How to write emails that get guaranteed responses

According to a study carried out by Boomerang in 2016, there is a 51% higher chance of receiving a reply to your email if its word limit is between 75 and 100 words.

But what does this word limit allow as far as content and why would this self-imposed limit have such a significant impact?
We must first consider that element which is immediately obvious to anyone who has received or sent an email – the subject line. There are three relevant considerations in this case: how accurate it is, whether it provides enough information, and whether it can be successfully indexed. This last consideration refers to how easily the email can be retrieved by searching the archived folder using the title as a keyword. Thanks to the new technologies, this title (and not much else of the message) is also immediately viewed on any tablet, smartphone or smartwatch and a decision made to respond or not.

Also, among the significant elements that can be seen at a first glance of the body of the email is the paragraph structure. This need for paragraphs is caused by the fact that this a far more efficient ordering of ideas than a block of text. The chances of a message being interpreted as clear and explicit therefore increase when we see how the ideas are visually laid out on the page. For example, since the first paragraph is dedicated to presenting the problem/reason for which the email was sent, the second paragraph is dedicated to suggesting a next step to solve the problem or respond to the situation mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Thirdly, in order to further ensure the clarity of the message, we can add to the usual steps of checking the spelling, style and language used, one last step and that is checking the length of the text. This step would necessarily involve some rewording and/or reorganization of the text to maximize the chances of the email getting a response. Not only that but it is likely that this rewording might eliminate unnecessary details, too complicated language or even help identify when some details could be better sent in a separate email.

In conclusion, if we add a self-imposed word limit for our emails, we would, as the Boomerang findings suggest, have a better chance of receiving a response. And considering the number of emails received daily, it is likely that the brevity of such a message could be the key to success.

Article written by Miruna Pință – Senior English Language Trainer

Miruna’s outstanding teaching competence has enabled her to strike a balance between the 4 language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. She can effortlessly adapt to various work environments, contributing her positive energy and her creativity to building rapport with all learners.

A_BEST was set up in 2008 and is one of the largest independent language learning centres in Bucharest, Romania. A_BEST offers complete language services at international standards: foreign language courses – general / business / specialized language, open / corporate; Romanian language courses for expats; language courses for children and teenagers; internationally recognized testing; translations; linguistic audit; events dedicated to the academic environment.

With a portfolio of over 15 foreign languages, three international accreditations and one national, the A_BEST Foreign Language Centre has had, over the over 13 years of activity on the profile market, approximately 400 clients – legal entities (multinational or national companies from various fields such as: FMCG, retail, logistics, banking, PHARMA, transport, banking, IT&C, BPO, TELECOM, insurance, tourism, etc., institutions, embassies, etc.).

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