7/30/2019 How to Write Emails That Get Read

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HOW TO WBITE EMAILS THAT GET READByTedJanusz

magazine editor I work with recently told me, "I get a ton of emailed press releasesthat are a pain. Either they attach multiple huge photos that gum up the works, orthey don't include clear email contact information, or they're all caps and bold and

give me a headache. I'd love to see something about effective emailing."-----'1-^

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Use Font Bolding and ColorsMoving to the body of 1,6111 smail, do not write in para-graphs but use lots of white space. A11 of us have limitedattention spans. Kevin Gao, CEO and founder of Com100,states, "Most users aren't going to read the ftill text ofyour email. They're going to scan it for key points thatthey may be interested in. Keep your text short (sma1lparagraphs or bullets) and use font bolding and additionalcolors to highligl-rt words or phrases that you know willbe important to your users and clients."

RememberWllFM ("What's ln lt for Me?")If you use emails for marketing here is another tip fromOestreicher: "Did you know that 80 percent of email mar-keters send the same content to all oftheir subscribers?Our tip: use segmented lists and divide content based onuser preferences."

Finally, before you hit the "send" button for any emai1,count up the number ofpronouns. The more you's youhave versus the number of I's, and the more "urhat's init for you if you do it my way," the more often you wiilfind your ernails will be opened and read. O

Even though the use of texting and social media rsincreasing email is still the number-one way we com-municate in the office. Accordingto the Radicati Group,the average user sends and receives 115 messages per day.That breaks down to 78 emails received and 37 emailssent. Of the emails received, 13 are spam.

Three Ouestions to Ask Before SendingAs you write an email, ask yourself, "Would I write thisif I knew the person I am u,'riting about would see it?"As I tellmy audiences, if the email is especialll, juicy, youcan bet someone will forward it on to them.

Second, ask, "Would I write this if I knew it wouldbe seen five years from now?" If you have anl,thing emo-tional to say, do it tl-re old-fashioned way and talk to theperson. (Can you believe one major electronics retaileractually used email to conduct a companl.wide 1a1,sff-21

Third, ask, "Would I write this if I knew it would endup on the cover of tomorrou.'s edition of I/SA TODAW"I read an article there that contained excerpts ofemailsbetween an employee and his boss. She was directorof marketing at a major national discount retailer andwas allegedly having a romantic tryst with her malesubordinate. The email excerpts were provided to t1-renewspaper by the man's ex-wife. Remember, like dia-monds, the contents of your emails are forever.The Most lmpoftant Part of an Email is . . .The subject line. No matter how well-u.ritten the body ofyour email, the recipient of y.our email must perceive animmediate benefit if we expect him or her to even openit. According to Mark Oestreicher, director of sales atFarotech, "Most people decide if an email is interestingby previewing it without opening it, based on the sender'semail address and email subject line." About 69 percent ofrecipients make the decision to click on the "report spam"or "junk" button based on the subject 1ine, according tothe Email Sender and Provider Coalition.

Challenge yourself with subject lines. As with thewriting of a text or a tweet, see ifyou can convey yourentire message in the subject line, then add the acronymEOM (for End Of Message), and leave the body of theemail blank. Your recipients will love you for itl

TED JANUSZ is aprofessional speaker

on the topic of"Social Media forBaby Boomers,"

author, and marketingconsultant. He is theauthor of the Soc/a/

Media MarketingGuide for ParkingProfessionals,whichis a free publication

for IPI members andcan be downloaded

from parking.org/socialmediaguide.

He can bereached at ti:*,ie:

jc r : urpi*s*:iteiirrrs.ctt:or 614.440.7 487 .

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