You’ve got mail: writing better emails

Indiscreet, incomplete and sometimes incomprehensible email catastrophes are commonplace. So how can you avoid these pitfalls to ensure that your emails don’t end up in the bin?

If you want to make sure that your emails are opened, read and understood, they need to be written in a particular way. So what makes for a more effective email?

• Include a meaningful subject line
  This gives your reader a reason to open the message – something that is invaluable in a congested inbox. They’re also incredibly useful when you have to hunt for an email at a later date.
• Work out your desired outcome
  Action? Reply? Dialogue? Be very clear about what you would like your reader to do next. For example: ‘Subscribe to our Trade Secrets of Writing’. Sometimes you can use the call to action in your subject line.
• Think about your tone
  Emails appear to be less formal than printed letters. Nonetheless, it’s vital that you remain professional and polite.
• Include a powerful opening line
  Because emails are so often scan-read, you need to grab your audience. It’s often a good idea to tell them what you’re going to tell them in the very first line.
• Use structural devices
  Bullet points, subheadings and frequent paragraph breaks ensure your message can be easily scan-read. And keep it short: cut out as many sections or words as you can.
• Know when to avoid attachments
  Unless they’re expected, unsolicited emails with attachments can get caught in spam filters and never reach their desired audience.
• Don’t forget that emails are recorded
  All emails are recorded and stored. In fact, a lot of emails are recorded and stored by law. So don’t write anything that you wouldn’t be happy to have forwarded to someone else – or even read out in court.
• Proofread your message
  If it’s a really important sales email you may want to get someone else to proofread it for you.

Find out more about writing other sorts of documents:

The art of the newsletter

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