Report Writing Prompt Templates
You get a report that leads with findings and recommendations, backs each one with your data, and is easy for a busy reader to act on. The prompt below works in any AI assistant. It comes with a worked example, the mistakes that make AI output for this task weak, and variations for common situations.
Write a report from the data and notes below. ## Report Title: [e.g. Q3 customer support review] Reader: [who reads it and what they will decide] Length: [e.g. 2 pages] ## Data and notes [paste numbers, tables, findings, notes] ## Instructions - Start with an executive summary: the three most important findings and what to do about them. - Each finding needs the supporting number from my data and why it matters. - Recommendations must be specific: who should do what by when. - Note any limitation in the data (small sample, missing months, changed definitions). - Use only my data. Do not add industry benchmarks unless I provided them. - Use headings and short paragraphs. Suggest a chart where a chart would say it faster. ## Output format 1. Executive summary 2. Findings (each with data and why it matters) 3. Recommendations 4. Data limitations 5. Appendix: suggested charts
How to use this prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt
Use the copy button, or type its Retext trigger in any app to paste it.
- 2
Open your AI assistant
Start a new chat in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or whichever assistant you use, so earlier messages don't steer the answer.
- 3
Fill in the brackets
Replace every [bracketed] part with your real details. Specific inputs are what make the answer specific.
- 4
Check and refine
Read the result against the goal above, then reply with one change at a time.
Worked example
What you give it
Title: Q3 customer support review. Reader: head of customer experience, deciding on Q4 staffing. Data: tickets 4,120 (Q2: 3,400). Median first response 5h (Q2: 2h). CSAT 82% (Q2: 89%). 38% of tickets were about billing, up from 20%. Team size unchanged at 6. A new billing system launched July 10.
What a good answer looks like (shortened)
1. Executive summary - Tickets rose 21% while the team stayed at 6, and median first response went from 2 to 5 hours. - Billing tickets nearly doubled as a share of volume, from 20% to 38%, after the July 10 billing launch. - Satisfaction fell from 89% to 82%. Recommendation: fix the top billing issues before adding headcount. 2. Findings Billing tickets: 38% of 4,120 is about 1,566 tickets, up from about 680 in Q2. This one category accounts for more than the entire increase in volume. 3. Recommendations - Product team: fix the three most common billing issues by end of October. - Support lead: publish billing help articles by October 15. - Revisit staffing in November once billing volume is measured again. 4. Limitations: one quarter after a major launch may not reflect normal volume. 5. Charts: tickets by category, Q2 vs Q3.
Tips for better results
- •The Reader line shapes everything. A report for a staffing decision should end with a staffing recommendation.
- •Check every derived number, like percentages and totals, against your raw data before sending.
- •Keep the Data limitations section even when it feels like a weakness. It builds trust and prevents bad decisions.
- •Avoid this: Asking for a report without saying who reads it and what they will decide, which produces a data dump with no conclusions.
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Our best AI prompts in one Markdown file, delivered by email. The templates here stay free either way — the pack just saves you the copying.
Variations
Weekly status report
Change Output format to: Done this week, next week, blockers, and metrics, under 200 words.
Board report
Add this line to Instructions: Write for board members with little operating detail. Lead with risks and decisions needed.
Incident report
Replace the sections with: timeline, impact, root cause, what went well, what to change, action items with owners.
Save it as a Retext snippet
Retext is a free text expander for Mac. Save this prompt once, then type ;report in any app (ChatGPT, Claude, your editor, a browser tab) and the full prompt is pasted in.
- Click Add to Retext. The prompt installs as a snippet with the trigger ;report.
- Change the trigger in Retext if you prefer a different one.
- Type the trigger wherever you want the prompt, then fill in the brackets.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI analyze data for a report?
It can calculate simple changes and spot patterns in data you paste, but double-check every number. For large datasets, do the analysis in a spreadsheet and give the AI the summary.
What should go in an executive summary?
The few findings that matter most and what you recommend doing about them. A reader who stops there should still know what to decide.
How do I reuse this prompt without copying it every time?
Click Add to Retext to save it as a snippet. Then type ;report in any Mac app, including your AI tool, and the full prompt is pasted in.
Related Templates
Get the free prompt pack
Our best AI prompts in one Markdown file, delivered by email. The templates here stay free either way — the pack just saves you the copying.