Draft emails and posts offline

Once private AI is on your computer, you can use it for everyday writing anywhere: on a train, at a site with no signal, or for messages you’d rather not paste into an online tool. This guide shows you how to save a short writing setup once, then turn rough notes into ready-to-send emails and posts in a couple of minutes, with or without internet.

Before you start

• A private AI app with a model downloaded, such as LM Studio, Ollama or AnythingLLM. The “Install private AI on your computer” guide covers this.
• Two or three emails or posts you wrote yourself and liked.
• One real message you need to write this week.
• About 20 minutes to set up. After that, each draft takes a few minutes.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

4 out of 10

Estimated completion time

30–60 minutes with a local app installed

Skills you’ll need: Save a writing preset, provide clear notes, and edit the output for tone and factual accuracy.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

A saved local writing setup helps you prepare consistent emails and posts when internet access is unavailable. Reviewing the facts before sending keeps the convenience from becoming an unsupported customer promise.

1. 1

   Step 1: Write a short note about how you write

   Without guidance, AI writes in a polite, wordy style that doesn’t sound like anyone. A few lines about you fixes most of that. Write them in a note:

   • Who you are: “I run a small plumbing business in Leeds.”
   • Who you write to: “Mostly homeowners and a few letting agents.”
   • How you sound: “Friendly, direct, no jargon, short sentences.”
   • Words you never use: “I never say ‘reach out’ or ‘touch base’.”

   Tip: If you made a voice guide with the “Teach AI your brand voice” guide, use a short version of that here. Local models do better with a few clear lines than a long document.

2. 2

   Step 2: Save it as a preset in your app

   Most private AI apps let you save standing instructions that apply to every new chat, often called a system prompt or preset. Paste your note there, along with the starter prompt from the end of this guide.

   Settings move between versions, so if you can’t find it, search your app’s official help pages for “system prompt” or “preset”. If your app doesn’t have one, keep the text in a note and paste it at the start of each chat.

3. 3

   Step 3: Give it notes, not a finished message

   Don’t write the message yourself first. Jot down the facts in any order: who it’s for, what happened, what you want them to do next, and any dates, prices or names that must be exact.

   Ask for one thing at a time. “Turn these notes into an email” works better on a local model than “write an email, a social post and a text message from these notes”.

   Tip: Because the AI runs on your computer, you can include real names and details if you need to. Your notes don’t leave your machine. Do check your app’s settings to confirm it isn’t connected to an online service.

   Illustrated exampleTurn four rough facts into one useful email

   Your rough notes

   • Amira — boiler service
   • 22 Oct, 9 am
   • £85
   • Ask her to reply to confirm

   One request:
   “Write an email.”

   Example draft

   To

   Amira

   Subject

   Your boiler service

   Hi Amira,

   I can book your boiler service for 22 Oct at 9 am. The price is £85.

   Please reply to confirm.

   Specific facts in. One clear next step out.

4. 4

   Step 4: Fix it with short replies

   If the draft isn’t right, reply in the same chat with one short instruction rather than starting again:

   • “Shorter. Three sentences.”
   • “Warmer. This is a regular customer.”
   • “Less formal.”
   • “Turn this into a Facebook post under 50 words.”

   Tip: If answers are slow or keep missing the point, the “Get better answers from private AI” guide covers what to change.

5. 5

   Step 5: Check the facts before you send

   Read every draft once. Check names, dates, times, prices and links against your notes. Local models can still invent details that sound right.

   Private AI doesn’t know today’s news, your latest prices or anything that has happened since the model was made. If a message needs current information from the web, look it up yourself or use an online tool for that part.

   Illustrated exampleCatch a plausible detail that the AI got wrong

   Example draft to review

   Hi Amira, I can book your boiler service for 22 Oct at 10 am. The price is £85.

   DetailYour original notesReview decision

   Customer

   Your notes: Amira

   Amira — matches

   Time

   Your notes: 9 am

   Correct the draft10 am 9 am

   Price

   Your notes: £85

   £85 — matches

   Address

   Your notes: Not supplied

   If an address is neededUse [missing] and fill it in yourself.

   The notes are the source of truth, even when the draft sounds confident.

You are my writing assistant. [A few lines about who you are, who you write to and how you sound.]

When I give you notes, turn them into one clear draft.
- Keep it short and in plain English.
- Put the main point first.
- End with one clear next step for the reader, if there is one.
- Never add facts I didn’t give you. If something is missing, write [missing].

Type of message: [for example, email to a customer, Facebook post]
My notes: [paste your rough notes]