Any report on 1 page: 7 Claude prompts for long reports
Upload the PDF, and these 7 prompts pull out the numbers that matter with the page each one came from, so you can check every number yourself. Prompt 1 is the one from the reel, run there on a sample report; prompts 2 to 7 cover what changed, what it means for you, what to verify, and how to pass it on.
What you need
A Claude account. Any plan works if you paste the report's text in. File uploads and connectors depend on what your plan includes.
The report as a PDF or pasted text. For prompt 7, both reports.
Check your company's AI policy before you paste work documents, and don't paste anything you wouldn't put in an email to a vendor.
The 7 prompts
Upload or paste the report first, then the prompt, and run them in the same chat. Change the words in [brackets].
1. The 3 numbers that matter
Use it the moment a long report lands and you need to know what's in it.
Give me the 3 numbers that matter, what changed since last time, and what it means for someone in my job. Quote the page for each number.The reel version stops there. Add this line under it so Claude flags gaps instead of filling them: "My job is [your role]. Use the page number printed on the report. If the report doesn't give last time's figures, say so instead of guessing what changed."
2. What changed since last time
Use it on a report that comes out every quarter or every year.
Using only this report, list everything it says changed since the last period: each metric with the old number, the new number and the change, and the page for each. Then list anything the report says is new and anything it says it stopped measuring. If the report doesn't give a previous number for something, write "no previous figure in the report" instead of guessing.3. What it means for my role
Use it when the report is about your industry and you need to know whether it touches your work.
I'm a [your role] at a [type of company], and I'm responsible for [what you own]. Give me the 3 to 5 findings in this report that affect my work, and what each one could mean for me in practice. Quote the page for each finding. Mark clearly which parts are the report's findings and which are your inference about my job. If nothing in the report touches my area, say so.4. What to verify yourself
Use it before you repeat a number from the report in a meeting or a deck.
List the claims and numbers in this report I should check before I repeat them. Flag numbers from small or unclear samples, numbers read from charts or images, projections stated as facts, and anything where the method isn't explained. For each one, give the page, quote the line, and tell me what I'd need to check it. If the report doesn't say where a number came from, say that.5. A 5-bullet version for your team
Use it when your team should know what's in the report and won't read it.
Write a 5-bullet summary of this report for my team, who are [their roles] and care about [what they care about]. Each bullet is 1 plain sentence, with the number and the page where there is one. Leave out anything they can't act on. If you're unsure whether a number applies to us, say so in the bullet. Put the report's title, author and date at the top so they can find the source.6. Questions to ask the author
Use it before a call with the author, the vendor or whoever sent you the report.
I can ask the author of this report a few questions. Give me the 5 most useful ones, based on gaps, unclear methods, surprising numbers and claims without a source. For each question, quote the page or line that prompted it, and say in 1 line why it matters for [my role]. Leave out anything the report already answers, and if it's answered on a page I might have missed, point me to that page.7. Compare 2 reports
Use it when 2 reports on the same topic give you different numbers.
Here are 2 reports on [topic]: [report A] and [report B]. Compare their main numbers, where they agree, where they disagree, and how their methods or samples differ. Name the report and quote the page for every number. Where they disagree, show both numbers side by side and list what in each report's method could explain the gap, and leave the call to me. If 1 report doesn't cover something the other does, say so.The mistake to avoid
Trusting the page numbers without opening the PDF. A report's printed page numbers often don't match the PDF's own page count, because of the cover, the contents and the blank pages, so "page 14" can point to 2 different places. Tell Claude to use the printed page number, as prompt 1 does, then open the report to 2 or 3 of the quoted pages before you use the summary. Start with any number that came from a chart.