How many emails do you send for work everyday? 50, 75, 100, 200? I don't know how many I send but I had some thoughts about my reasoning and process behind work emails while I was out for a long run. Sweat drives my mental stimulation. By the way it's pretty typical to compile these blog posts while I'm running or cycling. But I digress.
Whatever the number is we tend to forget that with email we are talking to someone, an actual human being who we are attempting to solicit a reply, response or action from. I thought it'd be cool to put down what goes through my head before I hit Send on an email.
Here's what I have:
Did I proofread this? About 75% of my first drafts have some type of mistake so I work hard to be consistent and diligent with proofreading.
Have I been too long winded or too brief? What would this person really want to read and depending on their role, how much time do I anticipate they'd have to read my email?
What time is it in the location of my recipient and do I want them to see this first thing, at lunch or when? If I'm sending cold prospecting emails I certainly won't do it at 9am or 10am on a Monday morning.
Am I being strategic with my messaging to illicit the response I want?
Is it personal sounding or do I sound like an AI bot that configured it?
Take a few deep breaths and proofread again, especially if it's an important email.
Is this the best I can do? Can I make it better somehow, get my point across more clearly or have I used all my know how to make it the best it can be?
There you have it and in the span of a minute or three this is what routinely goes on in my tiny head before any email goes out. It's simple but not easy.