Writing professional emails is a fine art. You want them to stand out and have a clear message. I have many years of experience writing emails for clients, coworkers, volunteers, marketing lists, and more. Here, I share what I’ve found works best.
TLDR your email at the start.
Have you ever asked an important question in an email and noticed it never gets answered? People on the internet don’t read to the end. No one reads a whole article; no one reads an entire email! It is easy for the crucial part of your message to get lost in the void. To avoid this, always TLDR (too long, didn’t read) the content at the very beginning of your email. It should only be one, maybe two, sentences max. You will never have a missed question again!
Check your grammar, clarity, and delivery with Grammarly.
Grammarly is a fantastic tool (#notsponsored) that:
- Spell checks.
- Fixes grammar issues.
- Identifies the mood your message conveys (are you happy 😀, angry 😡, or jovial 😜).
- Scores your content’s engagement, delivery, and clarity.
There are also premium features that can help with unclear sentences, passive voice misuse, wordy sentences, and more. Every piece of content you write, not just emails, benefit from a virtual editor like Grammarly. I even wrote this blog post with it. 😉 Don’t sleep on this!
Leave your “to” field empty until the very end.
Nothing is more unprofessional than sending an unfinished email! Do yourself a favor and make sure you leave the To, CC, and BCC fields empty until you are sure the email you’re writing is complete.
Make urgent messages and deadlines stand out.
Inboxes fill up fast. It can be easy for your important email to get lost in a sea of unopened emails, especially if the person you are in contact with is in a position of leadership! To ensure that your urgent message gets the attention it needs, use the subject line.
Here are some examples that have worked for me:
Urgent: Please review design documents
Please Respond: Need dietary preferences before meeting
Deadline October 8: Martina needs your input
Never be afraid to use keywords like RESPOND, DEADLINE, URGENT! It will grab your reader’s attention.
Stand out by writing professional emails.
While simple, these four tips will make your emails stand out to the individuals you are writing. I hope they help you get your message across and receive a response much faster. Also, don’t ever forget to triple-check who you are sending your email to. Nothing is more unprofessional than sending the wrong email!