6 email writing tips to write an email people want to respond to

“Should I reply or not?” This is the first question that pops into your mind after you read an email you just received.

But, what if you are on the other side of the table and you are the one who is sending the emails?

Wouldn’t you want all your prospects to open them and reply back? Of course, you would, but how do you do it? Are there any guidelines? Any tips for writing emails?

At first look, it might seem very simple to prepare an email to talk about your product and send it to your contacts list.

You have a great product, so everyone should answer your emails quickly, right?

The reality is slightly different. Apart from your emails, your prospects are assaulted with hundreds of other emails every day.

Therefore, you need to give them a serious reason to open your email and respond to it.

So, how do you make people respond to your email? This is a question to which you will find the answer if you keep reading this article.

Key takeaways

• Craft a Provocative Subject Line
• Personalize the Opening Line
• Build an Enticing Email Body
• Create an Irresistible Closing
• Read Your Email Aloud Before Sending
• Use AI for Efficiency

Let's start with the first email writing tip:

Start with a provoking subject line

“Before people get to respond to your emails, they should first open it, right? So, in my opinion, the subject line plays a significant role in the overall success of an emailing campaign.

There are hundreds of templates available online with suggestions on how to create an interesting subject line. All the other marketers already use them. So, your prospects are already tired of the same subject lines.

Thus, my recommendation is to create your subject line in such a way so that you provide value and competitive intelligence”, says the CEO of PickWriters.

One tip that never fails is to congratulate your prospects from the subject line.

You will notice how your open rate will increase significantly. Moreover, your subject line should bring value to the receiver.

Finally, you don’t need to create long subject lines and use upper case letters to attract the attention of your contacts.

You will appear less aggressive if you write the words in lowercase and offer an unusual benefit from the start.

Create a personal opening line

Once you have gone over the hurdle of making your recipients open your email, now it is time to convince them to respond. Beginnings like “My name is…” are not the most successful.

Your prospects need to feel that you know them and understand their needs. They are tired of sellers who don’t care about their problems and just want to increase their profits.

Therefore, when they start reading the first lines of your email, they should discover that you know to whom you are talking and that you did your research.

Thus, you can start with phrases like “I noticed you…” or “I saw that we both like/did…” and create a connection with your email receiver.

What is more, you can win their trust by mentioning a mutual friend or business partner with whom you already developed a relationship. This will bring you more social proof and make your prospects curious.

On the other hand, if you don’t find any mutual connection, you can also carefully check their business and website and start by mentioning one of their problems you noticed and can solve.

Show them that you have done your homework and win their trust.

You can learn more about the proven ways to write an enticing opening line by checking out our post on how to start an email.

Build an enticing email body

If you managed to create curiosity with the opening line, this doesn’t mean that your job is done. Your recipients will look for the spectacular until the end of the email. So, you cannot disappoint them.

When you write the email body, you should think that this is your chance to show your expertise.

Show your prospects that you know very well what is their problem and you have the solution for it.

A good tip is to ask relevant questions about their need, showing them that you are a professional in your field and you have carefully studied their problem.

Stay away from generic phrases where you talk about your accomplishments.

People don’t have time to read bluff expressions.

They want applied solutions to their needs and will always appreciate an email that goes straight to the point. Use your body email to create a connection with your potential clients and use all your “weapons” to make them trust you.

Structuring your email body

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Create an irresistible closing

You have successfully managed to make your prospects read your email. Now that they are close to the end, you shouldn’t let them down and make them click the “reply” button right away.

You showed them in the email body that you are a professional and you have a real solution for their needs. Above that, this is the perfect occasion to make your recipient take action.

Use intriguing questions to make him respond to your email. For example, ask him whether he has time for a meeting in the following days or what would be in his opinion the next steps to start collaborating.

In your email's closing, add something personal or refer back to an earlier topic to show you're really paying attention. Suggest a specific time for a follow-up, like a quick call next week or feedback by Thursday, to encourage a quick reply.

End your email on a friendly and hopeful note, looking forward to their response. This makes your email more memorable and can help build a strong business connection.

