9 Email Mistakes You’re Probably Making--And How To Fix Them
Are your emails too long? Too short?
Sent to too many people? Or at the wrong time? Learn how to say exactly what
you want--without annoying those on the receiving end.
Email. The bane of your existence, a
tool that seems to define many of your waking hours, a mode of communication
invented only two decades ago.
We all use it, some of us love it,
and many of us dread it.
There are plenty of tips and tricks
about making email more efficient--using specific tools like boomerang,
limiting yourself to certain hours per day and chasing the dream of inbox zero.
While email efficiency is a
dream--hacking these communications systems can only take us so far. Important,
too, is hacking yourself to become a better writer so you get more of
what you want through email.
Are your emails getting the results
you want?
When you improve the way you write
and learn how to design better messages, you will resonate with the reader,
improve sharability, and increase the bottom line.
Last week, I caught up with writer,
designer, and strategist Sarah Peck, who teaches workshops on developing effective communication skills. We talked about
using email to get more of what you want and what mistakes everyone is making
in this commonplace communication form.
Here are nine common mistakes you
might be making:
1. Sending emails only when you need
something.
The best time to build any relationship
is before you need something, not waiting until the moment you need something.
A friend of mine gets into the habit of sending five thoughtful emails each
Sunday night to check in with people who he likes, admires, or thinks of. An
email might look like,
Hey, saw some great news about
you—just wanted to say congratulations! I love watching what you’re up to
through my various news feeds, and I wanted to send a note to say how much I
hope you’re doing well.
It’s a great way to remember to
reach out to folks you want to be in touch with, and an actionable way of
practicing gratitude.
2. Forgetting that there’s a person
on the other side of your email.
Just as you wouldn’t walk into a
friend’s house for dinner and bark out a command, often those little niceties
in the intro and end of a message can go a long way. Social cues aren’t dated
constructs; they’re valuable warm-up phrases in communication. Start by saying
hi, comment on someone’s latest achievements, and wish the other person well.
Hey stranger! It’s been a long time.
If Facebook’s telling me the scoop, it looks like you had an eventful
Spring…congrats on all of your successes!
3. Using the first person too much.
Many emails--and essays--are written
exclusively in first person. Shift the focus to the recipient and consider what
they want, need, or would like to hear. After writing an email, scan it quickly
for how many times you use the word “I.” See if you can edit some of them out.
For example: “I’m teaching a new
writer’s workshop this Spring, and I want help sharing the program. I think
you’d be interested in it” (all “I” statements) can be turned into:
Hey, Leslie. A while back we chatted
about ways to improve your writing skills--I wanted to reach out about this
writing workshop for creatives that’s just launched. I thought you might enjoy
taking a look. Let me know if this is what you were looking for.
4. Sending the email at the wrong
time.
Just because you’ve written it now
doesn’t mean it needs to be sent at this exact moment. Delaying the send is
one of the most powerful and underutilized tools of emailing.
Evaluate whether or not the message
is urgent and needs to be replied to immediately. If you’re cleaning up your
inbox during your scheduled time, fire off the messages that are urgent and
consider sending messages in the morning.
Scheduling emails to be sent in 24
or 48 hours gives you (and your clients) space to breathe between nonurgent
projects, and it also sets up a rhythm of communication whereby your client no
longer expects you to reply instantaneously. The more structure and parameter
you give to the form of your messaging, the easier it is for the client to
learn what to expect. You can either train someone to expect instantaneous
answers at all times, or to learn the rhythm that’s best for you and your
business.
Then, in the case of an emergency,
if the client emails and you need to solve the problem straight away, you can
send a quick message late in the evening or on a weekend. In this scenario, you
become the hero to your client.
5. Sending to too many people.
More recipients in the “To” field
does not mean that you’ll necessarily get more answers. In the age of digital
marketing, people who blast messages in broadcast form without understanding
who is in the “to” line can erode their chances of a message being opened. A
perfect email is one that’s sent to exactly who it needs to go to, with a
specified desired outcome.
The more specific you can be about who
you ask, the better. Asking everyone in your network is bound to get you a
bunch of silence in our overconnected world, or unsubscribes and un-follows
across your various platforms. It’s better to ask three people who are very
well equipped to answer your query than 15 people who aren’t interested at all.
The more specific you can get about
who should be receiving the message, the better. One direct ask that results in
a yes is better than asking 50 people who don’t respond (and spamming their
inboxes).
6. Knowing nothing about the person
receiving your email.
Do your homework on the recipient.
One great tool to glean fast information about who you’re talking to is Rapportive, a
sidebar that lets you see the latest public posts (and a picture) of the person
you’re communicating to.
7. Forgetting to send updates or
interim messages.
If you’re waiting for an important
message from someone, the time spent waiting for a delivery can seem
interminable. If there’s a long delay in sending an item that’s highly
anticipated or expected, or you’ve experienced a few hiccups--send a one-liner
email to update your receiver on the status of the project. You’ll know that
you need to send a quick note when you start to get anxious about not
delivering or they seem to be a bit flippant.
Sample copy:
Hey, Sarah. Just wanted to send a
quick update about the delivery of our proposal. We’re set to get you something
by next Friday, but we might be a few days early. Talk to you next week! Let me
know if you have any questions in the meantime.
Hey, Sarah. I know we touched base
last month and I’ve been far too slow in getting back to you. I’m still working
through the pile on my plate, but I should have something in the next 2-3
weeks. Didn’t want to keep you guessing! Talk soon,
8. Making messages too long.
Depending on the nature of the
message, emails can vary from a few words to thousands of words. The longer the
email, the less likely that someone will read the entire thing. Long emails
generally mean that a larger strategy, framework, or document might be in
order. Some companies shift to using four-sentence emails and linking to longer
pieces of work through Google Documents, Asana, or Basecamp (or other project
management software).
9. Using email exclusively.
Efficiency does not necessarily mean
one single system. Often, redundancy in communication can be extremely helpful,
as each tool (video, chat, email, Skype) adds a layer of human nuance back into
the correspondence that’s happening. Laura Roeder’s digital marketing team is
distributed across multiple countries, and in order to stay in touch (and in
concert with each other), they focus on “over-communication,” through the use
of multiple tools at once.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3017198/work-smart/dont-send-yet-9-email-mistakes-youre-probably-making-and-how-to-fix-them?partner=newsletter
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