YOU WRITE A LOT OF EMAILS, BUT YOU CAN WRITE THEM BETTER.
You can craft your emails so they receive prompter responses and create a stronger impact on their intended recipients.
If you read nothing else, remember to include a Call to Action. This component is why your recipient should respond or act.
This is also why the recipient cares about what you have so eloquently written, and why they should continue reading. Most people will skim their email content, but if your content is extremely important, craft your call to action wisely.
So, what does this look like?
Dear Studious Reader,
Thank you for following Studious. Please find within this post one vital component you should always include in your email to increase response rates. . .
. . . After the call to action, feel free to add in any extra information. The most important piece of the message has been added.
Note the clear and concise opening sentences. No one enjoys spending hours answering emails. However, brevity in your emails will capture attention and respect the time of others. Beginning an email this way increases the likelihood that someone acts upon or responds to your requests.
If your email was shortened to a tweet, what would it say? Thinking about your message in this way helps consolidate your ideas and keeps any wordiness at bay.
The Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning’s resource on crafting emails reiterates this message. “Keep it simple. Long e-mails with too many questions [or requests] can get confusing. If your message is more than one or two paragraphs, rethink the purpose of the message.” (1) The call to action ensures that your most important point is emphasized at the start of the message, and your reader can understand the email from the very first sentence.
Next time you write an email, consider adding a call to action that fits the purpose of your message. It saves time.
1. Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning. “Tips on Time Management and Writing E-mails.” Tomorrow’s Professor. n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.