9 Tips for Writing Effective Emails as a Leader

Being a leader, you should strive for excellence in everything you do, including email writing. Every email you create should be perfect in terms of grammar, have a clear structure, and be concise and to the point.

Do you want to make your emails more effective? Use the following writing tips to improve the quality of your emails and become a better leader.

Personalize email greeting

As a famous Dale Carnegie quote goes, “the sweetest sound to a person’s ear is the sound of their own name”. If you know the recipient’s name, make sure to add it to the email greeting.

Whether you send an email to a team member, client, or business partner, don’t use impersonal phrases like “Dear” and “To whom it may concern”. Instead, use salutations like “Hi Megan” and “Good morning, Mrs. Mosby”. It will make the recipient feel important and valued and convince him that your email is worth reading.

Create a clear structure

Keep in mind that if your emails have an illogical structure, that may lead to miscommunication. Even worse, it may hurt your credibility as a leader. So please, when you write an email, don’t jump from one topic to another. Communicate your ideas clearly and present one point at a time.

The rule of thumb is to present the main idea first and then go into detail. If you do it the opposite way, you will likely confuse the recipients.

Do you want to discuss a few problems in one email? Make sure to list problems from the most important to the least important ones. It will help the recipient understand what issues have the highest priority and should be addressed in the first place.

Be polite

It may sound obvious, but you should always write emails in a polite manner. Whether you write an email to a supplier who has delayed delivery, or an employee who skips work, you should be a wise leader and find the right words to address the situation. If you cross the line and be impolite, it will only get things worse – the email recipient will unlikely want to continue the conversation with you if you are rude.

Use “you” and “your”

Human beings are inherently selfish creatures. We think more about our personal well-being rather than the well-being of other people. As a leader, you should understand that and adjust your emails accordingly.

If you want to ask a person a favor, you should make the person feel important. Here are a few examples of how you can rewrite your emails using the words “you” and “your” to make them more effective:

• Before: I need feedback. Please, feel the form below and answer a few questions about X product.

After: Your opinion is important. Please, feel the form below and share your review of X product.

• Before: I’m satisfied with your work.

After: You did a great job, and we highly appreciate your contribution.

Avoid slang and acronyms

Well, if you are a leader of an innovative youth startup, you may use slang to communicate with your team. In all other cases, you should avoid slang, shortenings, and internet acronyms. Why? Firstly, the use of slang words makes your emails sound unprofessional. Secondly, not everyone knows the meaning of such words. And if you overuse slang terms in your email, the recipient will fail to interpret your message correctly.

Proofread what you write

In email writing, typos and minor spelling errors are inevitable. So even if you have outstanding writing skills, you shouldn’t ignore the importance of proofreading. You should make it a habit to double-check the text before clicking the “Send” button.

Do you send dozens of emails daily and don’t have enough time for proofreading and editing? You can delegate this task to editors from EssayShark, an online writing company. Or, you can use an AI-powered grammar checking tool. There are many proofreading solutions out there; find the one that appeals to you.

Create a professional email signature

Your name is an integral part of your personal brand, so make sure to include it in your email signature. It will make your message sound more personal while also smooth the communication process.

What are the three main elements of a professional email signature?

• Closing phrase (best regards, to your success, etc.)
• Your name (Oliver Black, Oliver B.)
• Your role within the organization (CEO of XYZ company, founder of ABS organization, etc.)

If you want to make your email signature look more sophisticated, use a handwritten font to highlight your name.

Stay positive

When your team goes through ups and downs, you should play the role of cheerleader. You should focus on positivity and motivate your employees to keep working toward common goals. The emails you write to your team should sound positive rather than neutral. Set the right tone, and you will boost your team morale and enhance productivity.

Keep improving your skills

If you believe that your emails are “not good enough”, you should find a way to improve your skills. For instance, you can enroll in email writing courses on Udemy, Coursera, or any other platform.

Many leaders are afraid to accept the fact that their current skills are not high enough because they worry about their reputation. But the truth is that if you talk openly about your imperfections, it will not harm your reputation. Vice versa, once you accept the challenge and improve your email writing skills, you will become a role model for your team – you will inspire your subordinates to keep learning and mastering new skills.

Final Thoughts

There is no limit to perfection – you can always find a way to enhance your emails and make them more effective. So keep developing your writing skills and encourage your team to follow your example. Use tips given in this article – it will be your first step to improving business email writing.