Good Email Subject Lines

A subject like the Headline above can irresistibly pull readers into opening your message and reading its every hypnotic word. Often,it will not and what if you don't have anything to sell?

Your email subject line is, next to your name, the first thing the recipient sees. It is important. The best email subject lines are short,descriptive and provide the reader with a reason to explore your message further. Trying to stand out in the inbox, by using splashy or cheesy pharases, will invariably result in your email being ignored

In your email subject, do not:

• Arouse Interest and curiosity.
• Say "Hi".
• Be wordy.
• Respond without giving context.

  
To compose the perfect email subject :            

• Give the message's bottom line.

• If your email comprise multiple topics,consider breaking into multiple messages.

• Summarize the message- why you are writing.

• Be Precise.

• Include details that allows the recipient to identify  about what you are writing.

• Leave out unnecessary words.

• Email subjects need to be concise. 

                 Best & Worst Subject Line Examples

Subject Lines With Top Open Rates
Subject Line	Open Rate	Comment
Preliminary Floor Plans for Southern Village Neighborhood Circle Members	93%	Timely information. Implied benefit for quick action. Over 50 characters in length
Your April Website Stats	92.6%	Timely and useful information
Idlewild Camp - Important Travel Information	90.1%	Information I need now.
Invitation for Murdoch, Brown, Rove & Johnson's Snow Ball	89.7	Party invitation. Personal and timely
MotorCycling Magazine Reader Survey	88.1%	High affinity to activity/experience
Announcing Paige Elizabeth Sullivan	82.6%	Birth Announcement: Personal and useful information.
Ship's Log #5: Parus Arrives in Phuket	82.1%	Personal and timely
Nautica in Rutland Opens Soon!	79.9%	New condos - valuable information to be first in line.
Updated Time Zones & Log On Information	79.1%	Required information
MICHAEL DRUCKMAN 1949-2007	77.4%	Obiturary: Personal
Inside Football: Summer Training Camp Preview Issue	74.3%	Timely and useful information

This video provides good tips that how we can write  a good subject line.

    References :http://email.about.com/od/netiquettetips/qt/et_good_subject.htm

                          http://kb.mailchimp.com/article/best-practices-in-writing-email-subject-lines

                       http://youtu.be/WUyhXSzK9cU

Tips for better e-mail etiquette

 

There are certain Professional standards expected for e-mail use . Here are some things to keep in mind regarding professional e-mail conduct:

 

 

 

 

 

 Be Informal ,not sloppy: Your Colleagues may use commonly accepted abbreviations in e-mail, but when communicating with external customers, everyone should follow standard writing protocol. Your e-mail message reflects you  and your company, so traditional spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules apply.

 

Keep messages brief and to the point : Just because your writing is grammatically correct does not mean that it has to be long. Nothing is more frustrating than wading through an e-mail message that is twice as long as necessary. Concentrate on one subject per message whenever possible.

 

Use sentence case : Using all capital letters looks as if you are shouting . Use all lowercase letters looks lazy. For emphasis, use asterisks or bold formatting to emphasise important words. Do not, however , use a lot of colours or graphics embedded in your message.

 

Remember that e-mail isn't private :  E-mail is considered company property and can be retrieved, examined, and used in a court of law. Unless you are using an encryption device ,you should assume that e-mail over the Internet is not secure. Never put in an e-mail message anything that you wouldn't put on a postcard. Remember that e-mail can be forwarded, so unintended audiences may see what you've written. You might also inadvertently send something to the wrong party, so always keep the content professional to avoid embarrassment.

 

Use the Subject field : Don't just , "Hi" or " From Sandra".  Agree on acronyms to use that quickly identify actions . Subject line should explain that what is included in the e-mail.

Use proper structure & layout: Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, structure and layout is very important for e-mail messages. Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph . When making points , number them or mark each point as separate to keep the overview.

 

Read the e-mail before you send it : A lot of people don't bother to read an e-mail before they send it out , as can be seen from many spelling and grammar mistakes contained in emails. Apart from this, reading your email through the eyes of the recipient will help you send a more effective message and avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments.

