It’s now September, which means a whole lot of great things. First and foremost, it’s back to school season, and that means one thing: more email.
In fact, according to HubSpot Blogs research, between 85% and 90% of executives say they’re frequently overwhelmed by email. And that’s a problem, because effective email is a necessary evil in today’s business world.
The ability to write effective email has never been more important, because while traditional methods of ‘conversation’ may have worked for face-to-face communication, effective email allows for more efficient, fast, and flexible communication.
Think about it: instead of struggling to have a conversation with a professor over email, you could be engaging with them while still keeping your other communications open. And that means you could be more productive while remaining collaborative.
However, despite how important it is, creating effective email can seem almost impossible. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 72% of executives say email is a significant challenge, and 71% say it’s sometimes overwhelming.
To make matters worse, email is changing. With the rise of instant messaging platforms like Slack and Zoom, email has become more transient. People are now receiving and responding to email less often, which makes it evenmore important that you write effective emails.
What’s more is that while the recipients of your emails may not always be profesors, your emails are still getting read and considered by people who matter, which makes it even more important that you write effective emails.
What is effective email?
Before we get started, it’s important to establish what effective email is. As previously stated, email has always been important. However, the type and volume of emails we’re receiving now is significantly different from what it was just a few years ago.
Thanks to the rise of the digital nomad, isolationist working practices, and the constant stream of information, email has become a significant source of communication for everyone, from business partners to academics.
While email has always been important, it’s transformed into something more. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 69% of executives say email is more of a lifeline than a challenge. While the content of your emails might not always be about work, your emails are still considered vital to your success.
What this means is that your emails are being looked at for important information, and this makes it even more necessary that you write effective emails. So while it’s never been more important to write emails that are effective, it’s also become more important to write emails that will be considered effective. So, what is effective email?’
The Importance of Collaboration
With the increase of email comes a significant amount of collaboration through email. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 83% of executives say they regularly collaborate with others through email.
However, while we might be used to working remotely, getting everyone in the same room for a face-to-face conversation isn’t always possible. This is where collaborative tools like Slack and Zoom come in.
This is also why it’s incredibly important to develop a plan for your email. The ability to write effective emails has never been more important, because while you might be able to get something done alone, you’ll be able to get more accomplished with the right team.
Subject Lines that Make Them Click
According to HubSpot Blogs research, nearly 75% of executives say they read email subject lines to get the information they need. This makes it even more important to write emails with effective subject lines. However, while most of us start with an easy-to-remember headline, sometimes a shorter subject line can work better.
For example, instead of writing ‘Summer vacation starts in three weeks. Need someone to book travel arrangements,’ you could write ‘Booking travel arrangements for summer vacation is essential.’ Not only is the second line shorter, but it’ll also make the email more digestible.
The Rise of the Task-Based Email
While email has always been important, how we use it has changed. Thanks to the collaborative tools that make group tasks easy to coordinate and keep track of, we’re now seeing a shift.
Rather than using email to just send attachments or discuss the details of a story, we’re using it to organize our work. This includes assigning tasks to different people, following up, and keeping everyone informed.
This is why it’s important to think about how you want your email to be used. Does the professor you’re writing to just want to discuss course content or do you need to set up a meeting? Does your boss want to give you more responsibilities or just check up on you?
The best way to write effective emails is by considering the use of the email. While it may be easy to get lost in the mechanics of writing a solid email, you should consider whether or not the email will be read and acted upon by the person you’re writing to. The most effective way to write is by considering how the recipient will interact with it, and that means you should start by considering how you want the email to be used.