Imagine how excited Ray Tomlinson was when he sent the first ever email to himself in 1971!
The man did well…emails are free, great for referencing, accessible, can reach many people at the same time and are paperless.
In 2018, approximately 124.5 billion business emails were sent and received each day and the average office worker receives 121 emails per day.
Whilst emails can be an effective form of communication, they can also be an effective form of stress and anxiety.
We’ve all received emails that are too long, have an unclear message and are dull and boring.
We’re left with this email in our inbox, wondering what the hell we’re supposed to do with it and how the hell someone has the time to write such a long email.
So on behalf of everyone who receives confusing, long emails or has 100’s or even 10,000’s of unread emails in their inbox, here are our top tips of how to create emails that will get you results:
1. Stop
Before you write an email, think about who it needs to go to, what you want to get out of it and why email is the best way to communicate.
Emails are brilliant for communicating short messages or requesting information.
They aren’t good for brain-storming/hashing an idea out, communicating big changes or updating people that are on the road/aren’t at their desks.
Consider if you should be calling, speaking face-to-face or sending a WhatsApp/other, before you send your email.
2. Create a catchy subject line
Some people receive 100’s of emails per day, so you need to catch the recipient’s attention.
Try being creative with your subject line, with a fun title or adding in an emoji!
3. Get to the point
Emails should be like a (very) short story and have a start, middle and end.
Start: Address who the email is to and some background/an introduction
Middle: Confirm what information they need to know. Bullet point any lists
End: Confirm what you need from them (if anything) and when any action is required by
4. What’s in it for them
When sending an email, think about the person or people you are sending it to.
What do they need to know and what’s in it for them if they read the email or take the action you have requested
5. Check and send
If you’re sending an attachment, check that you’ve actually attached it!
Make sure that the tone voice in your email is positive and remove any negative or unnecessary words.
Writing great emails, that get you the results you need, is a fine art.
If we can give you only one piece of advice, it would be to keep it simple!
People are time poor, so keep that in mind when you’re emailing.
Get in touch to chat through how you can get the most out of your emails.
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