How to Write Effective Email Subject Lines
Do people read and respond to your emails?
According to AtTask, U.S. employees of large-sized companies (1000 employees or more) spend about 14 percent of their workweek on email. With such a large amount of our time devoted to sending electronic messages, it’s important that we learn all we can about how to email effectively and efficiently. Creating powerful subject lines is one important skill.
So how can you make your subject lines more effective? Begin by including the ACTION needed right in your subject line. For example, if you need a signature, put SIGNATURE NEEDED. If you need approval, put APPROVAL NEEDED. If you need a DOCUMENT, put DOCUMENT REQUEST. And whatever you do, please don’t put “Hey There!” in your subject line!
Another quick way to improve your subject line is to include DATES in it. For example, if you need a Signature for a W-2 form by December 11th, your subject line would read: “Signature Needed — W2 Form for Dec 11.” By including a date, your recipient can easily organize and prioritize your email.
Yet another way to increase the efficiency of your subject lines is to include the Account Number you are referencing, Customer Number or Project Name directly in the subject line. The clearer you can be about what the email is about, the easier it is for your receiver to know what is in your email.
One of the ways that I work with companies to improve their communication is to help them to develop SOP (Standardized Operating Procedures) for subject lines.
This powerful workshop helps organizations agree upon a structure for subject lines and emails to improve company branding and professionalism.
Dr. Susanne Gaddis
The Communications Doctor
web: www.CommunicationsDoctor.com
email: gaddis@CommunicationsDoctor.com
phone: 919-933-3237
