How to write effective emails
It’s easy to overlook the power of an email message. After all, you probably send dozens every day, perhaps writing them as quickly—and as carelessly—as you write a grocery list.
However, since many of the people you’re writing to receive dozens of emails every day, it’s in your best interest to make sure your messages stand out from the crowd.
You write each email for a reason: to convey information, to ask a question or to get the recipient to do something. But if your email isn’t clear and concise, it’s likely to be quickly deleted or ignored.
So how can you make your emails sing? Here are a few tips.
1. Write clearly, simply and well
Carefully re-read and spell-check your messages. Don’t forget that an email could be kept forever. As required, use writing tools to help you write in a more structured manner with fewer mistakes.
Also, keep it short. People usually put long emails aside to deal with later. In the hustle and bustle of the day, they are easy to forget. If you must write a long message, make sure to break it up into short paragraphs.
Artificial intelligence tools can also be very helpful for writing emails. For example, you can ask your AI tool to tweak your sentences, shorten a passage or make it clearer and easier to read.
Here are some other quick tips to improve your emails:
- Use bullet lists.
- Limit yourself to a single topic per email.
- Put your main point at the start of the email. Get right to the point.
- Get someone to re-read important emails that will be sent to many people.
2. Write an explicit subject line
Ensure the purpose of the email is clear. For instance, do you need the recipients to confirm their attendance at a meeting? State that explicitly.
Use a short, descriptive subject line, such as “ACME Carpentry’s quote for deck” or “Sales figures for Tuesday’s meeting.”
If the message is time sensitive, indicate that with a line such as “Please respond by October 10.”
3. Manage email chains more efficiently
You don’t have to “reply all” every time. If you regularly send replies to a long list of colleagues who don’t need to see them, they’ll quickly begin to assume any message from you is a waste of their time.
Even worse, if you hit “reply all” when sending sensitive information meant for just one person, the consequences can be unpleasant.
If you need to add people to an email chain, state why you’re adding them. These people will then have access to the entire email chain. Make sure the content is not sensitive or confidential, especially if it concerns someone outside your organization. As required, erase previous discussions or remove attachments.
4. Consider alternatives to attachments
Don’t send huge attachments, such as high-resolution photographs, without asking recipients first. Most email servers have a limit on the size of incoming messages and the total memory available for each email address. Emails with multi-megabyte attachments may bounce back to you.
Instead, consider creating links to a cloud-based sharing platform, where possible. Rather than including the full links, incorporate them into the text.
5. Be professional
Avoid sending jokes to business colleagues and associates that you don’t know very well. Everyone’s sense of humour is different. If you send enough jokes, you’ll eventually annoy someone— and it could be an investor or important client.
Also avoid inappropriate informality. Remember, emails are a form of business communication.
How to start an email
A first email should usually start with a greeting. The most typical for English emails is “Hello,” followed by the name of the person you’re writing to.
For subsequent emails, the greeting is sometimes omitted.
Should you specify the last or first name of someone at the beginning of an email?
When sending an email, you may be unsure of whether to use the person’s first or last name.
In general, this depends on factors such as:
- your organization’s culture and practices
- your target audience
- the job title and status of the person you’re writing to
- whether the person belongs to your organization
When in doubt, simply lead with “Hello.” You can adjust yourself based on the recipient’s reply.
Can you use emoticons and exclamation marks in an email?
Exclamation marks can convey your enthusiasm or emphasize an important point. In a more formal context, though, limit their use.
Avoid emoticons for formal exchanges.
How to end an email
Most of the time, an email ends with another salutation. Thanking the person or wishing them a nice day are common closings.
The closing phrase “Best regards” is sometimes considered more personal.
6. Ask yourself whether email is the right medium
Don’t email someone when a phone call or personal visit would be more effective. Complex discussions are easier to conduct by phone than email, and emotional situations are best handled in person. Here are some examples of where an email is probably not appropriate:
- promotions or important awards
- reprimands
- disputes
- terminations
If you must handle a delicate or emotional situation by email, draft your message, walk away for a few minutes, and then re-read it to ensure it’s diplomatic and professional. Never send an email when you’re still frustrated or mad.
Remember, once you hit “send,” that message will exist somewhere in cyberspace forever.
7. Add a signature
Develop a short signature line that provides useful information, such as your telephone number, fax number and business address. Don’t clutter your signature line with sales pitches, company mission statements and other extraneous information.
Also consider developing an automatic signature template for members of your team to have standardized signatures.
Next steps
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