EMAIL ETIQUETTE

A couple weeks ago I briefly touched on email etiquette in one of my blogging tips post and many of you commented asking for me to go into deeper detail as to what I meant. If you’ve ever worked for someone who is very particular, and were confused why they thought your emailing skills were not up to par, this post is for you 😉

The reason I know this is because I’m that crazy particular person. I love consistency when it comes to my blog and even something as mundane as email should be “on brand” in my opinion. Aside from the fact that I get a sick pleasure from formatting, an update to my signature, or even swapping out my fonts, I think you should place importance on the way an email is delivered when dealing with business.

Much of my career as a blogger is based on email exchanges between brands, publicists, and other business executives, so coming across as professional while still allowing your personality to show through is crucial (IMO). I also believe that an outreach email (whether it’s coming from you or to you) should have a few very specific items. To find out what I consider good email etiquette, read on.

EMAIL ETIQUETTE:

–Formatting. You should get very friendly and personal with your email account. Learn all about your options and setting, test things out, email yourself, see how an email from you looks to the receiver. Pay attention to things like: Is your font hard to read? Is your text too small or big? Are you properly spacing our your emails so it’s not a massive cluster of words? Make your email as easy on the eyes as possible.

-Signature. Create a signature and make sure it’s turned on. I am guilty of not signing my emails because I heavily rely on my signature. If for whatever reason my signature didn’t appear in my email (ie: I got a new phone or email account) and I didn’t sign my name, the person will most likely not take the time to try and figure out who sent the email. Consider bolding your name, hyperlinking your website, and including your logo in your signature.

–Attachments. I feel pretty confident in saying that the most common mistake when emailing is forgetting to attach documents. Raise your hand if you have to reply “nothing attached” daily!

*raising hand*

Gmail has actually gotten smart, and when you write “please find _____ attached” and don’t attach, an alert will pop up after you hit send reminding to you attach the document. Not all email servers offer this super convenient alert, so just be super attentive. It’s a tiny mistake but a total inconvenience.

–Hyperlink. When a brand emails me for the first time without hyperlinking their website (doubly bad when they don’t have a signature) I’m more likely to flag it for later. Reason being, I now have to go searching / googling your website to do my homework. It is imperative to check out any brand that emails me so if you want me to check you out immediately, make it as easy as possible for me to find you. Again, I know this sounds small and petty, but it makes a big difference.

-Follow up. I have a rule. If you give me less than 24 hours to reply before sending a follow-up email, not gonna lie, I’m going to be a little annoyed. I receive about 50 real emails a day (real, as in not West Elm, Pottery Barn, etc.) and I need a bit more time to truly focus on your email. I’m not big on typing on my phone (so many errors can occur and I can’t attach proper documents) so I have to wait until I’m at my desk to email back. I extend the same courtesy to anyone I email, UNLESS it’s a super time sensitive, important matter. Then I’m likely calling you.

-Reply All. I have another rule. I always hit Reply All. I’m not always paying attention to whom is attached to the email, so just in case there is more than one person, I hit Reply All when replying. Simple. Nothing bugs me more in email than when I include an additional person on an email chain and the receiver does not Reply All.

-CC & BCC. Honestly, I know it’s something about carbon copy, but I’m not even 100% sure. However, I do understand how they both work and so should you. You CC someone when you want them included on the email chain. The receiver of your email should Reply All so you both see the reply.

You BCC when you want to include someone on your email, but don’t want the receiver to see.

These are my go-to tips that I follow in regards to emailing. As I mentioned, emailing is a huge part of my job so I have standards. Lastly, I’m attaching a screen shot of how I format my emails so you have a better idea of my layout in regards to spacing. This is obviously a mock-up email, I just created it to give you a visual. Comment below if you have any further questions!