We live in a world where there are no shortages of emails in your inbox.
We are inundated with companies marketing products, relatives sending (what they think is) funny/important content they found on their social media platforms that you "just need to see," and anything else you can think of. Just like many of you, I receive all of these and more.
One thing that I've learned, over time, is that some people truly struggle to write effective, professional emails. It's time that we fix that.
If we believe that our emails are important for our recipients, let's figure out how we can be sure that they don't get deleted at first glance or banished to the junk folder. I've put together some best practices to consider before you press send. Let's take a look at how we can do a better job of getting our message across effectively.
1. Take time on the subject line
You only get one first impression. This is true all throughout life and it certainly applies to making contact via email. The subject line is the very first thing that the recipient will see.
First and foremost, avoid spam trigger words. Spam filters can be triggered for many reasons, but a major one is a poorly executed subject line. Aside from email systems filtering you, people have seen thousands of emails and they know a spammy subject line when they see one. Hubspot has created an extensive list entitled "The Ultimate List of Email SPAM Trigger Words" to will help us to keep away from ending up in the junk folder. Some major standouts that caught my eye are "as seen on," "earn extra cash," "Now," "Ad," and ""Guarantee."
Remember, marketing is about relevance. The subject line is similar to a headline in that it should attract attention. Be concise and tell the recipient what the value or benefit of your overall message is. People can scan their inbox quickly to see what is most important to them, so get to the point.
Many email recipients will decide whether or not to open a message based on the subject line, so make it count.
2. Say my name, say my name!
One thing I always say is: "Treat people like people." Get personal and use the recipient's name, when available. Make them feel like a human being because that is exactly what they are. Just because the communication is electronic doesn't mean we should be robotic about it.
Don't hop in someone's inbox calling them "bro," "homie," "sis," etc. That's one of the fastest ways to lose their attention or respect. Approach people professionally if you want them to take you seriously.
3. Don't over send
I dare say "over communication" is a form of pollution. We know people's inboxes are full already. Don't be that person that sends emails to them around the clock.
I get it. You believe that you're information is super important and the recipient needs to get their eyes on it. I definitely recommend sending a follow up email within a few days' to a week's time (depending on the nature of the message), but if they are not responding, then that's just that. There could be a million reasons as to why you have not heard from them, but don't risk shutting off potential dealings in the future by annoying them in the present.
4. Get to the point
Time is money and most people don't have enough of either. Don't drown them in text. If a recipient sees paragraphs on paragraphs when they open your email, they very well might hit that delete button, depending on your relationship. I know you have so many important things to say, but trust me on this. Oftentimes, less is more.
A valued and significant part of business writing is being able to relay your message in a concise way. Make sure that this thinking is applied in emails, also. Respect people's time and they will be thankful for it. Keep your emails short and to the point.
5. Double-check your work
You might think that you're an extremely busy person in a hurry, so you must have to send out that email as quickly as possible. Right?.
Wrong!
Slow down. There is nothing worse than making a silly error when drafting and sending what is supposed to be a professional email. Check your spelling, grammar, and information regarding the recipient that should be researched. You don't want to have errors that could easily be fixed.
Also, be sure to save adding in the recipients for last. It's annoying for you to have to explain that you accidentally hit send before you finished writing or attached files for the reader.
Look over what you have written two times over, at least. It's better to spend another minute to get it correct the first time around instead of backtracking to fix errors.
