Write Killer Email That Gets Action
Besides the telephone, email is one of the most important tools we have for communication at ZURB. At first blush, it may appear that a well-written email has nothing to do with design. However, next to poor visual execution, poorly-written emails are the single biggest factor in bad design projects. It can cause project delays, hinder momentum, and ruin credibility. Make sure the email you send is focused, service oriented and has a clear call to action.
When writing an email, make your subject lines sing so people don't brush off the email without ever reading its message. Make a direct call to action— if you're trying to schedule a call or meeting, put the time and date in the subject line. Write your subject line with its recipient in mind: Will he find this relevant? Will she care about opening the email based on this first impression? To make sure you're setting the right tone, try writing the email message first, then adding the subject line just before sending so your thoughts have had time to crystallize. At ZURB we've seen incredible follow-through when we direct clients in the subject line.
When you're ready to tackle the body of the email, start with the conclusion first— let the reader know just what you want him to do. Don't waste time on long paragraphs; bullet points outlining why you need something are just as effective. Follow up your "why statement" with a "because statement" that indebts the reader to action for an total-package approach for connecting with the recipient. Next to the subject, the first couple lines increases the likelihood of action being taken.
An effective message aligns your needs with benefits to the reader, so be direct but also explain "what's in it for him." Think of your email as a marketing campaign and do what brands do to encourage customers to act on their product suggestions: list three benefits the reader gets by listening to your request.
When you're done, step away from the email for a few minutes, then come back and give it a good once-over. Make sure you've kept the length of your email in check, and pare down any paragraph longer than four sentences. Will your message compel its recipient, does it include a call for action? If the email's content is particularly passionate or negative, scrap it and pick up the phone instead.
The last thing to do before you hit send is to remind yourself once the email leaves your computer, it's no longer sacred or secret. As long as you're okay with your email falling into someone else's hands unexpectedly, then you're good to go.
Project management is important to design, but the short-term gains of good communication are vital as well. Although designers may not be known for their critical thinking skills, using these tips to craft excellent email messages lets other business people know you can speak their language.
8 comments
Dave (ZURB) says
Email can make or break a client relationship. In today's tech-centric world, email has become the de facto standard for communication, so understanding how to use it effectively is critical to developing and maintaining those critical relationships. Emails should be professional and actionable, but still retain your own personal style. I hate getting emails that have no real "voice" to them - make sure to let your own personality shine through - at least a litte :)
Roeland (ZURB) says
It's also a great repository of communications. I constantly refer back, and a well written email with clear calls to action, compelling titles, visual guidance and bullets instead of turgid blox of text really helps you quickly re-connect with a client, vendor or business associate.
Matt (ZURB) says
Writing professional and well organized emails is critical because of their tendency to show up later as evidence. It's a great tool for setting expectations, but if you need to have a difficult conversation that's best done in person or on the phone (sans recording devices).
If you absolutely have to communicate some strong feelings via email it's best to use a cool down period. Write the email and save it as a draft, come back and hour later and see if you still feel the same way.
If this reminds you of the time outs you used to get for hitting your sibling then maybe you should reconsider why you are sending hate mail in the first place. I mean really.
Dmitry (ZURB) says
It’s sometimes funny for me to state “conclusion first†in an email. This is mostly to the fact that I was born and raised in Soviet Union where explanation leading up to a conclusion is how you formally conversed.
As a kid if I was taught to lead into my conclusion with a thorough explanation. It was almost impolite to state a conclusion before explaining what your reasons are to back it up. You could start a lot of trouble by stating the conclusion first since people might interpret conclusion the wrong way without listening to your explanation. In addition to this: in all the writing, poetry, art which I was taught in early age there was an explanation and then a lesson to remember at the end. So it just stuck with me: “conclusion lastâ€.
Having spent almost half my life here in America I understand the need for conclusion first now and of course try to use it in my emails. In business things move quick, you need to get to the bottom of it right away. What do you want me to do? Why would I do that? I have 20 other emails I could be reading now. I need the info quick.
I must say that even though I know I should state conclusion first, something deep inside me is still wrestling with this fact. :)
Jeremy (ZURB) says
Emails are one of those crucial pieces of communication that we overlook. We do it so much, it's easy to slack and keep bad habits.
To me emails are less about now than they are about setting up the next 2-3 steps. I can go back to one experience a couple of years ago where a well-crafted email reframed a problem that threatened to bubble up and reverse a lot of good decisions right at the end of project. We needed to setup a meeting to wrap up work and make sure engineering knew how to move forward.
I stopped, visualized the outcome I knew would work best for everyone involved, and sent the email. It was amazing how much smoother the wrap up meeting went. That email averted maybe $15,000 in lost opportunity from spinning wheels on both sides and helped drive the project into its completion stage.
(Note: The problems that bubbled up turned out to not be showstoppers as originally feared. One of them turned into an opportunity our client pursued with their very next release. Instead of delaying a project and feeling like they were reversing a decision and falling behind, they felt a little bit ahead on the next one.)
Tanya (ZURB) says
Especially when a team is working remotely, it's natural for a client to worry about how their money is being spent, what you're doing, whether they're going to get what they need, etc. Clear, action-oriented emails with a concrete roadmap are great for keeping them comfortable and confident as the project moves along.
It's like writing documentation or commenting code - it can feel like a lot of work up front, but it saves huge headaches later on.
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