One of the golden rules of writing is: Respect the readers intelligence. This rule gets magnified by a factor of 10 when it comes to composing unsolicited emails.
Most people who receive any significant quantity of email in a day havedeveloped extremely refined bullshit detectors. They can identify an impersonal templated email in 0.5 seconds, and they can spot a time-wasting lets explore the possibilities ask from a mile off.
In short, getting someone that you dont know to pay attention to youand respondis a delicate art. One that requires craftsmanship, charm, concision, and a lot of self-editing.
Based on years of drafting, redrafting, observation, and misfires, here are a few pointers to keep in mind when composing an email ask:
Step 1: Make it easy to say, Yes.
When it comes to giving good email, making it easy to say Yes! is objective number one. Sadly, its also where most people fall down on the job.
I frequently receive emails from people who are interested in some sort of knowledge exchange but never clarify how they would like for me to take action. Do they want to have a coffee? Do they want to do a phone call? Its unclear, which means that instead of saying, Yes! I have to respond by asking them what theyre asking me for in the first place. Or, not respond at all.
If you are asking someone to take the time to answer you, it should be very clear what you are asking for. Look at your email and ask yourself: Can the recipient say Yes without further discussion? If the answer is yes, youre doing well. If not, you need to redraft.
Step 2: Write an intriguing subject line.
Composing a good email subject line is akin to writing a great headline. If youre cold-emailing someone youve never met, its important to strike a balance between being direct and being interesting.
If I were asking someone to speakat our annual 99U Conference, for instance, I might use a subject like: Jessica + Behances 99U Conference? (Analysis: Using someones name feels personal; mentioning Behance in addition to 99U gives more chance of name recognition; and the question mark gives a sense of possibility/ creates curiosity.)
Keep in mind that while its always good to be clear, you also dont want to give anyone a reason to dismiss your email before reading it. For that reason, youll want to avoid stock or cookie-cutter phrases that might get your email lumped in (and glossed over) with others.
For instance, for a speaker ask for the 99U Conference, I typically avoid run-of-the-mill phrases like speaking opportunity or speaking invitation, because they can turn people off before theyve really assessed my particular opportunity.
Step 3: Establish your credibility.
Why should I care? is the tacit question hovering in most peoples minds every time they open an email from someone they dont know. This is why establishing your credibility is crucial. Tell your reader why you are different, why you are accomplished, and why they should pay attention to you.
If Im contacting someone about contributing to 99u.com, I might share stats on our monthly pageviews and social media reach to do this. If the ask is related to one of our events, I would share audience size, years sold out, and a power-list of past speakers.
If you dont have data points to share, you can also establish credibility by being a keen observer of the person you are contacting; you could tell them how long youve followed their work, how you enjoyed the last blog post they wrote, etc. As long as its not fawning, most people appreciate being noticed.
Why should I care? is the tacit question hovering in most peoples minds every time they open an email from someone they dont know.
Step 4: Be concise get to the point.
Never assume that someone is going to read your entire email. You should make it clear from the get-go exactly what you are asking for. That means clarifying why youre reaching out in the first sentence or two, and no later.
However, sometimes everything you need to say cant be explained in 1-3 sentences. If this is the case for your ask, go ahead and say your piece (as concisely as you can) but assume your reader will be skimming it. This means using bolding, bullet pointing, and so forth as much as possible.
If its necessary to give some backstory prior to the ask, I like to just go ahead and break out the ask in paragraph two with a bolded preface that reads, The Ask: If youre asking for something, theres no point in beating around the bush. Make your objective clear.
Step 5: Give a deadline if you can.
People are often shy about including deadlines in emails, especially when cold-emailing. While its never a good idea to come off as presumptuous, deadlines do have great utility. In fact, most busy people like them. Bear in mind when you are emailing someone thatsurprise!they are probably also getting tons of emails from other people.
Most of those emails fall into one of two categories: 1) Things they have to do, and 2) Random requests for things that they might like to do, time permitting. Chances are, your email falls into group two. Which means its really important to knowwhensomething needs a response by. In other words, do whatever you can to help the receiver put the requested task on a timeline and prioritize it.
Step 6: Be interesting and interested.
At the most basic level, this means do not ever send anyone a templated email. If you are asking someone to take the time and energy to reply to you, make it clear that you actually know who they are.
That doesnt mean being obsequious and singing their praises, it does mean talking to them like you are one human talking to another human. Its nice to articulate why youre interested in them. Its also nice to articulate why they should be interested in you. Try to have a voice and say something funny, meaningful, or thoughtfulpreferably all three!
Step 7: Never ever ever use the word synergy.
No single word lights up the experienced emailers bullshit detector like the word synergy. No one worth their salt wants to spend their time talking about exploring synergies. Emails with this language typically mean that the person asking for something hasnt really thought through their ask enough to offer any specificity. If you want someone to take a chance on you, show them respect by thinking through what you are asking for and being up front about it. Otherwise, youre just wasting your time and theirs.
No one worth their salt wants to spend their time talking about exploring synergies.
Step 8: Preview your email on a phone.
You probably write most of your ask emails on a desktop computer. Bear in mind that your recipient will be receiving and reading your email on their mobile phone in almost all instances. And what looks digestible on a desktop computer looks like an epic poem on a mobile phone.
As per point 4, you may think you have already confirmed that your email is concise. But is it still concise on an iPhone? Once you check, you will probably realize there are a few more things you can remove. Edit your email again, and then send.
Whats your take?
What have you learned about crafting a great ask email? Any additional tips to share?
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