Email etiquette begins with your subject line. The subject line is the most important part of your message because your name and the subject line are the basis for your message to be read or deleted.
Have you ever hovered over your keyboard, deciding whether or not to open an email message? Most likely, you made your decision based on the subject line of the email.
Think of your readers’ minds as filters. Most working people get a ton of email every day, and just about anyone can tell you that they accidentally deleted a legitimate email. When people are under time pressure, they tend to filter what they respond to. With a ton of emails in their inbox, the subject line may give them the only clue as to how important the email is.
Also remember that email is often archived for later reference. If your subject line isn’t descriptive, it will be difficult and confusing when the reader wants to refer back to it once it’s filed.
Netiquette subject lines that open your message:
o Do not leave the subject line blank. If there are no clues about the content, your reader will have trouble deciding whether to open it and will have a hard time filing it away for later retrieval.
o Think like a salesperson. Put your bottom line in the subject line and include an action verb.
Instead of: Article for review;
Write: Your comments on the CMI article are needed before 3 pm on Monday.
Be specific. Use a date, since your reader may not be in the office on the day he expects you to respond.
Instead of: Next week;
Written: November 12
o Optimize it: use short, clear and neat subject lines. Minimize unnecessary words.
Instead of: We are having trouble locating missing documents for tomorrow’s meeting;
Write: Missing documents for tomorrow’s meeting – help needed
o Make it comprehensive: Make sure your subject line has enough information that the person can refer to it later, once you’ve introduced yourself.
Instead of: Tracking;
Write: Follow-up to the September 21 meeting with John Smith
o Do not send meaningless or useless subject lines.
Instead of: FYI, Hello, Hello;
Write: FYI: Information you requested about the November 18 conference
o Change the subject line to reflect new topics. If you expand on a topic, but need to reference older information, add the new topic to the subject line
o Use abbreviations if you are sure your readers will understand their meaning. For example, mgr, admin, info are fine.
We invite you to use these email etiquette tips to write clear subject lines that invite readers to open your emails.