How to Write Emails People Actually Reply To
My trick for getting people to actually reply to my emails is simple: I get to the point.
Last week I facilitated a webinar for Giving Gap on how to create data-driven stories that inspire donor action. In honor of the nerdy session of my dreams, here are some tips on how to write emails that inspire action.
Most of my professional experiences (including that webinar) are the result of a cold email pitch. I live by the notion of creating opportunity rather than waiting for it to appear at my door.
My trick for writing emails that actually get read is simple. I get to the point.
“Time is money.” “We’re working on borrowed time.” “We’re all so busy.”
Those are great reasons to write concise, clear emails, but honestly my only motivation is that I HATE email and I go into each one assuming that the reader hates email, too.
Here are 3 ways to write emails that people will actually read:
1 “Checking In”
Avoid email subjects like “Checking in” or “Quick Question”. You think it provides context, but for someone like me, it promotes anxiety. I’m already annoyed and asking myself, are they asking me a question that I already answered?
Instead, write an email subject focused on the content matter rather than the context. Even better if it inspires urgency.
For example, you need a report from a colleague for tomorrow’s team meeting. Instead of “Checking In (on that report that you clearly haven’t finished)”, go for something that speaks to the report’s content like “Top Takeaways from 2024’s Consumer Insights”.
Then, write a quick email asking for 3 takeaways to include in your presentation. The 3 takeaways will help you prepare your presentation and your email inspires action with a gentle reminder that you’ve yet to receive that report. You can even add a “Thank you so much for taking the time to send over these takeaways. Please feel free to send over the report if you’d like me to pull these takeaways myself.”
Is it manipulative? Yea. That’s the point. 😉
2 “I hope you’re well.”
Do you though?! Do you really?! I’d argue that you don’t actually care and that’s okay. Let’s normalize getting to the point.
I, instead, choose to mention something specific to the person like “I hope that big meeting last week went well.” or “Welcome back from vacation.”
If you don’t have anything real to say then don’t say anything at all. Just dive right into the email. It’s okay, I promise.
The best part? It trains people to do the same when they’re emailing you. You’re an influencer, baby! Soon your whole team will be mimicking your brevity and your boss will give you a pat on the back for modeling efficiency and boosting productivity.
3 Bullets are your friend, paragraphs are not.
We have the shortest of attentions spans. Now more than ever, readability and easily digestible content is imperative to getting your point across and minimizing follow up questions (the worst).
I get compliments for this one at lot and it’s especially effective in my newsletters.
Instead of writing a series of paragraphs, break it up with bullets. Not only will it prevent your reader from skimming through the email and not answering the questions that you asked (tell me something more annoying), it will challenge you to keep you to keep things brief and what? To the point!
Try these out or practice on me if you’re feeling stuck. If you’re nervous about reaching out to a potential client or emailing your boss about your annual review, send it my way: hola@maeganburke.com
I’m wishing you clean inboxes and email correspondences that inspire action. 🙌🏾