Are your emails always getting overlooked? Are you tired of not getting your emails answered after you spend your precious time writing them? On average, a person receives more than 100 emails and sends over 30 emails every day, so it is easy to go unnoticed. But, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Here are 9 simple email rules you need to follow to see immediate results:
9 Ways to Get Better Responses to Your Emails
- Properly address the recipient. Address who you are speaking to with proper titles they have earned.
- Get to the point. You can begin standing out with your emails by changing one thing – be more direct with your message. You will get quicker responses and save yourself time. In the first sentence, say what you have to say and say no more. Do not try to soften anyone up or beat around the bush. Even if your email includes bad news, sharing it does not get better with time. Just get down to business.
- Break it up. If you must send a long email, break it up into steps for bullet points. This will make reading your emails much easier for the recipient.
- Tell them what you expect. Conclude your email with exactly what you need in the last paragraph. Be precise about what you want and when you need it by. If you want great results, be clear, so they can fully comprehend what you need from them.
- Be grateful. Tell them in your own words why you appreciate them and their efforts. Don’t just say “Thanks” or “Thank you”, but be personable and put thought into your words.
- Choose a subject that is relevant. Make sure the subject identifies the reason that you are sending the email. Doing this saves the recipients of your emails from having to sift through hundreds if not thousands of emails to find yours.
- Do not banter with email. If you feel that what you are discussing will involve healthy conflict, be professional and set up a meeting. If you get personal, remember that your work email belongs to the organization that you work for. Remember that every word you write represents the brand you work for, so be smart with your emails.
- Do not use sarcasm or jokes. The recipient may not think it is funny. You do not know when they are going to read your email or what kind of mood they are in. Plus, it is just unprofessional.
- Do not use jargon or abbreviations. If the recipient is not from your department, field, or organization, they may have no idea what you are talking about. Use standard English in your emails as a good practice. Express yourself in the clearest and simplest form.
How to Structure Your Emails
My first sentence is the purpose. The body of my main paragraph is usually 3-5 sentences. This is a brief background, or other information that is important. If there is more than one task, rank the importance of items here. The concluding paragraph is what I expect, which includes a timeline and deadline. My last sentence is a gratitude statement that is personalized.
Great direction here with emails, Kirby. I especially like #2. Many emails are way too long, when they could be communicated in a paragraph. I definitely respond quicker to emails that are shorter, because I put off longer emails until I have the time to read lengthy emails, which can even be days after receiving it. And I have a feeling I’m not the only one who does this.
Hey Kirby,
As a writer, this is an area in which I have definitely had to do some work! You’ll have noticed that my blog posts usually top 2000 words, and even my comments can be a few paragraphs long at times (even this one). But I have realized the importance of context more and more, especially regarding email length. Whereas statistics say that blog posts in the 2000-word range actually tend to drive more traffic than shorter posts (I still haven’t figured out why this would be true), emails – especially “cold call” emails – are a different category. The main delineation is that people come to blogs or read comments because they want to, while email of the type you speak of in your post is unsolicited.
I’m fairly analytical and thorough (again, I think my posts here reflect that side of me). I’m the type who really does read the entire manual on something before diving into using it, whether that be a programming language, new software or tech. I want to know everything it can do. But I realized a while back that not everyone is like that, particularly where email is concerned.
I will still say that one can “get to the point” without being curt or blunt. Some explanation is usually warranted and word choice is everything. If someone sends me an email that says, “Give me a call at (xxx) xxx-xxxx. I hate email,” I’m not likely to respond, since I don’t know what it is they want, and the delivery causes me to expect them to be rude and demanding.
Another thing I’ve learned that goes along with your “Choose a Subject that’s relevant” and is helpful and beneficial to both parties (resulting in getting responses faster) is to change the Subject line if you’ve had a few exchanges and the topic has now shifted from the original topic. This helps people scan their email and quickly identify the one thing they were looking for, rather than having to open and read through longer email threads to find the pertinent question or information.
And if I have two completely different things to address, I will usually send two emails, making mention of the second and forthcoming email in my first email. Again, this just helps people organize, and breaks up the length of the emails.
I wish I’d come across a post like this years ago, Kirby. Well said!
Kirby,
These are helpful tips. Based on your list I have some opportunities for improvement. One thing I have been doing more is making my purpose clear in the first sentence, as you recommend in #2. This does help get timely and complete responses from my recipients.