Email Writing Best Practices

Got an email from a colleague I've known for three years. Drinks after conferences. Inside jokes. His daughter plays soccer. Subject line: Strategic Alignment for Q3. Flawless formatting. Perfect grammar. Professionally upbeat. Every bullet precisely spaced. I felt absolutely nothing. Closed it without responding. Here's what's actually happening: for decades, polish was proof of effort. A well-written message meant someone cared enough to craft it. AI severed that connection completely. Now a perfect email could be 30 minutes of real thought or 3 seconds of prompting, and the recipient cannot tell. So we don't trust any of it. Not dramatically. Not consciously. But in the slow, cumulative way that hollows out working relationships over time. Each frictionless message becomes a little harder to take seriously. Each exchange feels more like a transaction, less like a conversation. There's a concept in evolutionary biology called costly signaling. A peacock's tail is trusted precisely because it's expensive to grow. Cheap signals carry no weight. AI communication costs nearly zero to produce. The recipient, consciously or not, values it accordingly. And when everyone in an org uses the same tools, something stranger happens: the voices converge. AI is a probability engine. It gravitates toward average phrasing, standard structure, safest tone. Use it to smooth your communication and you're not saving time, you're deleting your own fingerprint. Before your next important message, ask one question: is there a single sentence here that could only have come from me? If no, the message might land. But it won't build anything. The polished email costs nothing to produce. That's precisely why it costs everything to trust. Link to the full essay in the comments below.

How to Write Cold Emails That Actually Get Replies Cold emailing can feel like shooting arrows in the dark—most get ignored. But with the right approach, your emails can land opportunities instead of in the spam folder. Here’s how: 1. Subject Line is King • Keep it short & personalized (e.g., “Quick Question, [First Name]?” or “Loved Your Work on [Project]”). • Avoid spammy words like “Free,” “Limited Offer,” or “Act Now.” 2. Get to the Point (Fast!) • Nobody has time for long intros. State your purpose in the first two lines. • Example: “Hi [Name], I saw your work on [Project] and found it insightful. I’d love to connect and discuss [Specific Interest].” 3. Personalization Over Copy-Paste • Mention something specific about them—their work, recent post, or company. • Example: “I noticed your team at [Company] recently launched [Product]. The strategy behind it was brilliant.” 4. Value Over Ask • Instead of immediately asking for a favor, show how you can help them. • Example: “I’ve been working on [related topic] and found insights that might interest you.” 5. Clear and Low-Effort CTA • Make it easy for them to respond. Instead of “Let me know when you’re free,” try: • “Would love to chat—does Tuesday at 3 PM work for a quick 10-minute call?” 6. Follow Up Without Being Annoying • If no response, follow up in 3-5 days with a short, polite nudge. • Example: “Just wanted to check if you had a chance to look at my last email. Happy to connect whenever convenient.” Cold emails aren’t about luck—they’re about strategy. Master this, and you’ll turn cold contacts into warm opportunities. Remember one cold email and application on portal made me land up in JPMC. Have a cold email tip that worked for you? Drop it in the comments.

9 Email Formats That Could Make You More Money Today: (from a $200M+ Email Marketer) 1. Story Email: A storytelling email that shows how your product can solve a relatable problem. How to Implement This: Start with a story that reflects your audience’s pain points. Show how your product solves the problem. End with a clear CTA that encourages action. Pro Tip: Make your story specific and visual to help the reader relate. 2. Customer Reviews Email: Use real customer feedback to build trust and drive conversions. How to Implement This: Feature 2-3 genuine customer reviews, with photos or videos if possible. Focus on the most impactful benefits. End with a CTA that encourages action. Pro Tip: Use reviews that address common objections from potential customers. 3. Plain Text Email: A simple, personal email with no fancy design. How to Implement This: Write like you're talking directly to a friend. Keep the format minimal—just text. Focus on building trust and being authentic. Pro Tip: Ask a question to get engagement from the reader. 4. Made-Up Holiday Email: Use quirky holidays to catch attention and drive sales. How to Implement This: Find a holiday on NationalToday .com that relates to your product. Connect your promotion to the holiday in a fun way. Add urgency with a time-sensitive offer. Pro Tip: Keep the holiday connection natural, don’t force it. 5. Anniversary Email: Celebrate your brand’s milestones and thank your audience with a special offer. How to Implement This: Share your brand’s story and important moments. Offer a limited-time discount as a thank you to your audience. Pro Tip: Make your audience feel part of your brand’s journey. 6. Offer Email: A simple email promoting a special offer. How to Implement This: Present a clear offer (e.g., BOGO, discount, or free shipping). Use a direct CTA that encourages immediate action. Keep the messaging focused on the offer’s benefits. Pro Tip: Make the offer feel exclusive to email subscribers. 7. Consistent-Format Email: A recurring email that provides value in a predictable format. How to Implement This: Choose a format (e.g., “Top 5 Tips” or “Product Highlights”). Keep it consistent (weekly, bi-weekly) to build trust. Always deliver valuable, actionable content. Pro Tip: Consistency helps build a loyal audience. 8. Guest Post Email: A strategy to grow your list by featuring content from others. How to Implement This: Reach out to a creator or brand in your niche and ask to write a guest post. Include a CTA inviting readers to join your list for more valuable content. Pro Tip: Make sure the post is relevant and provides value to the new audience. 9. Hype Email: Build excitement before a major launch or special offer. How to Implement This: Send 2-3 emails before the launch, each highlighting different benefits. Focus on urgency and how this offer will benefit your audience. Pro Tip: Create scarcity to encourage immediate action.

