How to Write Really Good Emails Right Now

June 23, 2017

What if you could write really good emails? Would it boost your career?

I’m sure it would because being able to write really good emails would make you stand out from the crowd. Most people write emails that are average or below average.

How do you know if your emails are above average, even really good? Here’s my formula for writing emails that set you apart from the others and endear you to your boss.

Your reader can

Read and understand your email the first time through
Find your main point quickly
See if he/she needs to take action now, then do so
Find the details needed to understand your message and act accordingly
Go on about his/her day without having to ask clarifying questions via another email or phone call

Top 10 tips for writing great emails

Start writing emails that demonstrate your professionalism by using these top 10 tips.

Figure out the main point of your email. What is the purpose of your email? Are you trying to get someone to do something? Or are you conveying information to someone who needs it?
Decide who absolutely, positively needs to get this email. Is it everyone on your team or just certain members? Writers get lazy and cc everyone on a team because they want to be sure everyone knows what’s going on. Do not be that person. Do you appreciate your in box being littered with unneeded messages? Of course not. If you want to write really good emails, THINK about who to send a message to.
Write a short, compelling headline that draws your reader in. For example, “Meeting canceled” is not a good headline. I can’t tell which meeting is canceled; can you? “Monday 9 a.m. meeting to be rescheduled” tells me that I can now use the 9 a.m. hour to do something productive. Yay!
Write your greeting—and yes, you should include a greeting. “Hello,” “hi,” “good morning, team members” can each work as a greeting. If you are writing to a friend, it’s fine to say “Hey there.” If your reader is someone you don’t know well, use a more official greeting such as “Hello, Mr. Travers.”
Open your email by telling your reader why you are writing. “The purpose of this email is to brief you on. . .” Or “I’m writing this email to update you on the status of . . .”

Keep reading so you don’t miss these 5 tips

6. Don’t include extraneous info in your email. Stick to the purpose you selected in step 1. If you are conveying info and have tons of background information or related data, send that as an attachment. Do not include it in your email.

7. Tell your reader that you’ve attached background or related details. Do not expect him/her to figure that out. Make your reader’s job easy.

8. Use bullet points to keep your critical points brief and concise. I have written thousands of words on how to be concise. I’m not going to dive into that pool here. Think: “time is money.” If you waste your reader’s time, you’re costing them and your company money.

9. Highlight action items, who needs to take the actions, relevant deadlines, and contact information. Do not bury this information in the middle of your fourth paragraph—no one will find it. For example:
DAVE & DARIUS: Need your report on . . . by 5 p.m. Friday the 15th. Please send it to (list names). If you have problems, contact Betty Sue at (phone number) or bsue@…

10. End with a closing. I don’t care if everyone knows you, it’s polite to end with “good day,” “sincerely,” “thank you” or something like that and sign your name.

I limited this list to 10 tips; it probably could have at least 25. If you’re interested in more ideas on how to write really good emails, check out these links.

Writing is a skill you can improve

This article on how to improve your business writing skills from Scoop It has some good numbers and good content. Check it out.

Caveat: Tip 11: Proofread your copy/email. The writer has a typo in the first sentence. It happens to us all; just catch your typos before sending your email.

The writer also says: “Understand that writing is a skill, not a gift. You can learn new skills. And fortunately, good writing skills are actually pretty easy to acquire.”

Yes, writing is a skill that can be learned. But learning to be a good writer takes concentration, dedication, lots of practice, and good proofreading skills. I’ve been writing and editing professionally my whole life, and I still have lots of room to improve.

Photo from Templafy.com

This piece from Templafy is titled “How to Write Compelling Business Emails That People Love Reading.” I’m not sure I would aim for really good emails that people love reading—that sounds like the dedication and hard work you would put into writing the Great American Novel. The headline might be a bit out there, but it worked. I read the piece and am recommending it to you. This article has more good points you can use.

Here’s more good advice from the folks at Mimeo. The article is written by a professional editor and has great tips. As a lifelong editor, I appreciate that the author offers great tips. Take these seriously.

This article from Spoke Phone asks a critical question: Is email the right way for you to communicate in a given situation? Often we rely on email when a phone call would be quicker and more effective. Look at these points and think about times when you should pick up the phone instead of emailing.

Now go improve your writing skills. Your goal: Really good emails. And I know you can do it.

Resources

Need other sources to help improve your writing? Check out these links.

http://mentorloft.com/2016/11/03/improve-writing-give-feedback/

I love Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL). It is my go-to site for grammar, mechanics, resources, citations and more. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

Need an editor? Check out Grammarly’s app at https://www.grammarly.com/

How to Improve Your Writing Skills in 3 Steps