EQ: HOW DO WE SUCCEED WITH EMAILS?
LT: I CAN IDENTIFY THE STRUCTURE OF AN EMAIL
SC: I WILL CREATE A FORMAL EMAIL TO THE PRINCIPAL
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Vocabulary:
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NOTESAnatomy of a good emailEvery email you write has the same basic structure: Subject line, greeting, email body, and closing. But as with every written form of professional communication, there’s a right way to do it and standards that should be followed. Here’s what you need to know to craft a solid email:
1 Subject line The subject line could be the most important part of the email, though it’s oftentimes overlooked in favor of the email body. But if you’re cold-emailing someone, or just establishing a professional relationship, your subject line can entice people to open the message as well as set expectations about what’s enclosed. On the other hand, a poorly crafted or generic subject line (like “Hi” or “You don’t wAnt to miss thos”) can deter the reader and result in your email landing in the spam folder. “Spend double the amount of time crafting the right subject line as you do on the [body] because if they don’t open the email, it doesn’t matter,” says Cole Schafer, founder and copy chief of Honey Copy. 2 Openers In most emails, you’ll want to include a quick greeting to acknowledge the reader before diving into your main message or request. The exception: When you’re on an email chain with close colleagues, it often becomes more natural to drop the opener (as well as the closing). Though it may initially feel like a faux pas, it signals a better professional rapport. 3 Body The body of an email is the meat of your message, and it must have a clear and specific purpose, such as getting feedback on a presentation or arranging a meeting with a new client. It should also be concise. That way, people will be more inclined to read it, rather than skimming it and risking missing critical information. If you can, boil it down to a few choice sentences. And for emails that require more length and detail, keep it as focused as you can. “Nobody wants to receive a novel. You want to keep it between three, four, or five lines of text,” says Schafer. 4 Closings Just as you want to start things off on the right foot with your greeting, you also want to part well. That means writing a friendly sign-off. And there are plenty of options to choose from. For example, here are 12 common, and professional, closings that Grammarly users chose on a given day: |
Activity 1: Read and Respond
Digital Garage Certification
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Activity 2B: 30 Minutes
Now that you've completed this topic, let's apply what you've learned to your your favorite business or any business you're familiar with.
Find out what online opportunities exist for that business by completing the following tasks:
- Search for the business on a search engine. How high up in the search results does the website appear? What information about the business is displayed?
- Does the business appear on any digital channels other than their website within the search results? Example: Does the business use search ads, social media, or local listings?
- List the online opportunities the business is currently taking advantage of. Next, jot down which opportunities are still available to help with future improvements, such as adding the business to local listings or improving SEO performance.