 

Avoid long sentences : Try to keep your sentences to a maximum of 15-20 words. Email is meant to be quick medium and requires a different kind of writing than letters. Also take care not to send emails that are too long. If a person receives an email that looks like a dissertation, chances, are that they will not even attempt to read it.

Do not overuse Reply to All : Only use Reply to All if you need your message to be seen by each person who received the original message.

Take care with rich text and HTML messages : Be aware that when you send an email in rich text or HTML format , the sender might only be able to receive plain text emails. If this is the case, the recipient will receive your messages as a .text attachment.

 

 

 

 

References : http://www.emailreplies.com/

                     http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/12-tips-for-better-e-mail-etiquette-HA001205410.aspx

                  http://youtu.be/qjoKfeYnr2A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Structure and Format for writing an Email

For Writing a proper email  and to get a good response we should follow proper structure and format for writing an email.

1.     Date:

        To:

        From:

        Subject:

                                        1. Opening

                            2. Body 

                             3.Closing 

• Use a neutral e-mail address:  Your e-mail address  should be variation of  your real name , not a user name or nickname . Never use an unprofessional email address.

• Use a Short and Accurate Subject Header:  Avoid saying too much in subject header, but make sure it reflect the content of your email to a person who is unfamiliar about what you have written in email. Summarise the main idea in the subject header .

• Use a Proper Salutation : Addressing the recipient by name is proffered. use the person title with  their last name . You can use salutation like :  Dear Mr.. . Don't use a casual greeting like : Hey .  

• Write the actual Message :  Start Writing e-mail directly by Front loading the opening . Get directly to the point without rambling . 

• Body of an e-mail : Explain and discuss only one topic in your e-mail as it will make your e-mail more effective.Introduce relevant details and consider the columns,headings,numbered, bullets lists.

• Closing of an E-mail : To end the message you have the options depending upon your objective :   

• Action 
• Dates or Deadlines
• Summary of message
• Closing thought 

• Use the correct from of leave taking : This will depend on your level of intimacy with the recipient.

• Proofread your message  for content :  Make sure you haven't omitted any important details .

•  Proofread your message for spelling and grammer: Check your spellings and grammer  and revise your e-mail .

Reference :

 http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Formal-Email

Writing Process of a Good Email

The writing process of an email starts from the point where one starts thinking  of writing an email. Developing skills in writing E-mail messages brings two important benefits:

•    Well Written documents achieve their goals easily. These type of documents create goodwill by being cautions, caring and clear.

•   It helps to enhance the image of people within an organization.

 

An e-mail follows a 3*3 writing process:

1. Analysis, Anticipation, and Adaptation : This step includes various questions which are as follows :

 

•   Do I really need to write a e-mail ?

•    Why am I writing ?

•    How will reader react?

•   How can I save reader' time ?

  

2. Research , Organisation , and Composition : In this step, sender gathers files, documents and organise it into an outline. After this, sender compose the message, and revise it for clarity , correctness and feedback.

3.Revision, Proofreading , and Evolution : It involves the final touch on the message . The sender viewed the e-mail from the receiver's prospective.

Good and Bad emails

E-mail is the short form of electronic mails. Email is the method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. The email message consists of three components :

            * The message,
            * Envelope,
            *The message header and message body

The address of sender and the receiver is also required in this  process. There is a way of writing email but some don't follow that way and they wrote a bad email. The bad emails are those in which the subject of email is not clear, bad email response and bad email instructions .


Example of Good email

Subject: Reminder of 10am Meeting Sched. 10/05 on PASS Process.

Hi Jim,

I just wanted to remind you about the meeting we have scheduled for Monday, October 5, at 10:00am. It's being held in conference room A, and we'll be discussing the new PASS Process.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch (x3024).

Best Wishes,

Mark

This  video helps in undestanding the difference between good and bad emails

Reference :http://youtu.be/efz3xNo8qKQ