Email Writing Best Practices

Want to write like a CEO? Cut the fluff. The best leaders communicate with: ✅ Clarity ✅ Brevity ✅ Impact They don’t send long, rambling emails. They don’t hide behind corporate jargon. They get to the point fast. I have written four books and have advised 300+ CEOs on their communications. Here’s the 5-part writing framework top executives use: 1 – The Subject Line Should Say It All Before you write anything, ask: ➡️ What’s the ONE thing I need them to know? ➡️ What’s the ONE action I need them to take? If you can’t answer this, don’t send it yet. 2 – Lead with the Bottom Line Busy people don’t have time for long intros. 💡 Start with the main point, not the backstory. ❌ “Hope you’re doing well! I wanted to reach out because we’ve been working on…” ✅ “Here’s the update: [Key message in one line].” 3 – Cut the Fluff High-level executives don’t read wordy emails. They scan. ✂ Remove “just,” “I think,” and “wanted to.” ✅ “We should move forward.” ✅ “The results show a 20% increase.” 4 – Be Direct, Not Rude Great leaders are clear, not cold. 🚫 “Per our last discussion, I believe this approach might be beneficial.” ✅ “Let’s move forward with this approach. Thoughts?” 5 – Always End with a Clear Ask ❌ “Let me know what you think.” ✅ “Can you approve this by Thursday?” 6 – Add Warmth Charismatic people are both competent and warm. If you follow 1-5, you may come across as competent but it may be hard to connect. Therefore, add some warmth at the end. ❌ “Looking forward to your response.” ✅ “Appreciate your time on this—excited to hear your thoughts!” 📌 Follow me Oliver Aust for daily strategies on leadership communications.

Got an email from a colleague I've known for three years. Drinks after conferences. Inside jokes. His daughter plays soccer. Subject line: Strategic Alignment for Q3. Flawless formatting. Perfect grammar. Professionally upbeat. Every bullet precisely spaced. I felt absolutely nothing. Closed it without responding. Here's what's actually happening: for decades, polish was proof of effort. A well-written message meant someone cared enough to craft it. AI severed that connection completely. Now a perfect email could be 30 minutes of real thought or 3 seconds of prompting, and the recipient cannot tell. So we don't trust any of it. Not dramatically. Not consciously. But in the slow, cumulative way that hollows out working relationships over time. Each frictionless message becomes a little harder to take seriously. Each exchange feels more like a transaction, less like a conversation. There's a concept in evolutionary biology called costly signaling. A peacock's tail is trusted precisely because it's expensive to grow. Cheap signals carry no weight. AI communication costs nearly zero to produce. The recipient, consciously or not, values it accordingly. And when everyone in an org uses the same tools, something stranger happens: the voices converge. AI is a probability engine. It gravitates toward average phrasing, standard structure, safest tone. Use it to smooth your communication and you're not saving time, you're deleting your own fingerprint. Before your next important message, ask one question: is there a single sentence here that could only have come from me? If no, the message might land. But it won't build anything. The polished email costs nothing to produce. That's precisely why it costs everything to trust. Link to the full essay in the comments below.

