We use email every day. For work. For fun. For love letters.
It’s so easy. The standards are so low. Even at work—the standards are low-er than other forms of communication.
But you’re a writer. And as a writer, you have the unique ability to make your emails stand out among the masses. You are capable of crafting the perfect email.
Here are three email etiquette rules that will help you do so:
1. Use an Appropriate Tone
Tone is everything. Use of the wrong tone has got to be the number one mistake (except maybe typos) that people make when writing emails—they don’t pay close enough attention to tone.
Work emails, for example, must always have a professional tone, but there is more to consider than that. Should the email be casual or formal? Helpful? Approachable? Appreciative? Not all professional emails sound the same.
Of course, you don’t just write emails at work. You may want to express something difficult to a loved one (from your personal account). Or ask an unresponsive bridesmaid why she isn’t pulling her weight.
Tone is still everything.
Ask yourself, do you sound more defensive or angry than you intended? Does your sympathy email sound impersonal? Have you acknowledged the other person’s point of view?For both work and personal emails, consider to whom you are writing, and the impression you want to leave her with. Take advantage of the opportunity you have to think before sending an email. Finally, re-read it as if you are the other person, thinking about how she might respond to your words.
2. Keep the Email as Short as Possible
“Short as possible” may mean one paragraph or it may mean six pages—but be conscious of the length of your email.
Yes, you read that correctly.It takes more time to write a shorter email.
Re-reading, re-writing, and other editing takes time. We’re all busy people, but if you want your email to be read (and to earn the appreciation of your recipient), you’ll spend a few extra minutes eliminating redundancies and other unnecessary information.
3. Consider these Other Tips
- Emails sometimes get published. Think about whether you would stand by your email if it was published in The Washington Post.
- Meticulously check for typos. If you’re sending a mass email, try reading it backwards. In other words, read the last sentence first, then the second to last sentence and so on, until you reach the greeting. This will help catch mistakes you may have otherwise glossed over.
- Don’t enter the person’s email address in the “To:” box until your email is complete.
- Double check the subject line, your signature block, and anything else that will be included in the email.
Do you have any email writing tips? Let us know in the comments.
PRACTICE
Take fifteen minutes to write an email with these email etiquette rules in mind. Don't forget to share in the comments section!
One addition to your (my) email rules: If someone contacts you by email – don’t insult their obvious intentions and desires to communicate in writing – by returning the email contact by phone or fax. I’m sorry if you aren’t a keyboard wizard, but written communications require written responses in the same format in general, and with few exceptions beyond absolute emergencies.
This basic etiquette is violated all the time particularly by the sales and marketing world and I find it exceptionally irritating and off-putting to business with these people. If I wanted to talk to you by phone – I would have called you. If I want a written record of our communications (something that I can refer back to in the future for details of what we both said) I will email you. If you call me regarding my email inquiry, I will not answer your call and I will not call you back.
As an indication regarding the sales and marketing world’s clueless level of communication etiquette – I have been shopping for a new car. I do so with email inquiries to dealers for quotes of the specific vehicle that I am interested in and ask them to “please respond by email only.” They always call me (since I don’t answer they speak to my answering machine. GRRRRRRR!) This past week I wrote a very pointed email to one clueless dealership’s (Hurley Chrysler Jeep Dodge) “Internet Sales Director” explaining how insulting their ignoring my “respond by email” was with their phone sales response to my emails. A few minutes after sending the email – I received another phone call (to my answering machine) apologizing for not responding by email. Really they are that clueless.
Don’t encourage bad communication etiquette of any kind – with compromises in accepting them.
At least I know I’ve been doing it right! 🙂 I am super picky and probably over-particular about my emails. I’ll edit, re-read, and re-write it just as much as I do with all my other works. (Love your suggestion about reading it backwards- I never thought of that)
Maybe it’s because most of my emails get sent with submissions to magazines or to music companies who I’m trying to pitch my songs to. In any case, it’ll literally take me half an hour to send an email, and I always thought I was strange because of it. Now I know it’s what I’m supposed to do, so thanks for this article!
