Use Gmail's Help Me Write to Draft Client Emails Faster

What This Does

Gmail's Help me write feature drafts full emails from a short description, and can refine existing drafts with options to formalize, shorten, or elaborate — saving the 10–15 minutes per client email that adds up to over an hour a day for busy designers.

Before You Start

• You use Gmail as your email client (Google account required)
• Help me write is available in your account (rolled out to all Google Workspace and personal Gmail users)
• You're composing a new email or replying to an existing thread

Steps

1. Open a new compose window or reply

Click Compose to start a new email, or open an existing email and click Reply. You'll see the compose window with the email body field.

What you should see: The compose toolbar at the bottom of the email window. Look for the small pencil-with-stars icon (✦) on the left side of the toolbar — this is the Help me write button.

2. Click "Help me write" and describe what you need

1. Click the ✦ (Help me write) button in the compose toolbar
2. A text field appears at the top of the compose window: "Describe what you'd like to write about"
3. Type a brief description of the email you need — 1–3 sentences is enough
4. Press Enter or click Create

What you should see: Gmail generates a full draft email in the compose body, usually in 5–10 seconds.

Examples of what to type:

• "Deliver round 2 revisions to a client. Explain the 3 changes made based on their feedback. Ask for approval by Friday. Professional but warm tone."
• "Follow up with a client who hasn't approved the final files in 2 weeks. Politely ask for a status update. Include a deadline for the project to move forward."
• "Write an intro email to a new potential client who found me on Behance. Mention I specialize in brand identity. Invite them to schedule a 20-minute discovery call."

3. Refine the draft if needed

After the draft appears, look for the Refine options below the compose body:

• Formalize — makes the tone more professional
• Elaborate — adds more detail to thin drafts
• Shorten — condenses long drafts to the key points
• I'm feeling lucky — generates a different version from scratch

Click any of these to adjust the draft without rewriting from scratch.

What you should see: The compose body updates with the refined version. You can refine multiple times.

4. Edit and send

1. Click anywhere in the compose body to start editing the draft directly
2. Add specific details like the client's name, project name, exact file names, or deadline dates
3. Review the tone — AI drafts tend to be generic; a quick pass to add your voice makes them feel more natural
4. Click Send

Real Example

Scenario: You've delivered round 2 revisions on a logo project. You need to write an email explaining the changes, attaching the files, and setting a deadline for approval before the timeline slips.

What you type into Help me write:

What you get: A complete, professional email that covers all the points, in about 10 seconds. Quick edit to add the client's name and attachment notes, then send.

Tips

• For recurring email types (revision delivery, project kickoff, payment reminders), save your best descriptions as text snippets in a notes app. Paste and tweak for each new use rather than rewriting the description from scratch.
• "Help me write" works in replies too — when you open a client email and click Reply, then click ✦, Gmail can read the thread and suggest a contextually relevant draft rather than a blank one.
• If the draft feels too formal or too casual, use the Formalize/Elaborate controls first before manually editing — they often get you 80% of the way there faster than rewriting.
• For sensitive emails (pushing back on extra revision requests, following up on late payment), the Formalize refinement is especially useful for smoothing out accidentally curt language.

Tool interfaces change — if a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area.