Writing letters seems to us something so familiar and natural that we rarely think about the wording and presentation. Meanwhile, a lot of people have no idea how to write correct emails.
Knowing how to write a good email – the one you get 100% answered is halfway to your goal. A lot can depend on just one letter: will you get a good job, will you find an investor to finance your project, will you get advice or help that can change your whole life?
As with direct selling, the recipient has different ways of sorting the incoming information. The general stream of letters is divided into two: those that deserve an answer, and those that will be sent to the trash after a cursory reading without the slightest hesitation. Where your email goes depends on how much it hooks the recipient. The letter allows you to get a first impression of the sender, and where it will go – in the “reply” or “delete” section – depends on subtle signals.
The secret to getting your email answered is to put yourself in the recipient’s shoes and compose your email address accordingly. How to do it? Below is a list of things people look at when deciding whether to reply to an email.
1. You need to start with a greeting
Getting down to business without a preliminary introduction looks too rough. Better to use “Good afternoon /evening,” Hi, or Hello. If possible, refrain from familiarity, especially if you have not established close contact and the history of correspondence does not take tens of pages
2. Address the message to the person (or those) to whom you are writing
Do your best to find out the name of the person who will be reading the letter. Calling by name looks much more personal than the standard “Hello”. Also, email becomes much more personal, and no longer looks like mass mailing or spam. If the question you are interested in is asked at once to two people, greet them: “Hi, Anna and Tom!”
3. Respect the personal time of the addressee, make sure that email is necessary.
When you write a letter, you also report the following: “What I want to convey is worth at least a few minutes of your time, which you could spend for the benefit of yourself, your work, or devote to your family and friends.”
Do not force the recipient to spend even seconds solving issues that you can figure out on their own. Respect others and believe in yourself!
4. Make sure the correct spelling of the addressee’s name and surname
Strange, isn’t it? A mistake in spelling a name immediately cuts off all possible contact with a person even before reading the message itself. The recipient may think that you not only know little about him personally but, in principle, are not inclined to pay attention to small details.
5. Communication at the level of emotions between the sender and the recipient – above all
The recipient will be pre-configured for dialogue and will want to help if you create an emotional connection with him. The main rule is complete truthfulness and brevity.
For example, “I have been reading your resource for 2 years already; Thanks to your blog, I discovered many interesting techniques, met famous investors, and got a promotion in my current job. ”
6. Keep it short and get down to business
The time, work or personal, that the addressee will spend reading your email is priceless. Letters on ten sheets of small handwriting and the most detailed retelling of autobiographical data are inappropriate. A quick jump to the questions of interest, a small number of sentences, and general brevity will help to interest the addressee of the message.
7. Finished the text of the message – check it for errors
The first impression of yourself cannot be corrected, and gross spelling, grammatical and other mistakes cannot but worsen it. It is especially worth keeping an eye on the words underlying your idea or question. Otherwise, you will get the impression that you do not understand the topic and do not want to delve into it.
8. Say goodbye at the end of the letter.
Finish your letter with such phrases: “Thanks”, “Kind regards” or “Respectfully”. These versatile tips will help you compose any letter – to your boss, partner, or client. Your chances of getting a useful answer and continuing fruitful cooperation increase by an order of magnitude.
Keep in mind that a well-thought-out email marketing strategy will fail if your emails end up in the SPAM folder or are blocked by the SPAM filters of the email providers altogether.