Your emails say more about you than you think. 👇 Here’s how to make every email polished and professional. Acknowledge Delays Gracefully ✘ "Sorry for the late response." ✔ "Thank you for your patience." Be Clear with Requests ✘ "Let me know what works for you." ✔ "Could you confirm if this works for you?" Own Your Mistakes ✘ "Sorry, I missed that." ✔ "Thanks for pointing that out—I’ll fix it right away." Close Emails Effectively ✘ "Let me know if you need anything." ✔ "Feel free to reach out if you have any questions." Make Follow-Ups Professional ✘ "Just following up on this." ✔ "When can I expect an update on this?" Show Respect for Their Time ✘ "Can we talk about this soon?" ✔ "Would you have 15 minutes this week to discuss this?" Be Confident, Not Tentative ✘ "I think we should consider…" ✔ "Here’s what I propose we do." Avoid Wordy Explanations ✘ "I spent a lot of time rewriting this to make it perfect." ✔ "This email outlines the key points—we can discuss more in person." Offer Solutions, Not Problems ✘ "I’m not sure what to do here." ✔ "Here’s what I suggest as the next step—what are your thoughts?" Set Clear Expectations ✘ "Does this make sense?" ✔ "Let me know if this aligns with your expectations." Be Polite When Asking for Help ✘ "I need this ASAP." ✔ "Would you be able to assist me with this by [specific deadline]?" Keep It Professional When Scheduling ✘ "What time works for you?" ✔ "Are you available at [specific time and date]? If not, let me know what works instead." Emails reflect your professionalism. Get them right, and you’ll always leave a great impression. ➞ Start today by refining your communication style. -- Think this could help someone? Share it to improve the way they communicate. ♻️

Last week, a $2M ARR SaaS founder showed me their "high-converting" cold email template. It was the same template I’d seen on LinkedIn.. and even in my own inbox.. more times than I can count. Word for word: → "I noticed you work in [industry]..." → "Quick question about [pain point]..." → "Would love to show you how we help companies like [competitor]..." Here’s what no template guru talks about: Your buyers are getting that exact same message from other founders too. They can spot templates from a mile away. The founder was baffled… “But this template has a 15% reply rate!” Maybe. For whoever used it first. Once it’s been copy-pasted across LinkedIn and every “growth hack” newsletter, it’s dead. The real problem with template culture: It makes you sound just like everyone else trying to sell to your buyer. And when you sound like everyone else, you get ignored like everyone else. What actually works in 2025? Stop optimizing for "reply rates." Start optimizing for qualified conversation rates. I’d rather get 2 replies from buyers who actually need what we do than 20 replies from people just asking to be removed from our list. The PipeBagger approach? 👍 We don’t use templates. We use frameworks. 👍 We research the buyer’s real business situation—their tech landscape, their company’s growth challenges. 👍 Then we write ONE message that speaks directly to their reality. Is it scalable? Maybe not instantly. Is it effective? Absolutely. Think AI emails are better than templates? Worse. Buyers' inbox flags them, and even readers can smell the AI lingo. Your message template isn’t your competitive advantage. Your ability to understand what your buyer actually needs to hear is. Stop copying. Start connecting. Have you ever caught yourself using the same template as your competitors? What changed when you ditched it? #B2B #Founder #BuyerCertainty #ColdEmailing #SocialSelling

