How to Write Corporate Email Newsletters That People Will Read

Email is the main source of communication at work and corporate emails are still an important part of Email Marketing, even if we usually dedicate more attention to newsletters and promotional emails. We correspond daily with colleagues, management, customers, and clients. Sometimes recipients cannot come to an agreement or spend too much time on letters. We have compiled 12 rules that will help you and your client save time and solve work issues faster.

If you know the recipient’s name, use their first name when addressing them. Aside from that, it’s unclear to whom the letter is addressed, and it looks impolite. If there are several recipients, list by name all those from whom you expect a response or action. A person may think that a letter does not apply to him if it is addressed to everyone. By addressing by name, we remove this problem.

The working letter is a short genre. Consider how long it would take the recipient to get to the heart of the letter by wading through lengthy arguments and vague asides. It is not necessary to write what can be, and what will calm the heart if it does not affect the solution of the question. Don’t waste your and other’s time – get straight to the point.

In the subject line or the body of the message, avoid using the word “urgent”. This concept is extensible: for one person it can be an hour, for another – a week. Be specific about the time and date when you are waiting for an answer or result.

Unformatted text is hard to read, so divide it into small paragraphs, respecting the main formatting rules to a better and easier readability. After each paragraph, indent one space, then two spaces after the greeting and before the signature. Explain each link you put in your email: which document it leads to and why the recipient should click on it. Try not to overuse bold, italics, and color. Let the text look calm.

It’s easy to evoke negative emotions with a letter. Since the recipient can interpret the text differently, write as neutrally as possible to avoid confusion. Always be polite and respectful. If you don’t know each other well, don’t ask personal questions, disrupt someone else’s space, make jokes, or bring up non-work-related topics.

In the text, keep the entire previous chain of messages. It’s easy to lose track of what you were dealing with the sender in a sea of information; the correspondence history will help you remember. This is particularly true for workers who receive a large number of emails containing problems and inquiries.

Your work correspondence mail should have a neutral name, such as namesurname@employer. Indicate the name, surname, job title, and business name in the signature. Add additional information: phone contact, messengers, social networks – and a link to the corporate website in your footer. Use neutral “Regards” or “Best wishes”. Do not write words of gratitude on half-page in the automatic signature, place advertisements, place links to collect signatures and similar projects.

It happens that only after sending an email it is discovered that an important file is not attached or the right link is not specified. Many people send attachments and supplements in a separate letter – “here’s the document I forgot to send”. And the correspondence is divided: in one story – the discussion, in the other – the necessary documents. It is not known which letter the recipient will reply to, probably the one with no correspondence history. So it is better to duplicate the previous one and add a file to it. In the message, you should ask the recipient to delete the letter without the file to avoid confusion.

Also, send all attachments together. Or if there are too many of them, send a link to the file hosting service

Submitters don’t expect an immediate response to emails, but nearly half of the 2 million respondents reply to emails within an hour. Write back as soon as possible. If this is part of your direct responsibilities – for example, you work in support or as a project coordinator – try to answer within 15-30 minutes.

If your main job does not require you to deal with email, set aside two times during the day to sort through mail and responds. For example, at 11 am and at the end of the day, at 17 pm. This way you won’t miss important messages and keep your mailbox in order. Don’t worry: if you have an urgent question, you will be contacted in another way – via messenger or by phone.

Three reasons to follow this rule:

1. A sound notification can wake up the addressee.
2. Some people find it unacceptable to correspond after working hours, including weekends.
3. Your letter may just get lost among others.

Set up delayed sending. For example, Gmail has the “Schedule send” function. If you are writing a letter on Saturday morning, schedule the letter for Monday at 10 am. This way it is more likely that the recipient will not miss it. If the email has become irrelevant by this time, go to Sent and cancel the sending.

It takes time to open and read a letter. Sending just “Thank you,” “You’re welcome”, and similar messages just distract the person you’re talking to. Better to thank the next time you send additional documents or answer new questions. That way there would be both benefit and gratitude in one letter.

Always watch your tone and expressions. Don’t write things that might offend another person or reflect negatively on the employer’s image.

There are a lot of rules, but you don’t have to memorize them all. The main thing is to respect your opponent, his opinion, and time, and be happy for the common business.