I like to think that I can write a pretty solid email, but sometimes a little helping hand can turn a simple email that I plan to quickly fire off into a solid one that will impress clients, friends or family.
But where can you get that help from? Thanks to the magic of AI, chatbots have quickly become formidable email writers. Of course, you should always check the emails they write, and confirm it's the sort of thing you’d say, but it's nice to have the assistance.
In a similar vein, chatbots are also great at editing emails, looking through what you’ve written and finding any improvements that could be made along the way.
The challenge
First, I went over to ChatGPT, asking the AI chatbot to write a series of emails on different subjects. These included emails to friends and family, important work emails and an email complaining about a service.
Once ChatGPT had completed all of these, I moved them over into Claude, asking the Anthropic chatbot to critique them, looking for any clear ways that I could improve the email I was sending.
The Christmas email
Prompt: Write an email that I can send to friends and family for Christmas. It should explain that I'm doing well at work, and our family is looking forward to a relaxed Christmas. Make it fun in tone but not over the top
ChatGPT:
There isn’t a huge amount to say about this draft. ChatGPT achieved all of my goals. Its response was fun in tone but not over the top, and ChatGPT did everything I asked of it.
In fact, ChatGPT, without a huge amount of detail, made a perfect template for a Christmas letter, filling in the gaps of the knowledge I gave it. Not bad at all.
Claude:
I then copied it into Claude, asking it to critique the email, pointing out what was good and bad and explaining who it will be going out to.
Claude spend a lot of time complimenting the email, saying it was warm and gracious, but also funny. It also explained that I shared without oversharing and the closing felt nice.
However, it did also point out that saying “Hi everyone” felt impersonal for friends and family, and the use of “I just wanted to send out a quick note” sounds apologetic, like it was a necessity, and not something enjoyable.
It also explained that parts of the email felt too focused on myself and could do with something more about the people that it is being sent to.
Overall, a pretty positive reaction, with a few small changes that could be made.
Marketing mistake
Prompt: I work in Marketing. Write an email to a client explaining that, due to upcoming holidays and multiple members of the team being out sick, the 2026 mobile campaign will have to be delayed. This is a major mess-up on our side so I need to get the tone right. It should be apologetic but strong, making it clear we will do everything we can to fix it.
ChatGPT:
I was personally really happy with this response from ChatGPT. I struggle to write these kinds of emails, where you need to perfectly blend accountability and apologies in a formal-sounding email.
It requires professionalism, and that is something ChatGPT was able to offer up here.
Claude:
Claude praised the email for its clear ownership of the issue, the professional tone and the fact that it makes it clear that steps are being taken to address the issue.
However, it also pointed out a number of problems with the email. Most notably, the fact that the provided timeline is vague. With such a major issue, we should be offering a revised timeline now, not in a few months.
It also highlighted that, while honesty can be good, mentioning holidays and sick days can sound like excuses and something that can read as not being professional.
Interestingly, Claude also pointed out that it seemed strange to mention sorting the problem “as quickly and safely as possible.” It said that, unless there is a special circumstance, safety feels unnecessary to mention for a marketing campaign.
The email complaint
Prompt: Write an email to send to a tech company to complain about their service. I downloaded their app two months ago. Despite paying a monthly subscription, the app never seems to work, crashing after a few minutes each time. I have tried all of the instructions on their website, but nothing has worked, so I am now emailing them to try to fix it.
ChatGPT:
ChatGPT created a formulaic response here, offering up a simple template that could be used to solve the problem.
In theory, this kind of email doesn’t require much nuance and I could have done it myself. What ChatGPT does well is nail the tone of being frustrated but understanding of the issue.
It did fill in some gaps in knowledge here, assuming that I had tried to troubleshoot the problem, and attempted to fix it via restarts and other means, but these are all fair assumptions that, if I hadn’t already done them in this scenario, I should have been doing.
Claude:
Once again, Claude opens with the positives before listing off its concerns.
It states that the email “strikes a perfect balance” between being clearly frustrated but also polite about the issue. It says that I have also demonstrated good faith, listing out the steps I have used to try and fix the problem.
Onto the problems. The email lacks specificity. Am I on Android or Apple? What exactly happens when the app crashes? Are there any screenshots I can share?
Claude’s main concern is that I don’t provide enough information to solve the problem in one go.
It goes on to say that my desired result could be clearer. What exactly do I want to come from this email? I don’t make it clear if I’m looking for a refund, for the app to be fixed or some other solution.
While I don’t necessarily agree with this final point, Claude adds at the end that the email feels quite formal and could be more relaxed in tone or friendlier.
Work experience placement
Prompt: Write an email to send to a company aiming to secure a work experience placement. They are a tech magazine and I'm hoping to get some volunteer time there. I can do any amount from a week to two weeks. I have a journalism degree and have written for a number of big tech brands already but want to grow my experience.
ChatGPT:
Like a lot of the emails that ChatGPT generated, this was a good template for building off of. It set up the scenario, including all of the information I mentioned, as well as a few bits of flair as well.
Claude:
Starting with the good, Claude highlighted that the email was well-structured and organized with a logical flow, from introduction to closing. It added that it demonstrated flexibility and showed research of the area of coverage.
In terms of what it describes as “problematic aspects,” Claude pointed out that it reads like a template and is too generic to send to specific brands. It also suggested that I’m selling myself short by asking for work experience if I have a relevant degree and examples of experience.
It also pointed out that I don’t really make myself stand out. This is an area where I probably could have developed further with ChatGPT, asking it to include specific details about my accomplishments and how I am a good fit for the team.
Mortgage broker enquiry
Prompt: Write an email to a mortgage broker, enquiring about their services. I'm looking to buy my first house but I want to sound confident and professional. I will be buying it on my own and would like to set up a call with them to discuss options.
ChatGPT:
Like most of the other examples in this list, ChatGPT created a simple yet effective template, setting up the scenario I asked for.
My goal with this email wasn’t to offer up loads of emails, but simply create a starting point for a conversation with someone. ChatGPT wrote something that was professional but also seemed confident in tone.
Claude:
Once again, Claude has split its advice into positives and negatives. Also once again, it lists out similar points, highlighting that the email is professional, clear in purpose and shows readiness for the task ahead.
However, it also suggests that the tone is slightly too formal and could be made more relaxed. It also goes on to say that, I should either include more details to make the process easier, or make it less wordy if this is only to organize the initial call.
In the grand scheme of things, not a bad result from ChatGPT on this one, with Claude’s complaints being kept minimal.
How did they both do?
Both chatbots did well in this challenge. Between them, I was able to get a good email draft in every situation. In fact, considering ChatGPT was often given very little information to work with, I was impressed with just how well it handled the challenges.
Equally, Claude puts in the effort to offer the opposite. It’s critiques of the emails were impressive, picking out clear areas of improvements, while also highlighting where the email does well.
Of course, ChatGPT would have performed better if I had given it more detail. On multiple occasions in this task, Claude pointed out that the problem was in missing details, or a need for more explanation.
Like most AI chatbot-based tasks, the more detail offered, the better the response will end up being on the other side.
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