Most leaders undermine themselves without realizing it. It happens in every email they send. I've coached 100s of CEOs who wonder why their emails get ignored. The pattern is clear: They write like they're asking for permission instead of leading. Here’s how weak leaders communicate: ❌ "Let me know if this works for you..." ❌ "I think there might be an issue..." ❌ "Hope this email finds you well..." ❌ "I was just wondering if maybe..." ❌ "Whenever you get a chance..." ❌ "Just following up again..." ❌ "Does that make sense?" ❌ "Sorry to bother you..." ❌ "I'll try to get it done..." ❌ "I'm no expert, but..." ❌ "Sorry for the delay!" ❌ "I hate to ask, but..." These phrases scream uncertainty. They make recipients think your message isn't worth their time. Great leaders write differently: ✅ "I need your help with this." ✅ "I'll have this to you by 3pm." ✅ "Can you confirm by Friday?" ✅ "Thank you for your patience." ✅ "I need your expertise on this." ✅ "Have you had time to review?" ✅ "What questions do you have?" ✅ "This needs attention by [date]." ✅ "I've identified a problem with..." ✅ "Hi Sarah, I'm reaching out about..." ✅ "Based on the data, I recommend..." ✅ "Please confirm you can meet this deadline." Notice the difference? Clear expectations.  Direct language.  Zero apologies. This isn't about being harsh. It's about being clear. When you water down your language, people assume: Your request isn't important. You're not confident in your ask. They can deprioritize your email. But when you write with conviction: People respond faster Decisions happen quicker Your ideas carry more weight The most successful leaders I know don't write longer emails. They write clearer ones. They don't use more words. They use better ones. Your communication style is your leadership brand. And every weak phrase dilutes it. So starting today, lead with clarity. Write like the leader you are. Watch how quickly things change. ♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more communication insights. — 📌 Want the high-res version of the Email Like a CEO framework? Subscribe to my free newsletter and I’ll send you the full PDF — plus one concise, highly actionable leadership insight every week to help you communicate with clarity, authority, and impact. Join 235,000+ leaders committed to operating in the top 2%. https://lnkd.in/eJxApzCj

Every graduation season, I get a version of this email weekly:  "Hey Dennis, I saw you're connected to [CEO of XYZ company]. Can you connect us?" That’s the whole message. I usually don’t respond. Not because I don’t want to help.  I do. Everyone who's had a bit of success was once the 22-year-old trying to figure out who to talk to. We remember. We want to help. But with a message like that, I don't know what you want. I don't know why you want it. I don't know what to tell the other person about you. The next meeting's in 15 minutes and you've handed me a puzzle with no picture on the box. So I move on. Compare it to one I got recently (details changed): "Dennis — I noticed you're connected to a partner at a top-tier VC. I'm building a startup in logistics. We have 10 customers and we’re starting early conversations with investors. Not raising right now, but I'd love an introduction so I can share what we're working on. They’ve invested in [X] and [Y], which are adjacent to what we do. Here's a link to our website with a demo and customer references. Happy to send a short intro blurb you can forward." Five extra minutes of writing. Now I know what you want. I know what to say on your behalf. I know you've done the homework. You've made it easy for me to say yes. And here's the thing — this isn't really about intros. It's true of almost every ask in business. A vague request isn't modest. It's a burden you've handed someone else. The people who get the most out of their networks aren't the most connected. They're the most specific.

Emaill marketing is not DEAD. It’s just… boring PAINFULLY boring. Scrolling-through-20-newsletters-while-my-eyes-glaze-over boring. Most brand emails I get?? Lost. Deleted. Gone forever in the abyss between a Sephora sale announcement and a toothpaste subscription reminder. And honestly, can you blame anyone??? Half of these emails still read like: “LAST CHANCE!!!! 20% OFF. BUY. NOW.” It’s giving… 2014 Not Q4 of the most competitive year beauty has ever seen. But here’s the thing, some beauty brands are getting it right!!! There are a feeew things working right now. And It’s actually very simple AND very human! n 1. Storytelling BEATS shouting! Brands like rhode skin, Glossier, Inc. don’t email you. They talk to you. Short. Warm. Editorial. Feels like a friend, not a funnel n 2. Education as currency Kosas emails about ingredients. Summer Fridays emails about routines. Glow Recipe emails about skin moods. They don’t say “BUY.” They say “Here’s something you’ll care about.” n 3. Micro-personalization!!! Not “Hi {FIRST NAME}.” Buuuuut: - shade-based recommendations - refill reminders - behavior-based nudges Not creepy. Just helpful. n 4. Low frequency, high intention The best brands aren’t emailing every day. They’re emailing when they actually have something worth opening. (Shocking, I knowwww, did you even read my last post??) n 5. Design that feels like content, not an ad Less banners. More editorial clean, digestible layouts. Like opening a mini magazine on your phone. Because the thing is.. People don’t actually hate emails. They hate IRRELEVANT emails. So next time, think before sending an email.. If you wouldn’t open it, no one else will... Email isn’t dying. Bad content is!

