One Very Simple Tip to Increase Your Odds of Getting an Email Response
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Before you sit down to craft your next email, keep this in mind: you're more likely to get a response if you write like a third grader.
Boomerang - boomerangapp.com
A new report from the makers of the mail plug-in app, Boomerang, found that email response rates vary depending upon the quality of your prose. Apparently, writing at a third-grade reading level — in simple, concise language — is the most effective strategy.
At the third-grade reading level, 53 percent of emails received responses on average. Compare that to emails written at a high school reading level (45 percent) and worse, a college reading level (39 percent), and you'll start to get the point. People prefer simple text over erudite disquisition.
But not too simple. Emails written at a kindergarten reading level received replies 46 percent of the time on average. That's still more than the high school and college reading level, but it's clear that writing like a 9-year-old is the best practice for email success.
Other helpful email tips from Boomerang.
Emails that contain expressive, opinionated language have a higher response rate than those that strike a more neutral tone.
Boomerang - boomerangapp.com
Keep your emails short — between 50 and 125 words — and the subject line shorter (three to four words).
Boomerang - boomerangapp.com
Also, don't be afraid to ask questions. If your aim is to get a response, asking questions is probably one of the most effective methods to achieve that goal. Why not?
