According to research conducted by the Radicati Group, a technology market research firm, the typical corporate email user sends and receives approximately 110 messages daily. With so many emails vying for a recipient’s attention, it’s important to be sure your message stands out and is easy to read. Here are a few quick tips on writing more effective business emails.
Make the Subject Line Meaningful
To ensure your message grabs the receiver’s attention and isn’t immediately flagged as spam, it’s important to make the subject line meaningful. You want it to be quick, but informative, so start with the most important, overall point and then include any necessary supporting information. But again, the idea is to say as much as possible in as little space as possible.
Be Concise
Just like you, the people you’re emailing are busy, so it’s important to get right down to business. Put the main point of your email in the first sentence and then build the rest of the content to explain or support it. Try to steer clear of idol conversation or exceedingly long commentary. If you can’t cover all the information in three to four paragraphs, it may be more effective to just hit the major points in the email body and include more detailed explanations in an attachment. It’s also a good practice to put your message in a bulleted format so it will be easier for the reader to scan and quickly find the most important information.
Be Timely
When sending or replying to email, always strive to be timely. If you need action on a deadline that’s two weeks away, don’t wait until the day before it’s due to send an email. When you receive an email that requires you to take action, take the senders schedule into consideration and respond as promptly as possible. If you need time to research or prepare a response to an email, acknowledge that you received the message and let the sender know you will get back to them once you have the necessary information.
Fill In the “To” Email Last
A good way to ensure you always send the right message to the right people is to leave the “To” email blank until right before you hit send. This helps you avoid common mistakes like accidentally sending an incomplete message or sending an email with sensitive information to the wrong person. It also gives you one last chance to double-check your message before it is sent.
Read Before You Send
Without a doubt, the most important tip to remember for writing effective business emails – read before you send. And, it’s also one of the easiest. Before you hit the send button you should always make sure the message has the appropriate tone, meets your objectives, and you catch any grammar or spelling errors that can make you look unprofessional.
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