Emaill marketing is not DEAD. It’s just… boring PAINFULLY boring. Scrolling-through-20-newsletters-while-my-eyes-glaze-over boring. Most brand emails I get?? Lost. Deleted. Gone forever in the abyss between a Sephora sale announcement and a toothpaste subscription reminder. And honestly, can you blame anyone??? Half of these emails still read like: “LAST CHANCE!!!! 20% OFF. BUY. NOW.” It’s giving… 2014 Not Q4 of the most competitive year beauty has ever seen. But here’s the thing, some beauty brands are getting it right!!! There are a feeew things working right now. And It’s actually very simple AND very human! n 1. Storytelling BEATS shouting! Brands like rhode skin, Glossier, Inc. don’t email you. They talk to you. Short. Warm. Editorial. Feels like a friend, not a funnel n 2. Education as currency Kosas emails about ingredients. Summer Fridays emails about routines. Glow Recipe emails about skin moods. They don’t say “BUY.” They say “Here’s something you’ll care about.” n 3. Micro-personalization!!! Not “Hi {FIRST NAME}.” Buuuuut: - shade-based recommendations - refill reminders - behavior-based nudges Not creepy. Just helpful. n 4. Low frequency, high intention The best brands aren’t emailing every day. They’re emailing when they actually have something worth opening. (Shocking, I knowwww, did you even read my last post??) n 5. Design that feels like content, not an ad Less banners. More editorial clean, digestible layouts. Like opening a mini magazine on your phone. Because the thing is.. People don’t actually hate emails. They hate IRRELEVANT emails. So next time, think before sending an email.. If you wouldn’t open it, no one else will... Email isn’t dying. Bad content is!

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬: 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. I didn’t realize how many problems were coming from “okay” emails until I started working on fast-moving projects. Delays, confusion, back-and-forth, most of it wasn’t complexity. It was unclear communication. So I started using a simple structure that works almost every time. Here’s the template: 📍Start with context (1–2 lines): Why are you writing this email? “Following up on our discussion on X…” “Sharing an update on Y…” This aligns the reader instantly. 📍State the purpose clearly What do you want from this email? “Objective: Finalize vendor selection for Phase 1.” No guessing. No ambiguity. 📍Add key points (3–5 bullets max) Only what matters. • Current status • Key issue/blocker • Relevant data/decision point If it’s longer, it’s not clear enough. 📍Call out the action required This is where most emails fail. “Action required: Please confirm Option A or B by EOD Friday.” Be specific on who, what, and by when. 📍Close with clarity, not politeness fluff Avoid: “Let me know your thoughts.” Instead: “Once confirmed, we will proceed with implementation.” This one change reduced back-and-forth significantly for me. Because most communication problems aren’t about intelligence. They’re about structure. People don’t need more information. They need clarity on what matters and what to do next. Before sending your next email, ask yourself: Can someone read this in 30 seconds and know exactly what to do? If not, rewrite it. #Communication #Productivity #WorkplaceSkills #Consulting #ProfessionalGrowth #CareerTips #EmailWriting

Inaccessibility is all around us - but sometimes we’re doing it without even realising. I’ve made every one of these mistakes in the past. It wasn’t until someone took the time to point them out that I learned how inaccessible I was being - despite having good intentions. Here are 5 ways you might be being inaccessible, without even knowing: 1. Long LinkedIn headlines or overuse of emojis. Screen reader users hear your full headline every single time you post or comment. Every. Single. Time. Even when it’s truncated visually. That can mean hearing your full job title, emojis, and taglines multiple times before even reaching your post content. Try to keep your headline under 100 characters or two lines max - it makes a huge difference. 2. Long email signatures, HTTP links, and unlabelled images. Screen readers will read out every line - including things like “H-T-T-P-colon-slash-slash…” for full URLs. Images without alt text are completely invisible to screen reader users. Keep it short and simple, and use alt text wherever you can. Put only essential info in your email signature and put two dashes at the top to signal your signature is starting. And remember, it’s not your marketing tool. When was the last time you actually bought something from an email signature?! 3. Not running documents through the accessibility checker. You run a spell check, so why not an acceeeibility check? It’s a quick step, but it can flag things like heading structures, contrast issues, and missing image descriptions. It takes seconds and makes a big impact. 4. Using colour alone to convey meaning. For example, “I’ve marked the important cells in green” doesn’t help if someone can’t perceive colour easily. Neither does “I’ve shaded the cells for our RAG status”. Always add a label, icon, or another indicator. 5. Using all lowercase hashtags. #thisisnotaccessible - screen readers can’t parse where one word ends and another begins. Use camel case instead - #ThisIsAccessible - so screen readers pronounce the words correctly. Small changes, big impact. If you’ve made some of these mistakes before - welcome to the club. We learn, we improve, we do better. #DisabilityInclusion #Disability #DisabilityEmployment #Adjustments #DiversityAndInclusion #Content #A11y

