Use The Subject Wisely

This might seem obvious, but you'll be surprised how many people just scan the subject line, and delete the email if it doesn't seem relevant to them. Put a call to action into it. "5 things I need you to do tomorrow" is much better than "Things". It also makes searching for mail much easier. Consider adding the following:

  • [Time Sensitive]
  • [Action Item]
  • [NNTR, NRN or FYI]: put one of these 3 at the end of the subject line (this means No Need to Reply, No Reply Necessary or For Your Information), it will make the recipient feel good knowing they can just enjoy reading your email and not have to do anything.
  • [EOM]: If you can fit the entire message into the subject line, put EOM at the end (End of Message) and they won't have to open the message.