Effective Business Emails

Robert Baldwin
Aug 9, 2017 · 2 min read

Email is part of day-to-day life. Writing work emails is nothing new. Yet as with anything, there is room for improvement. Here are some tips to save time, and work smarter with emails.

  1. Use better subject lines. Whenever I prepare an email, I try to indicate in the subject line if something specific is needed or if the email is just for informational purposes only. Examples: Approval needed on… or Information on… The subject line is also a great place to indicate if something is urgent. Example: Urgent needed by August 10th.
  2. Use headings and bullets. We are a generation of skimmers. If your action items are buried within a lengthy unformatted email, what do you think will happen when Jane scans her emails as she drops the kids off for school? Underline or highlight key items. Make it easy to read.
  3. Escalation. Sometimes people get frustrated when they send an email with an action item that’s ignored or missed. If you are working with someone who is notorious for this, include a simple statement such as: Hi so and so, It looks like we needed this on the 15th. If we don’t have it by Friday, it may delay the…(project, case, whatever). Can you have it ready today?
  4. Pick up the damn phone. Have you ever had an email thread that’s went back and forth several times? The general business rule for email responses is 24 hours. Just calling the person is way more helpful than sending 10 emails.
  5. If so, if not, then what? One of the easiest ways to make a bigger impact and save time is to add contingencies. For example: Is the case ready for Ms. Ruiz? If so, can you send it to me and cc Karen? If not, will you let me know when I can expect it?
  6. Explain why. When people read an email where you’re asking for something or denying something, they don’t always understand the reason behind it. They won’t see the urgency or necessity. It helps to throw in a short phrase: Please send over the XYZ report by Thursday, so that I can review it with… and get your check ready.
  7. Keep it short and sweet. The best email is a short email. We get so many emails these days; you need to convey your message succinctly.

Thanks for reading! :) If you enjoyed it, hit that heart button. Would mean a lot to me and it helps other people see the story.

Robert Baldwin

Written by

Writer. Project Manager. Sorcerer. SF.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade