Guidelines for Writing Great Email

(or at least not screwing up too badly)

Email has changed a lot from when I first used it over two decades ago. Most of us use it for business now, and we use it a lot more! Some very basic guidelines for making email more effective and for preventing us from embarrassing ourselves follow.

These guidelines focus on sending email, as opposed to reading it. That's another story.

Get to the Point FIRST:
The point of the email should come first. People scan email – they get too much!

NOT “nice to see you last week here is my follow up” or similar! That can come later, AFTER some white space.

Use white space:
Did I mention people scan email? Make it easy for them, and you both benefit. White space – blank lines. Use them.

One major point per email:
Again, people scan email.

I just needed to send two major thoughts to a client: a date change, and thoughts on an unrelated project. Two thoughts, two emails. Otherwise it's likely one of those thoughts will be lost.

Emotional email:
There is one simple guideline to sending email when upset or emotional – DON’T DO IT.

Write the email, but wait until you cool down before sending it. An overnight waiting period is a good guideline. Of course if you want to come off as an unprofessional hothead, or simply don’t care, go for it!

Amazing that some supposed “professionals” sent me nasty mail about my “outsourcing” post. Clearly they were upset and emotional, which is OK, and they came off as unprofessional, which is not. People have lost their jobs over emotional emails before, as well as caused other significant problems.

Title:
Your title should make sense and relate to the content of your email. And you NEED a title.

I’d admit sometimes I might use titles like “Naked Goats Break Dance” when sending email to old friends, whether it’s for business or otherwise. That’s the exception to the rule – old friends who know me and expect a somewhat warped sense of humor. I don’t recommend you try this in your email! Use logical self-explanatory titles.

Profanity:
NO!

I don’t care if the email is to a colleague you affectionately call “Little Fuckhead.” Issues of professionalism aside, a spam or other email filter may eat your message.

Check your recipients:
Are you sending to the right "Bob?" Did you hit “Reply all” instead of “Reply?”

I’ve sent some embarrassing things to entire groups by accident. I’ve also sent jokes that make so sense to anyone but the intended recipient (I specifically remember an invite to a “Naked Eastern European Wine and Sheep Cheese tasting” . . . .).
Everyone makes this mistake eventually, but try to limit the damage by checking before you hit send.

Think before you hit send!
I usually do – despite what friends may think.

Hopefully my business associates think my email is effective and professional, at least until they become friends and I start sending them emails with titles like “Naked Goats Stole My Lunch!”