Tips to write effective emails
Our emails say a lot more about us than we tend to think. Effective emails display how nuanced our communication is, and it’s important to send the right message across. With texting language largely ruling the world, it’s essential to understand that texting language differs from email language greatly.
Professional emails need to be constructed in a certain way so as to communicate and be crisp at the same time. It’s easier to talk to someone with no level of formalness, however, with professional emails, language is not supposed to be easy.
Following the right email etiquette can showcase your skills in communication and your level of professionalism as well.
Here are some tips to write effective emails.
#1. Beware of the subject line
It might not seem important, but the subject line is one of the most essential aspects of an email. Your subject line must correctly describe the body of your email and provides your colleague or boss the reason to open your email. If your subject is ambiguous or is not related to your email, you will fail to make the reader want to read your email.
Here are some don’ts that need to be avoided with respect to constructing a subject line.
- If your subject line is empty, your reader will see only your name in the email’s "from" line. This signifies arrogance and thoughtlessness. Your reader will not be persuaded to read your email.
- If your subject has exclamation, it comes across as an announcement that your message is super important or might be misunderstood for spam.
- Do not ask questions in your subject line. If your entire email is a simple question, do not bring it to notice in the subject line.
- Do not use vague titles in your subject line. Most spam emails are vague titled subject lines, and an email with a vague title will not get through to your reader.
Here are some things you can follow with writing a subject line.
- Make sure your subject line is functional and conveys a brief of what your email is about.
- If your subject line is informative, the reader will immediately be accustomed to thinking about what your subject line intends to say and invariably will open the email to find out more. They will not think of the worthiness of your email.
#2. Maintain focus in your message
Make sure you are aware of why you are sending the email. Keep in mind the essential aspects of what your email needs to convey—for instance, why the email is being written, or if you are responding to an email, or are you apologizing for a mistake from your part? Are you asking for something to be done by the person who will read your email?
Make a note of all the essentials that your email has to carry.
- Construction:
The person you send your email to will probably not read the entire email if your email body is too complicated. Make sure you use bullets when the text becomes complicated, but make sure you start with a clear cut description of what your email is going to be. Make your points separate and do not place too many ideas in a sentence. If you’re sending a bulk mail to a lot of recipients, make sure the email relates to each and every one of them. If they do not relate to your email, they will give up reading your mail.
- Be polite
Make sure that your email carries a polite tone to it. If your email comes across as rude or condescending, your recipients might not even respond to it and will feel offended by you. If your email must display urgency, make sure you talk about the reason for your hurry, and follow up with how your recipient can help you out.
- Purpose of the email
Your email must always have a purpose. Is your email a complaint? Is it a proposal letter? Or an application for something? Make sure you know why you are sending the email, and that the person receiving your email also is made aware of what the purpose is.
#3. Do not forget your signature
It’s always important to identify yourself clearly in your email. Be polite and brief with your introduction. If you are writing to a person who does not know who you are. And if you are sending an email to a person who has an idea of who you are, write more about the context, but not too much. If you are writing an email to someone following up on a meeting with them, it could come across as lack of confidence if you assume that they do not remember you. However, you can drop hints to make them remember your meeting with them. Use formal phrases in your email while you are addressing them.
#4. Proofread
To make sure your email looks professional, proofread your email before sending it. Check the grammar used, and if you’ve made any typographic errors while writing. Do not worry if you have, because while writing an email, almost everyone makes errors. However, it’s important to double check before hitting the send button. A spellcheck is a useful tool, but it doesn’t catch every error. Make sure you spell the name of your recipient correctly and check for grammar errors. Make sure you’re aware of the tone when you’re writing an email—check if it’s a formal or informal situation.
Do not use emojis or other text language abbreviation like LOL or ASAP. These linguistic shortcuts are signs of informal communication, and one must always be aware of the situation before you write your email.
Make sure you reply promptly and keep your messages crisp. You’re then good to go!