convey seriousness without discouraging them. Include clear expectations from now on and express confidence they can meet them.”

The “Too Long, Didn’t Read” Problem

We’ve all written (and received) those epic emails that nobody reads fully. AI is brilliant at condensation:

“This email explaining our new product feature is too long. Please condense it to 3-4 short paragraphs while keeping all the essential information. Use bullet points where appropriate.”

The “Need a Response” Email

Crafting that perfect follow-up is tricky when you’ve sent multiple messages with no reply. AI can help navigate this delicate situation:

“Write a friendly follow-up email that will get a response. This is my third time asking for their input on this proposal, but I want to maintain a good relationship.”

Supercharging Sales Emails with AI

Sales emails deserve special attention because they directly impact revenue. Here’s how to use AI to improve your conversion rates dramatically:

1. Write your draft sales email
2. Put it into AI Chat
3. Add in all the context you can about your product, service, price, and customer success stories. The more, the better
4. Give examples of other emails you’ve sent that have worked and ones that haven’t

Then ask AI to craft an email that will help you close deals, sell more widgets, drive the lead to your website, or sign up for a free demo. Whatever the CTA is, tell AI. Tell AI to give you several versions of the email so you can A/B test.

Give it the right info from the start, and you will have some amazing emails to test within minutes vs. you sitting there pretending to be the best sales copywriter in the world.

One of the prompts I love to use is: “Act as if you are the top copywriter in the world and the best ad agency, and you are writing this email to close sales.” Or “Write this email and act as the customer receiving the email. What would make you want to act on this offer or buy this product?”

Once again, it comes down to iteration. Don’t just accept the first drafts you get. Have a conversation with AI like it is your writing partner and colleague whom you’ve hired to do this work. Always take a shot at the first draft yourself.

Email Sequences That Convert

Beyond single emails, AI excels at helping you create entire email sequences that nurture prospects along the buyer’s journey. Here’s how to approach this:

1. Map out the customer journey – Share with AI the typical stages your customers go through before purchasing
2. Define the goal of each email – What specific action should the reader take after each message?
3. Provide timing context – Is this a daily, weekly, or monthly sequence?
4. Review as a complete set – Have AI evaluate the entire sequence for consistency, flow, and effectiveness

A prompt like this works wonders: “Help me create a 5-email sequence for new trial users of our productivity software. They’ve signed up but haven’t used the core features yet. I want to gradually educate them on benefits, show quick wins, address common objections, and get them to upgrade before their 14-day trial ends.”

Common Email AI Mistakes to Avoid

I’ve seen people fail with AI-assisted email in the following ways:

1. Taking the first suggestion – The AI’s first draft is rarely the best. Always iterate.
2. Being too vague – “Make this better” will get mediocre results. Be specific about your needs.
3. Removing all personality – Sometimes AI can make your writing too formal or generic. Ensure your voice comes through.
4. Not considering the recipient – Always tell AI who will read this email and what’s important to them.
5. Full outsourcing – The most effective approach is collaboration, not delegation. Start with your thoughts.

Remember – the professionals who will thrive aren’t those who use AI to replace their work but those who use AI to enhance what they already do well. Email is the perfect place to start building this muscle.

My next article will cover how to use AI for other critical professional skills beyond email. Stay tuned!

Read my article on AI Won’t Replace You, The Colleague Who Masters AI Might