8 Tips To Master Email Writing

Read on my website | Read Time: 5 Minutes

Nothing screams "junior employee" faster than a rambling email with the ask buried at the bottom.

You know executives are skimming your emails, thinking "what does this person actually want?”

Today I'm sharing the 8 email rules that separate great communicators from everyone else. Master these, and watch how differently people respond to your messages.

The Problem That's Costing You Credibility

Most professionals write emails like this:

Subject: Strategic Partnership Opportunity

This doesn’t seem like a bad email at first glance. But "Strategic partnership," "86 leads," "rep-to-rep connections" — all this jargon before we get to the actual ask buried at the bottom. Maria has to wade through corporate word salad before understanding what you need.

The 8 Rules That Change Everything

Rule #1: Start With Your Ask Up Front

Here's the same email, transformed:

BAM. "Ask: Can you confirm?" — right there in the first line. The bullet points make it scannable. Maria knows exactly what you need in 3 seconds.

Rule #2: Subject Line Magic

Keep subject lines under 50 characters with clear calls-to-action:

Add a time estimate, specify the exact action, and ruthlessly cut words. Your recipient can immediately prioritize this in their inbox.

Why under 50 characters? People often check emails on their phones. The narrower screen will cut off a portion of your subject line if it’s too long.

Rule #3: Bold Your Action Items

For recap emails, forget the fluff. People don’t have time for your conclusions or takeaways. Just bold the company names and who's responsible for what:

See those bolded names? Rachel can scan this in 5 seconds and spot exactly what she owns. No hunting through paragraphs trying to figure out who does what.

Rule #4: Name-Drop Strategic Allies

When making requests to executives, mention trusted allies:

This feels like you're going rogue with some random agenda. Why should Alex trust your judgment?

"That Marcus developed" — three magic words. Now it's not just your idea, it's backed by Marcus whom Alex deeply trusts. This dramatically increases your response rate.

Nurture relationships with people who have influence over your target audience just as much as you do with your subjects directly. This is a next-level skill called multithreading, and I’ve done it both externally and internally.

Rule #5: Kill Passive Voice

Who brought it to your attention? Are you a bystander in your own company?

Direct. Honest. You own it. And it's literally one-third the length. Active voice makes you sound like a leader, not a bureaucrat.

Rule #6: One Thread, One Topic

Keep all Project Phoenix discussions in the Project Phoenix thread. Your colleagues will thank you for not creating inbox terrorism with scattered updates across multiple threads.

Rule #7: Write Like You Speak

Nobody says this. "The possibility of scheduling" — just ask! "Strategic priorities moving forward" — pure corporate fluff.

"Do you have 30 minutes?" — that's how humans talk. "Make sure we're aligned" — clear and direct.

The secret: Read your email out loud. If you stumble over the words or feel ridiculous saying them, delete and rewrite.

Rule #8: The ALERT Framework

Before hitting send, use this 10-second mental check:

• Action: Is my ask clear?
• Length: Can I cut 30% more?
• Essentials: What context actually matters to them?
• Recipient: Who should REALLY receive this message? Am I missing anyone?
• Timing: When should I send this? When do I need a response?

This isn't about rewriting your whole email. It's a quick mental scan that catches those moments where you're about to send three paragraphs of context for a simple yes/no question.

The Bottom Line

Mastering email isn't about impressing people with fancy words. It's about respecting everyone's time, including your own.

These 8 rules won't just make you a better emailer. They'll make you someone people actually want to work with. Someone who sounds like leadership material.

By the way, since you're in The ISA, you can join me in The ISA Accelerator for 3 months of live coaching calls with mend practice sessions with fellow students. There's an exclusive discount for ISA students like you, and the program begins on September 4. Hope to see you there.

Best,

Preston

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