Version: 0.1 (First draft, written in ~10 mins) Last updated: 2022-11-21 Nothing new here. But lots of people send me emails that make me sad. So here's the thing for me to link to. ### Reply quickly - Reply quickly. Usually the best response time is "minutes". - If you can't reply within 24 hours, send a quick reply: "I'll get back to you on or before [DATE]". ### Subject line The most important part of the email!! - Good subject lines are super valuable for busy clients. - A good subject line makes the key information and/or action point of the email clear, so they don't even have to open it in order to prioritise. - If in doubt, always create a new email thread instead of hitting "reply". - One email thread for each major topic. If you can't write a short subject line that captures the key point(s) of the email, you should probably be sending two or more separate emails, with different subject lines. ### Email text - Write short paragraphs. Often 1-2 sentences is ideal for clarity. - [[Numbered lists are better than bullet-point lists]] - Practice computational kindness. - Specify timelines clearly, including when you need or would most value a reply (or whatever other action points). - Use "on or before" when promising deadlines, and aim to underpromise and overdeliver. - Practice "computational kindness" ([100 word summary](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/computational-kindness), [9 min video (worth watching)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g-PAvTpmas)) - Follow the best "how to write well" advice ([Paul Graham, 2 min read](http://www.paulgraham.com/simply.html), [Paul Graham again, 2 min read](http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html)). - Put links on new lines. - Enter the full URL (instead of linking the text) - This reduces the spam score so increases the delivery rate. - This makes it easier for security conscious recipients to check the link before they click.