Shorter Writing Prompt: Make Long Text Brief

Make this shorter while keeping the main point. Cut filler words and get straight to what matters:

[PASTE YOUR TOO-LONG TEXT HERE]

After you paste your text, the AI will:

1. Remove filler words (“I wanted to reach out” → direct statement)
2. Cut unnecessary apologies (only the essentials stay)
3. Combine redundant points (three sentences → one)
4. Keep critical information (main point, action needed, deadline)

What to expect: The AI will keep what matters and present it in a tighter form.

What you wrote:

Hi team, I wanted to reach out and let everyone know that I won’t be able to make it to tomorrow’s meeting because I have a doctor’s appointment that I scheduled a while ago and unfortunately can’t reschedule at this point. I apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. If there’s anything important discussed, please feel free to send me a summary or let me know if there’s anything I need to follow up on. Thanks so much for understanding!

What you get with shorter:

Hi team, I can’t attend tomorrow’s meeting due to a doctor’s appointment. Please share any action items. Thanks!

Say this into your phone or computer:

“Make this shorter keep main point” (then paste or read your text)

Variations for Different Situations

For Email (Word Count Limit)

Shorten this email to under [X] words. Keep key points and action items:

[PASTE EMAIL]

For Social Media (Character Limit)

Shorten to [280] characters for Twitter/[X characters] for [platform]. Keep the main point:

[PASTE POST]

For Professional Communication

Make this more concise but keep it professional:

[PASTE TEXT]

For Casual Messages

Shorten this to 2 sentences max. Keep it friendly:

[PASTE MESSAGE]

Pro Tips

• For aggressive cutting: Add: “Maximum [X] words. Be ruthless.”
• To protect key details: Add: “Keep the part about [THING] but cut everything else.”
• For tone preservation: Add: “Shorter but keep the [warm/direct/friendly] tone.”
• Prefer bullets: Add: “Turn this into 3 bullets instead of paragraphs.”

Quick Reference

Why This Works

The “shorter” trigger:

• Tells the AI to compress instead of rewrite from scratch
• Automatically spots filler and redundancy
• Preserves your core meaning and tone
• Focuses on information density

The psychology:

• Brain fog often leads to over-explaining
• Shorter text reduces the reader’s cognitive load (and yours)
• Concise communication feels more confident

Works across all AI platforms:

• ChatGPT (free or paid)
• Claude (free or paid)
• Microsoft Copilot
• Google Gemini

Troubleshooting

“It cut too much — lost important details.”

• Add: “Shorter but keep all deadlines, names, and specific requests.”
• Or: “Cut filler only. Keep all key facts.”

“It lost my personality/tone.”

• Add: “Shorter but keep the casual/warm/friendly tone.”
• Or: “Cut words, not personality.”

“I need it even shorter.”

• Add: “Maximum [X] words — be ruthless.”
• Or: “Give me ONLY the core message in one sentence.”

“It’s too abrupt now.”

• Add: “Shorter but not rude. Keep one pleasantry.”
• Or: “Add ’thanks’ or similar to soften the tone.”