If you’re looking for email tips, you’ve come to the right place.
I regularly share email tips – as well as other ideas to empower creators – in my For The Interested newsletter and I’ve created this page to highlight the most valuable tips I’ve come across so far.
Following are a collection of links to articles that will help you figure out how to write better emails, manage your emails and inbox, and use email as a sales and networking tool.
This page is updated frequently since I always learn and find new stuff, so bookmark it and check back in occasionally to see what’s new.
And if you like this format, check out my other Tips Collections including deep dives into newsletter tips and Twitter tips.
Now, let’s get to the good stuff…
How To Write An Effective Follow-Up Email After Meeting With Someone
The true impact of a meeting is determined by what happens after it ends and the first step of that process is often to send a strong follow-up email. This article contains six keys to writing a good follow-up email as well as a template you can use to write your next one.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to write like a minimalist
- Examples of effective subject lines
- Why you should include a postscript
Read it here: How to write an effective follow-up email after meeting with someone.
Six Email Prompts You Can Use To Say No
This article from Sarah Kathleen Peck features a collection of specific phrases you can use when you want to decline an offer via email.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to say no by creating tension for the asker
- How to suggest an alternative
- How to be clear about what you want
Read it here: Six email prompts you can use to say no.
How To Use Email To Spend 50% Less Time In Meetings
Meetings don’t have to be such a waste of time. This overview offers specific ways you can use email to make your next meeting more efficient and maybe even get rid of it completely.
A few things you’ll learn:
- What to say in the email you send prior to the meeting
- What to do after you send the email
- How to deal with people’s hesitancy to embrace this approach
Read it here: How to use email to spend 50% less time in meetings.
The Correct Way To Email
This article from Sarah Begley offers an overview of email etiquette rules to ensure your next email feels professional.
A few things you’ll learn:
- The perfect email length
- Why you should avoid emailing at strange hours
- What tone to take in your emails
Read it here: The correct way to email.
The Best Auto-Reply Email I’ve Ever Seen
This auto-reply I once got from a successful lawyer just might change your life.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to use email to protect your time
- How to make your inbox work for your instead of the other way around
Read it here: The best auto-reply email I’ve ever seen.
How To Write Short Emails
This article from Frankie Rain offers tips on how to write short emails that will save you time and reduce the volume of email you get in return.
A few things you’ll learn:
- Why you should stick to one topic per email
- How to make the best use of your subject line
- How to use email templates
Read it here: How to write short emails.
The First Thing I Send To People Who Give Me Their Email Address
This is a breakdown of the welcome email I send to people when they first subscribe to my For The Interested newsletter including how it strengthens my connection to my audience and creates new opportunities for me and my business.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to provide value in a welcome email
- How to get value out of your welcome email
- The best question to ask people in a welcome email
Read it here: The first thing I send to people who give me their email address.
How To Write Emails Like The Military
This Kabir Sehgal article explains the military’s approach to email communication and how you can adapt that format to your own needs.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to use keywords in subject lines
- How to put the bottom line up front
- How to be economical with your words
Read it here: How to write emails like the military.
How To Write More Effective Emails In Less Time
This Julie Zhuo article suggests a few ways to get your point across in emails without agonizing over the writing of them.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to build the skill of brevity
- Why you should avoid squishy words
- The importance of knowing your end before you start
Read it here: How to write more effective emails in less time.
Six Ways To Write Emails That Won’t Make People Resent You
This Jocelyn K. Glei article breaks down how to craft emails in a way that won’t lead recipients to have a negative reaction to them.
A few things you’ll learn:
- Why you should avoid imperatives
- How to emphasize the benefits of the task
- How to acknowledge the recipient’s workload
Read it here: Six ways to write emails that won’t make people resent you.
How To Use Email Hacks To Increase Your Productivity
This 9-minute Matt D’Avella video showcases a bunch of tactics he regularly uses to reduce the time he spends on email and improve his ability to manage his inbox.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to compose emails without getting distracted by your inbox
- How to organize incoming email
- How to schedule emails to send in the future
Watch it here: How to use email hacks to increase your productivity.
How To Build An Inbox Zero Habit In 21 Days
This Marshall Hughes article is like a course in which you can take specific actions for 15 minutes a day over the course of 21 days to easily develop a consistent inbox zero habit.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to establish boundaries for your email
- Which emails to ignore
- What notifications to turn off
Read it here: How to build an inbox zero habit in 21 days.
