{"id":"exec-investor-update-highlights-lowlight-ask","audience":"executives","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"beginner","technique":"format","title":"Write an investor update: three highlights, a lowlight and an ask","free":false,"task":"Write the monthly investor update in plain text, under 110 words. Subject line first. Then exactly 3 lines starting with \"Highlight:\", 1 line starting with \"Lowlight:\" and 1 line starting \"Ask:\". Use only the notes and the verified figures. No adjectives like amazing or incredible.","materialLabel":"Your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"March update notes - Fernlight Analytics (fictional)\n\n- Closed 4 new customers in March, all mid-market. (A preliminary count said 5, but one is a pilot not a paid contract.)\n- MRR: $82,400, up from $76,900 in February.\n- Launched the scheduled-report feature on Mar 18; 31 customers used it in the first week.\n- Churn: lost 2 customers ($6,100 MRR combined) in March; both said they moved in-house.\n- Hiring: still looking for a head of sales; 3 finalists.\n- Ask: we're looking for introductions to CFOs of 100-500 person manufacturers.\n- Cash: $2.1M. Not needed in the update this month.\n- The founder ran a marathon (nice but not for investors).","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":110},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Preliminary number","why":"The AI says 5 customers.","fix":"Say: \"4 paid customers; the fifth is a pilot.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Hiding the churn","why":"The AI leaves out the lowlight.","fix":"Say: \"Include the churn as the Lowlight.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Wrong structure","why":"The AI writes paragraphs.","fix":"Say: \"Three Highlight lines, one Lowlight, one Ask.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Adding extras","why":"The AI adds cash and the marathon.","fix":"Say: \"Leave out cash and the marathon.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI uses bullets.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text.\"","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each line: \"each line under 20 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example: \"each line under 12 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Labels","patterns":["highlight:","lowlight:","ask:"]},{"label":"Counts","patterns":["3 highlights","three"]},{"label":"Verified","patterns":["verified","paid","4"]},{"label":"Leaves out","patterns":["cash","marathon","leave out"]},{"label":"Plain","patterns":["plain text"]}],"hint":"Give the labels and counts, and note the corrected customer count and what to omit.","rubricLabels":["After the Subject line there are exactly three lines starting \"Highlight:\", one starting \"Lowlight:\" and one starting \"Ask:\"","The highlights use verified figures: 4 new paid customers (not 5), MRR of $82,400 up from $76,900, and the scheduled-report launch with 31 customers using it in the first week","The Lowlight line is the churn of 2 customers ($6,100 MRR), the Ask is for introductions to CFOs of 100-500 person manufacturers, and the update has no cash figure, no marathon and no words like amazing or incredible"]}