Here are some tips to make your closing more effective:

• Be Clear and Direct: Your closing should clearly state what you expect from the recipient. Whether it’s a request for a meeting, feedback, or a follow-up call, make your intentions explicit. For example, instead of saying, "I hope to hear from you," say, "Please let me know your availability for a meeting next week."

• Add a Personal Touch: Personalize your closing to show that you value the relationship. This could be as simple as referencing a previous conversation or expressing genuine interest in their feedback. For instance, "I remember you mentioned your interest in [topic] in our last meeting, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this."

• Create a Sense of Urgency: Without being pushy, imply that a timely response is appreciated. Phrases like, "I look forward to your reply by Wednesday," or "Please let me know your thoughts before the end of this week," can be effective.

• Offer Value: Remind the recipient of the value or benefit they will get by responding. For example, "By scheduling this meeting, we can quickly address the challenges you're facing with [specific issue]."

Read your email before you send it

Even though you use the best team of writers and you are sure that you followed all the email writing tips to make your recipients respond, it is always a good idea to double or triple-check your text before you send the email.

Once you have your team’s final inspection and feedback, go to a quiet place and read your email in a loud voice.

This is a good exercise for the final proofreading.

What is more, this exercise will help you see whether your email is too long. The general rule says that if it takes you more than one minute to read it, then you should cut it down.

A long email might bore the reader, so keep it short but still get your main point across. This last check makes your email better and more likely to get a good reply.

Bonus tip: Write faster and better with help from AI

Consider using artificial intelligence to speed up and take the effort out of writing emails. Exciting new AI technologies like the Mailbutler Smart Assistant can automatically compose and respond to messages for you, based on just a few short keyword inputs.

Enter your recipient's name, the theme of your message, the subject line and some stylistic pointers, and in a few moments you'll have a generated email that you didn't have to lose time over for half an hour.

Also, the Smart Assistant can respond to messages, improve your grammar and spelling, summarize your messages into easily digestible notes, and scan your messages for tasks and contacts.

Email writing tips FAQs

How do I get a busy person to respond to my email sample?

The number one rule you need to follow is to keep your email short and concise. Try your best to keep your email message to two or three clear sentences.

Then, work on the email’s readability by breaking it down into one sentence per paragraph if possible.

Finally, make sure to let your recipient know exactly what you want them to do once they read your email (give you feedback on one of your products/services, RSVP to a Zoom meeting, etc.).

How do you write emails that people will read?

Writing emails that people will actually read can be challenging, but the following five tips will make it much easier:

• Personalize your emails. Get to know your recipients and personalize your email message based on your research.
• Up your subject line game. Write subject lines that inform your recipients what the email body contains, but do it in just a few words.
• Keep the email body short and to the point. Don’t overwhelm your recipients with details they won't benefit from. Include only important information.
• Don’t overlook the importance of formatting. To make your emails reader-friendly, use bulleted lists and highlight key parts of the text using bold or italics.
• Add a custom email signature. Let your recipients see the face behind your brand.

What is a good opening sentence for an email?

Some of the most effective opening sentences for professional emails are:

• I noticed that [company name] is [mention an impressive piece of info you’ve discovered about them]...
• Congratulations on [mention one of their accomplishments]...
• I read your post on [article name]...

How do you start a response email?

Six of the simplest yet most powerful ways to start a response email are:

• It’s great to hear from you!
• Thank you for the quick reply!
• Thanks for getting back to me.
• I appreciate the detailed update.
• I’m getting back to you about…
• Here’s more information on…

Summary

Finally, in case you don’t receive answers right away, you shouldn’t take it personally.

There are various reasons why people don’t answer emails. However, you shouldn’t quit and schedule a follow-up after the first round of emails.

There is a fine line between doing a follow-up and becoming pushy.

So, when you come back and ask whether your target customer received your email, you shouldn’t follow more than 4-6 touchpoints.

Reply directly to your previous email and try to connect it to a subject that adds even more value than your initial email.

One of the golden rules of making people respond to your emails is to never send a message without having a strong reason. People are too busy and tired of the assault of emails they receive every day.

Thus, if you don’t do your homework and show them that you know their problem, don’t be surprised that you won’t hear back from them.

Spend more time researching your target audience and putting yourself in their shoes before you hit the “send” button.

End your email with a question, and you will see how quickly your response rate will grow.