“Whatsoever ye do, do unto the glory of God”
Reagan
These email etiquette rules are good to remember. I often am in a rush when sending emails, so I do not notice them right away. Here is the result of my practice (I was applying for a job):
Attn: Human Resources
To Whom it May Concern,
Please accept my cover letter and resume in response to the posting for the position of English Language Tutor with Alfasciences. I believe I would be a valuable member of the Alfasciences’ team because I am hard working and I am qualified for the position.
I would welcome the chance to meet with you to discuss how my qualifications will exceed your expectations. I can provide excellent references upon request. I can be reached at (000) 000-0000 or by email at my.email@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Andrena M. LeBlanc
Thank you, Monica, for a very helpful post. I write my email text in Text-edit that I have on my Mac computer. Being an old-timer I increase the font to 24 to be able to detect mistakes. Then once I am satisfied, I change it back to 12, copy it and paste it in my email. The important thing, for me, is not to be in a hurry to reply to an email, or comment on a post as I am doing now. Even then, almost always I find something I overlooked.
I think we torture ourselves worrying about every little thing that we write in an informal email. But there is no reason to misspell words. With spell check, one can avoid most. Of course, we cannot rely 100 percent on what the computer is telling us.
As to email, WritingBoy, although I am an old-timer, I think it’s the best thing that happened to us. It’s a painless way to communicate with others. Years back, if we send a longhand letter, it takes 3 or 4 days to get to the destination, then sits there for a day or two, then takes just as long for the reply to get back to us. By the time we get that reply we would have forgotten what it was that we have written in the first place. On the other hand, I love to receive letters written longhand with a fountain pen, beautiful handwriting, in jet black ink. Although, I am not sure about the sealing wax.
Hello Monica,
My favorite suggestion is to not put the email address in the “to” box until the email is completely written and ready to send. I have send emails before they are ready one time too many.
How is your novel coming along Monica?
xo
Pamela
Hi Monica,
Thanks for your post. I found all three suggestions to the point, but # 3 is the winner.
Wishing you a Bright and Happy new Year.
Lilian
Good advice here! One thing I don’t care for is when people treat their e-mail to you as a text message. U no what I mean?
I’m back to writing letters. This email stuff is sterile to the enth degree. And, in my opinion, is a spectacular waste of time. Went and bought a sealing wax kit, then some great writing paper. Letters speak.
Another thing to consider is do not use capital letters unless you want to shout or show anger, etc.
Dad always said to never do, say or write anything I wouldn’t want published on the front page of the local newspaper. His advice helps me to remain mindful when writing e-mails or responding to posts on social media. Recipients cannot see your body language or facial expressions so it is imperative to keep the language simple and clean. Write like your efforts will be published on the front page.
If you’re on your work account, assume your email will be read by someone higher up on the food chain than you.
And you’re totally right about point # 2. There is nothing worse than those three page long emails that should have been one or two sentences.
I try to be as meticulous about my emails. Keeping emails short makes sense. It’s something I didn’t think about. But I try to keep in tune with the subject matter. And I try to be aware of my tone. But even then, the message can be misconstrued.
Thank you for the post.
Grammar, spelling, and all other nuances of writing apply heavily to email. I’ve made the mistake using the wrong tone in an email and it could have cost me— thankfully it didn’t. One of the best tips for email composition that I’ve received is to use text expansion. This applies to all writing really, whether it’s a book, email, white paper, or blog article. Long difficult name to spell? Make a snippet. Need to type the date regularly? There’s a snippet for that. Need to write your email signature eight thousand times a day? You guessed it. Snippet. Using text expansion minimizes the chance for errors in crucial parts of your writing and it minimizes the time you spend writing repetitive chunks of text.
Make sure you’ve put the ‘o’ on the end of ‘Hello.’ Please make sure.
Thanks for the great tips, Monica.
The suggestion to read it, bottom-to-top is fantastic! Why in the world haven’t I thought of that before? Thanks for that!