Want to write like a CEO? Cut the fluff. The best leaders communicate with: ✅ Clarity ✅ Brevity ✅ Impact They don’t send long, rambling emails. They don’t hide behind corporate jargon. They get to the point fast. I have written four books and have advised 300+ CEOs on their communications. Here’s the 5-part writing framework top executives use: 1 – The Subject Line Should Say It All Before you write anything, ask: ➡️ What’s the ONE thing I need them to know? ➡️ What’s the ONE action I need them to take? If you can’t answer this, don’t send it yet. 2 – Lead with the Bottom Line Busy people don’t have time for long intros. 💡 Start with the main point, not the backstory. ❌ “Hope you’re doing well! I wanted to reach out because we’ve been working on…” ✅ “Here’s the update: [Key message in one line].” 3 – Cut the Fluff High-level executives don’t read wordy emails. They scan. ✂ Remove “just,” “I think,” and “wanted to.” ✅ “We should move forward.” ✅ “The results show a 20% increase.” 4 – Be Direct, Not Rude Great leaders are clear, not cold. 🚫 “Per our last discussion, I believe this approach might be beneficial.” ✅ “Let’s move forward with this approach. Thoughts?” 5 – Always End with a Clear Ask ❌ “Let me know what you think.” ✅ “Can you approve this by Thursday?” 6 – Add Warmth Charismatic people are both competent and warm. If you follow 1-5, you may come across as competent but it may be hard to connect. Therefore, add some warmth at the end. ❌ “Looking forward to your response.” ✅ “Appreciate your time on this—excited to hear your thoughts!” 📌 Follow me Oliver Aust for daily strategies on leadership communications.

I’ve sent 10,000+ cold emails in my career. Those emails have generated $100M+ in revenue. Here are 11 tips to help you 10x your response rates: 1. Set Your Expectations If you're new to cold emailing, expect a 5% response rate. As you improve, you can boost that to ~20%+. It's important to know that the best cold emailers still hear "No" far more than they hear "Yes." But you only need a few "Yeses" to win. 2. Email Multiple Contacts Most people send one email to one contact and give up. Emailing multiple people increases your surface area for success. You never know who you'll catch at the right moment! I personally recommending emailing 5 different people at your target org. 3. Your Subject Line Data from multiple sources shows that subject lines with the highest response rates: - Are 2-4 words long (Boomerang) - Ask a question (Yesware) - Are ambiguous (Boomerang) My favorites are: - Quick Question? - Mentioning You? - [Result] In [Y] Time? 4. Write Like A 3rd Grader Data shows that emails written at a 3rd grade level see the highest response rates. That means: ✅ Use plain, simple language ❌ Avoid complex words and jargon I love HemingwayApp's Readability score for this. 5. Be Positive! Data also shows that a positive tone can boost response rates by ~15%. Aim to have a casual, positive vibe in your writing. To get there, pretend like you're writing this email to a friend. Also try to write the way that you speak. 6. Use A 3 Second Hook Most emails start with something like: "Hope you're having a good day!" That's boring. Instead, hook your contact with a personalized, value-driven statement. Ex: "Hey Tim, I want to help [Company] 3x your CVR in 30 days, below are 3 ways to do it." 7. Over Deliver On Value People avoid click bait. Your hook might seem that way, so follow it up with even more value: - Share relevant ideas - Show how to implement them - Provide real data The goal is to get your contact to take action and see real value. 8. Use Social Proof Social proof is one of the most effective trust builders. Weave it into your email in the form of: - Mentioning a mutual contact - Linking to case studies - Including testimonials The key is to do this naturally, not like a brand marketing email. 9. Use An "Exit Clause" No one wants to feel pressured. Everyone wants control. Tap into both by ending your email with an "Exit Clause." This is a statement when you recognize their time and give them an easy "out." 10. Follow Up! 44% of cold emailers give up after the first attempt. But 60% of prospects say "No" four times before they say "Yes." If you want to win? You need to follow up! I personally recommend four follow ups every 5 business days. Use Yesware to automate these.