A 5-step simple email structure to writing an impactful email
Texting may have a one up on communications, but when it comes to scaling professional discussions, most of it happens on email or chat (the latter, mostly for internal communications). If you're looking to get the attention of someone you know or don't know, here is how you should structure your email to get the response you want.
First of all, remember that people have short attention spans. If you receive a long email, you are likely not inclined to read it and just move on. Don't make that mistake. Keep your content short, to the point, and make it easy to follow and take action on. There are 5 parts to a strong email:
Open your email with a personalized note. Use your logic based on the person you're engaging, but ensure that the opening statement is relevant and gets their attention in a way that makes them want to read on. This could be a personal note about something you have in common (see LinkedIn for help there, like a common school or language), a reference to a story you read about them online, or anything that will make them see you did your research and are reaching out informed. Basically, Google the person. If this is related to a company you’re interested in, Google that and hit “news” to see any recent press releases or news updates. It’s a great hack.
Once you've hooked them in, provide context as to why you're reaching out. 1-3 sentences max to set up the purpose of your outreach.
Next include supporting points. Use bullets or #s to keep this clean. This should support the context through proof points. Depending on the reason for your outreach, this could include data points, references to links or general information. If at any point you're supporting points of information gets too long, reference that you’ve included details below and add the longer information below your signature. This is VERY important in maintaining the recipient’s attention. If doing this, ensure you have ample empty space under your email before this content starts so it looks clean. Title the sections under your signature too so there’s context on what the information is.
Close the email with your CTA (Call-to-Action). This is where you ask what you need from that person. Be to-the-point but do it in an eloquent way, and if there is an associated deadline include the date. Don’t come off condescending here; ask nicely and give context on why the timing matters (for example, if it’s tied to an event, a moment, will inform other events etc).
Thank the person and include your signature capturing your first name, last name. phone #, and hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile. Hyperlink means that it's embedded into a word, versus a link being pasted into the email (this will make it look long and messy). Don’t get hung up on how you end the email. You can simply stick with “Thank you” versus analyzing “Best” or “Sincerely” etc.
A few principles to keep in mind:
Don't go "exclamation point" happy. You can be and express excitement and still use periods.
Remove any filler words that are not necessary (usually these are tougher verbally but ensure you don't have any likes, um’s, and similar words).
Re-read your note out loud and in your head before sending it.
Hot tip: If you're reaching out to someone you don't know that also doesn’t work at your company, add the letters and colon "Re:" into your subject line before the subject itself. This is usually auto populated after someone has already responded, so if a receipt that doesn't know you sees this, they may think they already have a conversation going with you, therefore increasing the chances of it being opened.
Remember to follow up on your note. If you're sending this to someone you don't know you may not receive a response the first time. You can go to your original email and hit “reply all” for the note to auto populate in your follow up, and say something like “I just wanted to confirm my below note made it through about [xx]. OR Does it make sense to [xx]. Are you available to xx [insert CTA]. Thank you! - Close with signature.