Write for a skimming reader
Assume the reader is on a phone, between two other things, and will give you about ten seconds before deciding whether to deal with you now or later. Later often means never. The first two lines must therefore contain what you need, from whom and by when. Background comes after, for the reader who wants it.
Compare two openings. "Hope you're well. As you may remember, back in March we discussed the vendor contract" makes the reader dig for the point. "I need your approval on the attached vendor contract by Thursday at noon, and the details are below" lets the reader act without reading another word.
Make the ask answerable
A good request can be answered in one line. Name the specific action, the person who owns it and a real deadline with a day and a time. "As soon as possible" and "when you get a chance" are not deadlines. If you have three questions, number them, because unnumbered questions get one answer, usually to the easiest. If you are only informing, say at the top that no reply is needed.
The housekeeping that gets read
- The subject line should state the content and the action, such as "Lease renewal: signature needed by Friday."
- One message should carry one subject, since a second topic in the final paragraph is rarely seen.
- Paragraphs should run two or three sentences, with a blank line between them.
- Dates should be written out as "Tuesday, May 6," because "next Tuesday" means two different days to two different readers.
- Attachments and links should be mentioned in the text, so the reader knows to look.
Pick the right channel
Text is for logistics and quick answers. Email is for anything that needs a record, an attachment or more than one reader. A call or a conversation is for anything emotional, anything with nuance, and anything that has already taken three written rounds without being settled. Criticism and bad news do not belong in writing alone.
Before you send
Read it once as the recipient, with none of your background knowledge, and check three things: the spelling of their name, the dates and the numbers. Cut the first sentence if the message works without it, which it usually does. Add the recipient's address last, so that nothing leaves half finished.
Tip If a message runs longer than the screen of a phone, put a one-line summary at the very top and let everything beneath it be optional reading.
