Structure Your E-mail Messages for Maximum Impact

Today, Email is an essential part of doing business. People use it to communicate daily. Some organizations have policies in place that treat E-mail as a business asset, not a personal asset. Thus, from a legal perspective, E-mail is admissible in court. Therefore, it should be given the same attention as traditional forms of correspondence. Let’s face it, for many business people Email has replaced traditional correspondence.

As a writer, it’s important for you to treat all your outgoing messages as if you're writing professional correspondence. Everyone judges you on how you write to them. They expect you, as a professional writer, to uphold the standards of grammar and sentence structure, no matter what the subject of the message.

And when you’re writing to a client or editor, it’s even more important. In most cases, the only way editors get an impression of you is through your Email messages.

Previously, freelance writers sent queries and text by regular mail, then sat back and waited for a reply. Today, using Email, replies come a lot faster. And while an editor may take a few days to reply to a query, it beats waiting weeks or even months for it. However, there are a few editors out there that still cling to the old ways. One editor of an online magazine insisted writers still send quieries and manuscripts by regular mail.

Follow these tips to make your Email messages communicate clearly:

    1. Address one topic per E-mail message.
        Many people reply to E-mail as they read it, so it’s easier to respond if you discuss only one topic per message. If you introduce several topics, they may postpone responding until they can address all the topics covered.
   
    2. Write an informative subject line.
        Phrase the subject line so that it tells the reader what to do in addition to what the message is about. A subject line may read "Send a copy of your  latest issue." A precise subject line can prompt a reader to read your message before others.
   
    3. Avoid long messages.
        Organize your message so that the most important information fits on the first screen. Try to avoid having the receiver scroll to read the remainder of the message.

    4. Make it easy for your reader to respond.
        Word your message so that the reader can get back to you with a "yes/no" answer or a short response. Where possible, use questions instead of statements. Instead of saying, "Let me know your thoughts on my article," ask "Are you going to publish my article?"
   
    5. Include the context of a message in your reply.
        Even if you read a message and respond to it quickly, your colleague may not read your response immediately. The topic may no longer be fresh in his or her mind. The "reply" feature on most e-mail systems allows you to reply to a message and attach the original document. OR, if it’s a longer message, copy section at a time and include your answer directly below it.
   
    6. Change the subject line to reflect a new topic when sending a new message from an old one. 
        Your Email program will automatically include “RE:” in the subject line of your reply. Should you click on a person’s previous message to send a new message, be sure to change the subject line to reflect the new topic. There’s nothing worse than going round and round with multiple “RE:’s” from previous messages. Changing the subject line to reflect a new subject also will help you and your receiver to catalog your messages.

    7. Don’t forget to follow-up if you receive no reply.
        Sometimes E-mail does get lost or dumped into an anti-spam folder and deleted. Allow a reasonable time to pass–hours or days–then send a second message, including a copy of the first message (forward your first message and add a brief note before the message. This is particularly important with time-sensitive material.