How To Write More Effective Emails

Whatever the purpose of your email – whether you’re writing to a colleague, a client, a complete stranger, or if you’re trying out some email marketing – there are a few small things you can do to get better results.
Simply by following these 8 tips, you can vastly improve the chances that your emails will not only actually be read, but they’ll be easy and quick to read and understand – and that your emails won’t annoy the recipients (Well, hopefully).
1. Focus on your subject line
The most important factor is the email subject line, but we’ve already covered that in a *previous article.
The body of your email is just as important.
2. Write like you talk
Consider the person you’re emailing – if it’s a fellow expert in your field whom you would speak to with formal or technical language then you can do the same for your email. But the general consensus is to use conversational *Plain English that anyone would be able to understand – using your real voice is more endearing and approachable.
3. Keep it short
By making your email short and easy to answer, you’re showing the recipient that you appreciate their time. So use as few words as you can – simply introduce yourself, give some context if you need to and get to the point of why you’re emailing. But remember, just because you’re keeping it short doesn’t mean you can’t add in some of your own personality.
4. Use (short) paragraphs
Your readers want to get to the point of what your email is about as quickly as they can. So instead of waffling on – make your point(s) as clear as you can. Split your email up into a few (2-4) short paragraphs, each dealing with a single idea.
5. Be smart with formatting
You can make your emails even easier to read if you highlight, make bold or italic, important keywords – but be sure not to overdo it. Another way formatting can improve your email is by using bullets or numbered lists. You can use these if you’re listing questions that the reader needs to answer, when you’re giving a number of options or if you’re explaining something step by step.
6. Stick to the point
If you need to write to your recipient about more than one issue, it’s best not to cram them all into the same email. It makes it difficult for people to keep track of everything you’re trying to tell them or talk about if all the issues are jumbled together. Rather send separate emails that each focus on one issue.
7. Sign off the right way
When you’re writing to a familiar contact or a colleague, sometimes it’s fine to simply sign off with your name. But even then, it’s better to sign off with a polite greeting ‘Have a nice day’, ‘Chat soon’ or ‘Take care’ – and add some more personality. But if you’re writing a formal email, you have to make sure you sign off in the appropriate way:
For very formal emails you would use ‘Yours sincerely’ when you know the name of the addressee or ‘Yours faithfully’ if you begin with ‘Dear Sir/Madam’. In most situations ‘Best regards’ or ‘Kind regards’ is the best way to go.
8. Consider your email signature
There is some important information to include in your signature – your name, email address and telephone number – and perhaps your job title. Make sure you don’t cram your signature full of things that would make it hard for the recipient to find these details – like your favourite quotes from TV shows, motivational speakers etc.