Tip 1 – Good titles
- The easiest method: use your original title (example – “Project X”) plus an intriguing half sentence (“Project X – a quick question to ask…”)
- People will open your email, to see what the rest of your sentence is
- By the way, ‘FYI’ is a rubbish title – doesn’t engage anyone
Tip 2 – Easy to read
- Use short paragraphs – 2-3 lines max
- Use short sentences. Don’t join two sentences with “and” or “but”
- For longer emails, use sub-headings to break it up
Tip 3 – Include a Call to Action
- Ask the reader to do something. Or they won’t
- My favourite: “Please can you hit Reply and (insert their action)? And then I will (insert the action I’ll do after they’ve done theirs)”
Tip 4 – Pick up the phone
- Especially if the topic is long, complex and/or contentious
- If you want your phone conversation in writing, follow-up your chat with a confirmatory email
Action Point
Next email – as in, the one you’re about to write – use these tips!