For something that has died a hundred times since 1999, email is doing surprisingly well. Sure, there’s Slack and Workplace by Facebook but they’re often used only within an organization to communicate. Mastering the art of an effective email is as relevant today as it was in the last millennium, especially for creatives working together with companies.
When reading these tips on how to write a good email, bear in mind that I’m from Finland, a country known for two things: aurora borealis and to-the-point emails. Both are beautiful shows of what nature is capable of – best approached with reverence, especially when dealing with new clients.
Be Brief
A good email is like a good movie scene: come in late, get out early. Be brief. Fluff belongs on the cutting room floor.
Use Bullet Points
Using bullet points in your emails is a great way to:
We may have had time for expertly crafted, beautifully flowing paragraphs in 2016 but times have changed. Use. Bullet. Points. For maximum effect, combine them with bold text. Which of the following emails is more likely to be more effective?
Hey,
Thanks everyone for your feedback on the draft 7.2 of the Unboxing Series. We agree that the zombie shark may have been a bit of a stretch but we did do a lot of work for that so we’d like to keep that in mind for the next iteration. Could you go through the video in the link and give your comments on the new version of the end bumper, the revamped intro with the carousel music you asked for and the overall flow of the video. We’ve set aside time at the end of this week to finalize the product, so comments before Monday are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
OR
Hi!
Great feedback! We’ve made the changes. To ensure delivery by Monday Feb 21 could:
If you could get these comments back to us by Thursday Feb 18, that’d be great. Thanks everyone!
Disclaimer: Please note that sometimes corporate emails are not meant to be effective. Please consider your relationship with the addressee before sending out an email.
Include Contact Details Automatically
Especially when dealing with new clients, remember to include your full contact details in your email. The easiest way is to configure your email client to add your contact details automatically into the email signature.
Don’t make it overwhelming, though. Including these 5 points will get you 90% of the way in 90% of the situations.
With familiar clients you can always end with a more personal salutation but also keep the automatic signature. Like this:
Best,
Jonny
Jonathan Rogerson
Key Client Advisor
Massively Productive Productions Ltd.
+123 123 123
massivelyproductiveproductions.com
Optimize The Email Subject Line for Search
SLO, or Subject Line Optimization, is the unsung hero of modern search engine optimization. Ever tried finding the campaign plan for the Bob’s Boxes: User Stories Campaign only to find it (two days later) in an email thread called Re:Re:Fw:Re:Fw:Re:Re:Quick comments?
When writing the subject line, think about the recipient. What keywords would they write in their email client’s search box when they look for your email from two weeks ago? Here are some examples, with keywords in bold:
Include a Call-to-Action
What is the raison d'être of your email? Why did you feel compelled to write it?
Do you have it? Perfect.
The final part of a good email is the call-to-action. There’s a reason (hopefully) why you wrote that email and that reason should be evident in the call-to-action at the end of the email. What do you want the recipient to do after reading your email? Give comments by a certain date? Give an estimate on when they could give comments by? Write it out!
Even the wrap-up email after a successful collaboration can include a call-to-action: ”Thanks for the great work, everyone! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar projects in the future.”
[Editor's Note: We love Jukka's tips for clearly communicating with clients via email. Also, it's a good idea to keep in mind some classic (and seemingly obvious) email etiquette best practices, like:
With these tips you’re well on your way to mastering the craft of corporate emails. Good luck!
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Note From Tongal: “How to Write an Email in 2019” is part of a series of Tongal Community-written blog posts that were originally sourced in the Tongal Blog Open Call Project. Read more Tongal Community-written posts here and then Pitch us a topic you'd like to write about for the Tongal Blog!
