Write a One-Page Business Brief

What it does

Transforms a brain dump of ideas, context, and justifications into a crisp one-page brief. Follows the “Bezos memo” principle: if you can’t explain it on one page, you don’t understand it well enough. The structure forces clarity on what you’re proposing, why it matters, and what you need.

The Prompt

Write a one-page business brief from the following information.

Structure (use these exact sections):
1. HEADLINE: One sentence. What are you proposing? (Not a question — a statement.)
2. PROBLEM: 2-3 sentences. What's broken, missing, or at risk? Use specifics, not generalities.
3. PROPOSAL: 3-5 sentences. What do you want to do? Be concrete enough that someone could say yes or no.
4. EVIDENCE: 2-3 data points, examples, or precedents that support this. If I haven't provided data, flag what data WOULD make this case stronger.
5. COST & TIMELINE: What does this require? Money, time, people, trade-offs. Be honest about what it costs, not just what it delivers.
6. ASK: One sentence. What specific decision or action do you need from the reader?

Constraints:
- Total length: under 400 words
- No jargon unless the audience is technical (I'll specify)
- No "we believe" or "we think" — state things directly
- If my input is vague on any section, write the best version you can AND flag what's missing

Audience: [WHO WILL READ THIS — their role, what they care about]

My raw input:
[DUMP YOUR IDEAS, NOTES, CONTEXT HERE — messy is fine]

Usage Notes

• The “ASK” section is where most proposals fail. People write pages of justification but never make a clear request. This prompt forces it.
• Specifying the audience changes the output dramatically. A brief for a CFO emphasizes cost/ROI; for a CTO, it emphasizes feasibility and tech debt; for a CEO, it emphasizes strategic alignment.
• Use the “flag what’s missing” behavior as a thinking tool. If the AI can’t find evidence for your proposal, that’s a signal — not a failure of the prompt.
• For internal pitches, pair with the Decision Analysis prompt to pre-build the counter-arguments your reader will have.