Email Writing Tips

Over the years I have developed this steady feeling of annoyance towards writing emails. These are the two reasons why: (1) They take way longer to write than they should (2) because you often have to formalize or add fluff to simple things. However, I have started to slowly step out of this hatred for writing emails as my added experience in writing them has made me more efficient in the process. So, here is how writing emails have become easier for me:

1. Give context: If writing an email to a person for the first time, after using an appropriate greeting (i.e good morning), introduce yourself and provide reasoning for your email. This helps avoid the building of any skepticism in the readers as to why your email ended up in their inbox. Plus, doing so adds credibility to yourself as they have a better idea of who you are. This is especially advantageous for students as an association with a well-established institution is favorable. This can be as simple as writing, "My name is [ ] and I am a student at [ ] studying [ ]".

2. Ask questions last (if possible): It is important to understand that writing emails is a form of communication and that it is just as important to get the information you are seeking as it is to make a person understand what you are trying to say. With this in mind, I personally think it is best to include questions towards the end of the email (the last sentence in the body if possible) in order to make it the last thing the person is thinking about after reading your email. This helps prevent swarming the reader's mind with a bunch of other thoughts that make them forget your question. However, keep in mind that sometimes it is more efficient to pose a question and then provide reasoning as to why/how this question came up. In such cases try to put the question toward the beginning of the email. In summary, do not put a question in the middle of a long email.

3. Always say thank you: When writing an email, you always want to come across as the best version of yourself. And this is achieved through good manners, like saying thank you. This helps tell the reader know that you appreciate them reading your email and that you value their time.

Slowly yet surely with some tips here and there and some experience, you will find writing emails to be a breeze.