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Write release notes for IT admins, action items first
Practice: Saying who it's for. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
This release includes changes that IT admins at customer companies must act on. Write an email body with a first sentence naming the one action admins must take and its deadline, then at most 3 bullets on the other admin-facing changes, plain text, under 90 words. Leave out end-user features and internal changes, and use the corrected deadline.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Burying the action. The AI follows the draft order or leads with new features. Try: Add: "First sentence: re-authorize Google Workspace by June 3, or calendar sync stops."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each part instead: "first sentence under 25 words, each bullet under 15 words."
- Using the old deadline. May 20 appears first, and the update is below it. Try: Add: "Use the extended deadline, June 3."
- Including everything. The AI adds end-user features and internal work, so admins can't find what matters. Try: Add: "At most 3 bullets, admin changes only."
- Marketing tone. Release notes drift into 'We're excited to announce...'. Try: Add: "Plain, factual tone. Plain text, no bold."
What a strong prompt includes
- Puts the action first
- Uses the extended deadline
- Admin changes only
- Sets the tone
- Sets a word limit
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