Your Emails Suck. These 3 Rules Will Make Them Exponentially Better

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• August 29, 2014
• By Sara Frandina
• 9 Comments

We write a novel’s length of emails in a year, according to copywriting pro Alexandra Franzen. Now, that’s pretty subjective — like the difference between The Babysitters Club and Atlas Shrugged — but, you get the idea. You’re more likely to maintain a relationship by typing up an email and hitting send than by picking up the phone and flexing those vocal chords.

And in most cases, that’s A-OK. But in the madness of non-stop emailing, have you lost your sense of value for the tool? Let’s bring it back, because every single email you send is a chance to improve your network.

Effective email networking

Email can be a valuable tool to build your network both in-person and online. It’s crucial to following up from in-person meetings or interviews, expanding conversations that started on social media or pitching your favorite blog’s editor. And even in your daily back-and-forth with colleagues, each email presents an opportunity to earn their respect, trust and admiration.

But to make your emails work harder for you (and the person you’re corresponding with), follow these few rules to nail each email from the get-go.

Rule #1: Be brief

Brevity, just like in the boardroom, is clutch in emails. Most people are easily overwhelmed by the enormity of their inbox for two reasons:

• They have far too many emails coming in
• The emails they receive might as well be books (As in, print out the PDF and take it along on your next bathroom break)

Don’t let your emails follow this trend. In fact, a brief email, no matter who’s reading it, can pack 10x more punch if it’s three lines or less.

Here’s the key: Get right to the point. Don’t scurry or beat around the bush. Open the email with exactly why you’re emailing.

Hi John. I was so pleased to meet you at the convention last week, and I’d love to get together to continue the conversation we started on social media marketing.

Bam. He knows exactly what you want.

Rule #2: Be helpful

Open-ended questions leave a lot of room for indecision. If it’s within your ability, propose a solution to your question.

How does coffee next Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at the Starbucks on Smith Street sound?

If the time frame or location doesn’t work, they’ll let you know. But you’ve just eliminated at least one wishy washy and unhelpful message asking what they had in mind. Give concrete options that can help the person make a decision more quickly.

Rule #3: Be conversational

Don’t forget to be yourself. It’s entirely possible to be personable and professional at the same time. Use a conversational tone, and close the email by referring to something you both have in common, a conversation you had or something you know they care about.

By the way — how about those Red Sox? Can you believe they came back last night?

Adding a personal element shows you’ve paid attention to the details. It can be a link to a video, a fun resource you think they might appreciate or a caring inquiry as to how their latest trip went. Take the time to do your research and infuse it with your personality — it will resonate. Tools like Rapportive make this even easier by giving you a glimpse of your correspondent right within Gmail.

Put it all together, and here’s what it looks like:

Hi, John -

I was so pleased to meet you at the convention last week, and I’d love to get together to continue the conversation we started on social media marketing.

How does coffee next Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at the Starbucks on Smith Street sound?

By the way — how about those Red Sox? Can you believe that come back last night?

Take care!

Suzy

There you have it. In three lines, you’ve respectfully caught the attention of your potential connection, set up a coffee date and made it easy for them to give you a “Sure, see you there!” or respond with an alternative.

Rekindling the love of email

Once you learn to leverage email as a relationship building tool, you’ll no longer feel bitter every time an email notification pops up. In fact, you’ll see it as an opportunity.

Building your network with email communication is effective and simple if you use it respectfully. (Click here to tweet this quote.)

And if you can’t abide by brevity and tact, I’ll make a simple suggestion: Take a sip of water, clear your throat and pick up the phone, friend.

Sara Frandina is a New York-based copywriter + editor with a relentless love of words and an insatiable appetite for books, travel and popcorn. She spends her days happily creating copy + crafting content for her clients at sarafrandina.com.

Brazen powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our lifestyle and career blog, Brazen Life, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious professionals navigating the changing world of work.