The average professional sends 40 emails a day. Most of them are too long, too vague, or too passive. Here's how to fix that.
The 5-Second Rule
Your recipient should understand the purpose of your email within 5 seconds of opening it. Put the ask or key information in the first sentence, not the third paragraph.
Subject Lines That Get Opened
Bad: 'Quick question.' Good: 'Need your approval on Q2 budget by Friday.' Specific subject lines get opened and acted on faster.
Kill the Passive Voice
'It would be appreciated if the report could be reviewed' → 'Please review the report by Thursday.' Direct language saves everyone time. Our grammar checker flags passive voice automatically.
The One-Thing Rule
Each email should ask for one thing. Need approval AND a meeting? Send two emails. Multi-ask emails sit in inboxes forever because they're 'complicated.'
Need help crafting the perfect email? Try our AI email writer — it generates professional emails from a few bullet points.