What Happens When You Quit Using Email For A Month
This Ivan Cash article shares six lessons learned from the author’s experiment with abandoning email for 30 days.
A few things you’ll learn:
- The percentage of emails that were actually important
- How people react when you take a break from email
- The impact not using email has on your activity level
Read it here: What happens when you quit using email for a month.
A 7-Step Plan To Reduce Email Overloard
This Gwapit article offers a methodology you can follow to develop better email habits and stop feeling so overwhelmed by your inbox.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to reduce the number of incoming emails
- How to process your emails
- How to send fewer emails
Read it here: A 7-step plan to reduce email overload.
How To Use Psychology To Improve Your Email Habits
This Nir Eyal article explains how the author improved his compulsive email habits by using psychology to get himself “unhooked.”
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to bury your email triggers
- How to reduce the flow of incoming emails you get
- How to schedule email time
Read it here: How to use psychology to improve your email habits.
What Happens When You Commit To An Email-Free Morning For Five Days
This Kelsey Manning article is a day-by-day account of what the author learned from declining to even open her email every morning for a week.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How few emails are urgent
- How email becomes a way to hide from more important tasks
- How the experiment changed her behavior moving forward
Read it here: What happens when you commit to an email-free morning for five days.
Nine Email Productivity Practices To Adopt Right Now
This Dan Silvestre article suggests several best practices to help ensure the time you spend using email is helping you become more productive and not less productive.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How plugins can help you manage your email
- How to use automatic responses
- How to get to inbox zero in 10 minutes
Read it here: Nine email productivity practices to adopt right now.
How To Manage Your Email Using The Yesterbox Technique
This Tony Hsieh article breaks down how he approaches managing his email – a system that treats his inbox like a to-do list.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How he turns yesterday’s inbox into today’s to-do list
- How he uses his calendar
- What to do if you fall behind on your emails
Read it here: How to manage your email using the Yesterbox technique.
How The CEO Of A 200+ Person Company Manages His Email
This Aaron Klein article offers a behind-the-scenes look at the way the leader of a company with hundreds of employees and thousands of customers handles his inbox.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How he slows the firehose
- The tools he uses to manage his email
- How he processes emails
Read it here: How the CEO of a 200+ person company manages his email.
How To Master Networking In Four Emails A Year
This Jason Shen article shares a unique approach the author has taken to build and sustain his network by sending quarterly update emails to 200 people.
A few things you’ll learn:
- Why people like these emails
- How to use these emails to start conversations
- How to be humble, personal, and presentable
Read it here: How to master networking in four emails a year.
How To Introduce Yourself Over Email
This Aja Frost article includes eight keys to writing an email to a stranger that will get noticed and get a response.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to write a compelling subject line
- Why you should make your first line about them
- How to include a call to action
Read it here: How to introduce yourself over email.
The Three Rules Of Writing Pitch Emails
This Darius Foroux article shares some best practices for writing emails designed to pitch yourself, your ideas, or your products to people.
A few things you’ll learn:
- Why you should never use the “Hey, you’re awesome!” technique
- Why you should spend 80% of your time crafting the subject line
- Why you should never “follow up”
Read it here: The three rules of writing pitch emails.
How To Write A Great Cold Email
This Auren Hoffman article explains how to get the attention of CEOs or other top executives without an introduction from someone who knows them.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to personalize the email and send to the right person
- How to emphasize the benefit to the reader
- How to make it short and clear
Read it here: How to write a great cold email.
Seven Ways To Get More Responses To Your Emails
This Alex Moore article uses data to analyze what triggers people to respond to emails and explains how you can implement these tactics in your own communications.
A few things you’ll learn:
- The optimal length for emails that get responses
- The impact emotion has on responses
- How tone impacts response rates
Read it here: Seven ways to get more responses to your emails.
How To Send Emails To Very Busy People
This Zak Slayback article examines the psychology of busy people and what it takes to get them to pay attention to your email.
A few things you’ll learn:
- How to build in canned responses busy people can use
- How to make the cost of responding zero
- How to make a clear ask
Read it here: How to send emails to very busy people.
If you made it all they way down here to the end of this page, I just want to say thanks for your attention and congratulations!
You’re well on your way to becoming an email expert.
If you found this information helpful, I’d love to connect with you in any (or all!) of the following places:
You also may find my other Tips Collection posts helpful.
Thanks again!
Josh