Issue 61 · 4 Nov 2026 · Easy · Free

Pay Me More

How to ask for a raise, with a script and email to my manager

You've taken on more work all year, your salary hasn't moved, and every time you think about bringing it up you picture your manager saying "there's no budget right now" and you saying "okay, no worries".

Category: Personal Finance
Tags: Salary; Career; Negotiation; Work

Sample you can paste

Job: customer support team lead at a 60-person software company, 2 years. Salary €48,000. Last raise: 3% in January.
This year: took over the team of 5 when my manager left in March (no title change). Cut average first reply time from 9 hours to 3. Wrote the onboarding guide, trained 3 new hires. Handled the two biggest customer escalations, both renewed.
Market: similar team lead jobs in Berlin on job sites say €50-56k.
Manager: fair but careful with money, reviews are in December.
I want: ideally €54k, not sure what's realistic.

Steps

Step 1
Paste what you did
What you took on this year, with numbers where you have them: team size, time saved, money kept, people trained. Rough is fine.
Step 2
Add the money
Your salary, your last raise, and what similar jobs pay from job ads or salary sites. It uses your figures, it doesn't look anything up.
Step 3
Describe your manager
How they decide, when reviews happen, and anything you know about budgets. This sets the tone and the timing.
Step 4
Book the talk
You get the case on one page, one number with a reason, the email to book the meeting, and short replies for the usual pushbacks.

What you get

When to use it

Use it a few weeks before your review, or when you've quietly taken on more work and you want to walk into the conversation with one number and a reason instead of a vague "I feel I deserve more".

When to skip it

It doesn't know salaries in your field or city, it only uses the figures you give it, so check them on job ads or salary sites first. It can't promise a yes, and it's not advice for a legal dispute, a union negotiation or anything to do with your contract terms.

Sample run

0:00

The year

Took over a team of 5 in March without a title change. First reply time from 9 hours to 3. Trained 3 new hires. €48k, last raise 3%.

Full prompt

pay-me-more.prompt.txt

Download

You help employees ask for a raise. You build their case from what they actually did, pick one clear number, and prepare them for the conversation. You are calm, practical and direct.

INPUT
- Role, company size, time in the job.
- Current salary and the last raise (when and how much).
- What changed or what they achieved this year, with numbers where possible.
- Market figures they found (job ads, salary sites). Use only these, never invent figures.
- How their manager decides, when reviews happen, anything known about budgets.
- What they'd like to get.

HOW TO WORK
1. If you don't know their current salary, what they did this year, or any market figure, ask up to three short questions. Then stop and wait.
2. Pick the three or four strongest points. Each one: what they did, the result, why it matters to the manager or company.
3. Pick one number to ask for, with a one-sentence reason based on their role change, results and the market figures they gave. If the data is thin, give a range and what to check.
4. Suggest timing: before budgets are set, not in the middle of a crisis.
5. Write a three-sentence email that books 30 minutes to talk about role and pay. No number in the email.
6. Write the first two sentences to say in the meeting.
7. Write short replies to the usual pushbacks: no budget, wait for the review, everyone gets the same, you're already at the top of the band.
8. Give a fallback if the answer is no for now: a date to revisit, a title, or what would need to be true.

RULES
- Use only facts and figures from the user. Never invent achievements or market data.
- Never suggest threats, fake outside offers or ultimatums.
- Plain words, no negotiation jargon.
- It's not legal advice. For contract disputes, point them to HR, a union or a lawyer.

OUTPUT
## Your case
3-4 points.

## The number
Amount, from when, and why in one sentence.

## Email to book the meeting

## Say this first

## If they say...
Pushback → reply.

## If it's no for now

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How it works

Most raise conversations are lost before they start. People ask with a feeling ("I think I deserve more") instead of a number, bring it up at the wrong time, and fold at the first "there's no budget".

This agent prepares you like a good mentor would. It turns your year into three or four points your manager can repeat to their boss, picks one number with a reason, and gets you ready for the pushback.

What to paste

What you did this year, with numbers if you have them. Your salary, your last raise, and what similar jobs pay according to job ads or salary sites. How your manager decides things and when reviews happen.

What you get back

Your case on one page, one number to ask for with a short reason, a three-sentence email to book the meeting, the first two sentences to say in it, and short replies for "there's no budget", "let's wait for the review" and "everyone got 3%". Plus a fallback if the answer is no for now.

It never invents achievements or market figures. If something's missing, it asks.

Questions about Pay Me More

How much should I ask for?

It picks a number from what you give it, your current pay, your last raise, what similar jobs pay and what changed in your role, and explains why. If your figures are thin, it gives a range and tells you what to look up before the meeting.

Should I ask by email or in person?

Use the email to book the meeting, not to make the ask. The prompt writes a short email asking for time to talk about your role and pay, and keeps the number for the conversation, where you can answer questions.

Is Pay Me More free?

Yes. The prompt is free to copy, download, and reuse under CC-BY-4.0. There is no sign-up on One Agent a Day. You only need access to a chat model such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.

Which AI tools does Pay Me More work in?

It was written for ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. It is a plain-text prompt, so any capable chat model can run it. Paste the prompt first, then your input.

What do I paste into Pay Me More?

Paste what you did. What you took on this year, with numbers where you have them: team size, time saved, money kept, people trained. Rough is fine.

Compare and find more

Pay Me More — You put in Job: customer support team lead at a 60-person software company, 2 years. Salary €48,000.…. You get out If they say no budget. Free from One Agent a Day.

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Pay Me More

Steps

Paste what you did

Add the money

Describe your manager

Book the talk

What you get

What you put in and what you get out