Email writing skills remains one of the most widely used business skills of the modern age, especially for internal communication. But what makes it challenging to work with is its character limitation (160 characters), awkward grammar usage, and a high chance of ending up in the recipient’s spam folder. We all know how essential good email etiquette is in the modern digitalized world, but many people struggle to put their best words into action. According to a recent survey, 65% of employees say they often feel pressured to respond to emails without giving enough thought to their content, tone, or appropriateness for that medium. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to make your emails more effective and engaging. Read on for our Styrex email writing tips to help you improve your email writing skills in 2022!
Know your audience
Your email audience is the group of recipients with whom you want to communicate. You must first define your target audience before writing an email. This can be done by taking into account their demographics, such as age, gender, and location. It can also be done by taking note of your email recipient’s interests and behaviors. For example, if someone frequently receives promotional emails, they might be a good candidate for a newsletter about new products.
One thing to keep in mind is that each recipient of your email will have a different response to it. Some people may not open it at all. Others may quickly delete it without reading past the first few lines. Thus, it is important to consider the time of day when sending an email, as well as the context in which it will be read (i.e., at your own residence or office/work). So, when all facts are taken into consideration, what we can understand is that one of the most important email writing skills is to know the audience. Before you even begin drafting an email, take the time to think about your audience. Who will be reading your email? What is their role? What is their business or life goal? What are their pain points? How will your email help them achieve their goals? Knowing your audience will help you choose the right tone, content, and format. Also, you’ll be able to determine if you need to CC or BCC a certain person. The best way to know your audience is by conducting a SWOT analysis. Researching your potential future customers will take a part in improving your email writing skills for the better.
Write with a conversational tone
Another email writing tip is to write with a conversational tone. The key here is that you are not writing a novel or a research paper. A conversational tone is a way you talk to friends, family, or colleagues in person. Keep your sentences short, avoid overly complex words, and use contractions (e.g., don’t, can’t, won’t, etc.) whenever possible. An email is a great tool for communicating with people, but it can feel impersonal and detached if you’re not careful. To make your emails feel more personal, you can use a specific conversational tone based on the occasion. This means writing in an ideally conversational way: natural, friendly, and simple. It’s not about sounding like a robot or being overly formal or over-the-top. Rather, it’s about being natural and friendly and making sure that your tone matches the content of your email. For example, if you’re writing an introductory email to someone, be sure to include some warm greetings and pleasantries (small talk) right at the beginning of your email. In addition to being friendly and welcoming, this will help set the tone for the rest of the email so that it feels more personal and less formal than most business emails tend to feel.
Keep in mind, it’s not necessary to write a formal letter or use a completely professional tone either – just be yourself! That’s the most important thing. However, be careful not to overdo it. You want your emails to be natural, organic, friendly, easy-to-read, and approachable but not overly casual. For example, if you’re emailing your CEO, don’t use words like “dude” or “like”. This is a simple, yet core requirement in your email writing skills. Keeping the reader engaged and trusted is your main goal.
Don’t forget the greeting and sign off
Next on our email writing tips is to not forget the greeting and sign off. Welcome, and sign-off emails are an important part of any business. They help build a relationship with customers and keep them coming back.
You should start each email with a friendly greeting, such as Hello (or Hi, or Hey), and end it with a clear sign-off, such as Thanks for reading! These two sentences are the most important parts of your email. If you write good ones, your readers will be happy to see them and feel like they have been heard. If you write bad ones, they will ignore them or maybe even delete them. So, make sure you practice writing good greetings and sign-offs that you even use in your day-to-day normal life, so you can improve your skills over time. First, keep in mind, the greeting is whatever you want it to be. It is, however, important to maintain consistency throughout your team. For example, if you usually write “Hello (name),” don’t change it to “Good afternoon (name).” The greeting is actually a very important part of the email because it helps set the tone for the rest of your message, as we discussed in the previous tip. It should be natural, friendly, to the point, and simple. The sign-off, on the other hand, is optional. If you don’t have a standard sign-off, just leave the email like this: Bye, Hope to hear from you soon! Yours faithfully, Your name. Easy as that.
Use an essential format for all emails
Another email writing tip is to use an essential format for all emails. When it comes to emails, there are three basic formats: long-form, short-form, and transactional. Long-form emails are the most common and should be used when you’re writing an informative message with a lot of detail. Short-form emails are more concise, so they should be used for requests or links. Transactional emails are used when sending messages related to sales, such as order confirmations or shipping notifications. This Basic Idea will help you stay consistent and ensure your readers know what to expect from your emails. One of the best ways to do this is by using email marketing software. Email marketing software can help you create beautiful email campaigns that engage your audience. It can also analyze your campaigns so you can optimize them for maximum results. And if you have a mailing list, it can help you keep in touch with your subscribers. You can send them newsletters or run promotions that they’re interested in.
However, be sure to check with your manager or team lead for any company-wide email standards. The essential format for all emails includes the following: – The subject line of your email should be brief and direct so that the recipient can determine whether they should read your email immediately. If you can’t write a concise subject line, you may want to consider rewriting your email. – The body of your email should contain the main points of your message. If you need to include details or additional information, you can place them in the attachments. One of the email writing tips is to keep your emails short and to the point. This is also a part of your email writing skills.
Use the right words
Another part of email writing skills is to use the right words at the right time. Words have a huge impact on how your message is received. For example, people are more receptive to emails that contain the words “we” and “our” versus “I” and “my.” Certain words can increase your email open rates while others can decrease them. This is why it’s important to choose the right words to use in your emails. Here are a few email writing tips to help you select the right words: – Use numbers and statistics: Numbers and statistics are extremely persuasive, especially in emails. If you have numbers, statistics, or other data that supports your position, include them in your email. – Be clear about your request: Don’t be shy about what you want from your readers. Make it clear what you are expecting from them. – Sincerity and honesty: Be honest and sincere. Readers can sense insincerity and dishonesty. – Avoid jargon: Don’t use jargon unless it’s necessary. It can confuse and alienate readers who might not understand it. – Check for spelling and grammar errors: Nothing screams “I’m unprofessional” like poor spelling and grammar. This is one of the email writing skills that is obvious but often overlooked.
Summing up
In this digital age, email has become the center of our business communications. However, not everyone is natural when it comes to writing emails. Many people find it challenging to know what to write in their email messages. Fortunately, there are some simple tips you can follow to improve your skills and make your emails more effective. As we all know in this modern era, Email Marketing or Email Writing Skills cannot be taken for granted as it is one of the most common ways for businesses to communicate with modern-day customers. Not to mention, we send and receive emails for work, social activities, school, friends, and family too. It is estimated that the average person sends about 125 emails a day, business-related or not! Email is also a very convenient way for you to reach out to your potential customers and continue staying in touch with big brand names. Unfortunately, many emails are read as they come and often ignored as unimportant. This is because many emails are uninteresting, filled with irrelevant information, or forgettable.
So, all facts considered, the image that you create as a company can be greatly influenced by how you communicate over email. If you want people to read your emails and take you seriously, they must be concise and well-written – not riddled with typos or spelling mistakes! Finally, consider Joining our Styrex Management Training and Development Course to Improve your skills more as well! Hopefully, our email writing tips helped you to improve your skills in 2022 and in years to come.
