Email Anatomy
| Element | Best Practice |
|---|
| To | People who MUST act or reply. Fewer is better — avoids diffusion of responsibility. |
| CC | People who just need visibility. If you want action, move them to To. |
| BCC | Protect privacy in large lists. NEVER use BCC to secretly loop someone in — it destroys trust. |
| Subject | Specific + actionable. "Q3 Report for Review — feedback by Friday" not "Report" |
Response Timing
| Urgency | Respond Within |
|---|
| Urgent (client, deadline) | 1-2 hours during business hours |
| Standard (internal request) | 24 hours — even just "On it, will get back by Friday" |
| Low priority (FYI) | Within the week |
Tone Fixes
| Instead of | Write |
|---|
| "As I said before..." | "To reiterate from our earlier conversation..." |
| "You forgot to..." | "Just following up on..." |
| "This doesn't make sense" | "Could you help me understand...?" |
Subject Line Formulas
| Type | Template |
|---|
| Action needed | "[ACTION] Review Q3 budget by Friday 5 PM" |
| Info only | "[INFO] Q3 Results Summary — no action needed" |
| Decision | "[DECISION] Vendor A vs B — need response by Wed" |
Pro Tip: If an email thread hits 5+ replies, pick up the phone or schedule a 5-minute call. Email is terrible for nuanced discussion — it amplifies tone misinterpretation and the back-and-forth wastes more time than a quick conversation ever would.