Newsletter 001
Emails 1/4: The Structure
Probably the most important thing to think about when starting an email is its structure. Now, when we say structure, it doesn’t mean we should go over the top and invest too much time into tiniest details possible, but rather to simply focus on composing a well-organized email that is easy to read and understand.
Over the course of one month, we will be improving one example email step by step so that you can easily follow and remember the changes that will lead you towards composing your own emails worth reading. Let’s take a look at the original first:
Not great, not terrible, right? But how can we improve it? First things first:
- Split the only one paragraph into at least two and leave a blank line before and after each of them — the sender will come across as professional, well-organized, and thoughtful.
- Reorganize ideas — one paragraph should contain one topic that is well covered. This will result in the recipient spending less time reading the email due to all the points being clearly presented.
Although there is still much to improve, we can already see how nice and clean the second email looks just by comparing it to the first one. Organization and the ‘enter’ button really are powerful when used properly.
How we write emails is subjective and goes from one person to another; however, we will cover the basic steps and set an email outline within which every writer has their own freedom to develop their personal style:
- Introduction: short and simple (Dear, To whom it concerns… )
- Brief pleasantry (optional): usually expected, referring to the previous email (Thank you for your contribution/inquiry/help/interest/etc.)
- Reason for writing: the main part of the email — can be split into more paragraphs if necessary and if there are different topics that need to be addressed (The issue we discussed / On behalf of Symphony / etc.)
- Call to action: what is asked from the recipient (If it is possible, please send)
- Signing out (optional): usually expected, same as that brief pleasantry at the beginning (I look forward to hearing from you)
- Signature: short and simple (Kind regards, Sincerely…)
- Postscript (optional): additional information (P.S. Our next meeting is…)
In the next Newsletter, we will be focusing on the intro/outro parts along with some tips on using proper titles when addressing people. Until then, remember to set the basic outline structure in the way we covered it here before we continue to polish your email writing style.
Take care!
