Writing

16 Ways to Write Better Emails

How to be heard and get responses.

Writing more effective emails is easy. You can get responses that are quicker, friendlier, and more useful. Here are some simple rules:

1. Know your purpose. Why are you writing this email? Is it to request information? To request action? To share important information?
2. Summarize your purpose in the subject line. Avoid “Hello” or “one more thing” or “need some info.” Be direct and specific: “please call Karen re: Anderson insurance docs” or “REQ: search term report” or “dinner resched @7PM Tues.”
3. Put your purpose in the first sentence. Tell them immediately what you need or what you want to tell them. Then explain necessary context, reasons, options, etc.
4. Put your urgency in the second sentence. Help your readers prioritize immediately. If you need their response urgently, say so.
5. Address your email to the right person(s). If you CC: people, they'll understand not to respond. Use the To: field and name the persons you want to respond in the body of your email.
6. Keep it simple. If your email can be read without scrolling, chances are you will get an immediate response. If your email is too long, people will put it off. If your message requires great detail, perhaps you should put the detail in an attached document. Some people keep all emails to 5 sentences.
7. One email, one subject. Keeping things to one subject clarifies the conversation of replies. This technique may not work with your girlfriend.
8. For longer emails, make it chunkable. Put different points in different paragraphs. Summarize each point in the first sentence of each paragraph. This makes it easy for your reader scan your email. It also makes it easy for her to quote your email and reply point by point.
9. Use short paragraphs. If any paragraph of mine is longer than 4 lines, I split it. Don’t scare your reader away with swamps of text.
10. Ask good questions. Do not ask vague questions like “What do you think of X?” or “I haven’t looked into it much, but what’s your opinion on X?” Do your research and then ask specific, intelligent questions.
11. Use plain text. Giant, colored, or formatted text is distracting and annoying. Keep it simple.
12. Don’t use ALL CAPS. It looks like you’re shouting. It’s annoying.
13. Use a good signature. If you’re communicating for business, your signature should include your name, phone, email, company, and website. If you’re communicating personally, you should include your name and perhaps your email or website.
14. Don’t forward funny stuff. As a rule, I don’t forward at all. We all have plenty of access to entertaining pictures and stories if we want them. If you can’t resist sharing your finds, maybe you should politely ask your friends if they like to receive forwarded emails or not.
15. Don’t write under the influence. Calm yourself before writing. Don’t write while you’re angry, bitter, or drunk.
16. Communicate with respect. Respect people, and they will be more likely to respond to your requests, suggestions, opinion, or criticism. Being arrogant or disrespectful is the quickest way to make sure they respond badly, or not at all.