Kyle Nazario

Some people suck at writing work emails. They meander. They equivocate. They provide too much context or not enough. They don’t get to the point.

As a disgraced former journalist, I know some tricks.

Most important: everyone’s busy. People don’t read, they scan. Long or confusing messages get skipped.

When writing a work email, put the topic in the first sentence. Background can wait. Make sure the recipient immediately knows why you’re in their inbox. Then explain the rest.

Second, make it brief. In journalism school, one of my professors made us memorize this passage from The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White ¹:

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.

Write the minimum required words, and mention the minimum required subjects. If you can ask a question in one sentence, do so. If you can provide an update without extraneous details, do so.

However! Include necessary context in your email. For example, if you need the product owner to answer a design question, tell them everything they need to make a decision. Cryptic messages require them to write you for more information. Don’t waste their time.

I recommend writing this way for two reasons. One, your coworkers will reply to your emails sooner. Short, clear emails are easier to handle. Two, your coworkers will appreciate it. They’re busy!