ChatGPT prompt for writing a weekly client status report

This is the prompt we run every Friday to turn five minutes of honest bullets into a client-ready weekly status report. Its core rules: outcomes first, not activity; no spin on blockers; and anything that reads as bad news gets flagged so you review the phrasing before hitting send.

The prompt to copy

Turn these raw bullets into our weekly status report for {client} using the template below. Rules: lead with outcomes not activity, be honest about blockers (no spin), keep to one page, numbers stay exactly as I wrote them. Flag anything that reads as bad news so I review the phrasing.
Bullets: {paste} — Template: {paste}

Replace the field in curly braces (the client name), then paste your bullets exactly as they are, typos and shorthand included, followed by your report template.

When to use it

Every Friday, or whatever your status day is, from bullets jotted through the week or typed in five minutes before sending. It is the core of playbook P2: a short routine, the same structure every time, a report the client expects and actually reads. Forty-five minutes of writing becomes about ten, review included.

What you get back

1. A one-page report that follows your template, section by section.
2. Outcomes up front, activity after.
3. Your numbers, untouched.
4. An explicit flag on anything that reads as bad news, for review before sending.

Real example: Friday bullets → flagged report

Input: Sam’s bullets for his client Loopwise, typed in 4 minutes on a Friday. An excerpt, as-is:

- 2 blog posts published (pricing page teardown + churn benchmarks one). churn one already at 1.2k views, best this quarter
- BAD: webinar landing page is late. nadia blocked on their marketing site access since TUESDAY, their IT hasn't responded. was due yesterday.

Output, the part that matters:

Blockers · and what we need

• Webinar landing page is late (was due Thursday). Nadia has been blocked since Tuesday waiting on access to your marketing site; your IT team hasn’t responded yet. We need: site access for nadia@brightside.studio. The page goes live within 2 working days of access.

⚠️ Flagged for your review: the blocker section states the page is late and attributes the delay to the client’s IT team. Factually per your bullets, but check the phrasing fits the relationship before sending.

Notice what the AI did with the bad news: it buried nothing under the wins, it named it, dated it, then flagged it. The human checkpoint took two minutes: Sam kept the facts but softened the attribution to “we’re waiting on an access grant from your side” before sending. Same information, reads as teamwork instead of blame.

The full worked example (complete bullets, entire report, the phrasing Sam settled on after review) ships inside the kit, with playbook P2 setting up the weekly routine.