As a learning designer I never put content into an authoring tool until my content is final. Whenever I start a new project collaborating with other learning professionals I share the rules I hold myself accountable to as a learning designer. One of my major rules is not to touch an authoring tool until my content is able to stand on it's own. This puts the focus on the quality of the content and not the design or interactions. Too many times I have seen learning designers get tied up in interactions, visuals, etc. and the content does not flow, it's missing context, or doesn't align with learning objectives. ✅ This doesn't mean content is 100% finalized, it just means it's close and has gone through several reviews. Usually there will only be minor edits. ✅ If I have an idea of an activity and want to ensure it works I'll do a prototype or test in a tool but I will not actually use that to build out the content until it's ready. This method has never slowed me down, it's made my projects get delivered more quickly. It means less need to rework in an authoring tool because the content has already gone through several reviews. #elearning #learninganddevelopment #learningexperiencedesign #learningdesign

The one email that separates closers from everyone else You just finished a killer demo. The prospect was nodding along. They said things like “this is exactly what we’ve been looking for.” You’re feeling good. Now what? You send The Email. It’s not a “thanks for your time” note. It’s not a recap of every feature you showed. It’s an alignment document that moves the deal forward. Here’s what it includes: 1. A clear summary of the problem the customer is trying to solve (in their words, not yours). 2. A vision for success that paints the “city on the hill” — the desired outcome they told you they want. 3. The specific ways your product helps them get there. 4. A proposed timeline and next step — ideally with a date and meeting link attached. Think of this as the unofficial “executive summary” that your champion can forward to their boss. Or use to prep for internal conversations. It does three things: - Shows that you listened. - Makes your champion look good. - Keeps the momentum going. Most reps don’t send this email. Or they send a version that’s too vague to be useful. The best reps? They send it immediately after the demo. It’s short. Sharp. Specific. Want to stand out? Send The Email.

An ecommerce company recently approached my team to do an email audit as they were facing challenges with low open and click-through rates. After analyzing their email account, here are our main recommendations to revive their email marketing channel: 1. Strategic Email Segmentation: Currently, your emails lack personal relevance due to a one-size-fits-all approach. This is a crucial area to address. Action Plan: Implement segmentation based on purchase history, engagement levels, browsing behavior, and demographic information. 2. Personalized Content Creation: Generic content won't cut it. Your audience needs to feel that each email is crafted for them. Action Plan: Develop emails specifically tailored to the different segments. This includes curated product recommendations, personalized offers, and content that aligns with their interests. 3. Subject Line A/B Testing: Your current subject lines aren't doing their job. You need to be implementing ongoing A/B subject line tests, as this is low-hanging fruit to improve your open rates. Action Plan: Regularly test different subject line styles and formats to identify what resonates best with each segment. Keep track of the metrics to inform future campaigns. 4. Mobile Optimization: A significant portion of your audience reads emails on mobile devices. Neglecting this is causing a decrease in your email engagement rates. Action Plan: Ensure all emails are responsive and visually appealing on various screen sizes. Test your emails on multiple devices before sending them out. Additional Campaign Strategies We Recommend: - Launch a Monthly Newsletter: This should include new arrivals, style guides, and user-generated content. It’s an excellent way to keep your brand in the minds of your customers. - Seasonal Campaign Integration: Tailor your campaigns to align with holidays and seasons. This approach can significantly boost engagement and sales during key periods. - Re-Engagement Campaigns: Specifically target subscribers who haven't interacted with your brand recently. Offer them unique incentives to rekindle their interest. Next steps: 1. If you found this helpful, please leave a comment and let me know. 2. If you own/run/work at an Ecommerce company doing at least $1 million in annual revenue, message me so my team can audit your email channel to see if there's a good fit for working together.

In the last 10 days via Instantly.ai: ✅ 18 appointments booked ✅ 9 leads generated in a single day from 1 campaign ✅ First clinic partnership secured for a client Here’s what actually made the difference beyond just “personalization”: I didn't even use Clay. 🔹 Tight ICP filtering – Instead of targeting everyone in our target industry, we narrowed to decision-makers at mid-size companies that recently posted hiring signals, and confirmed their ability to take on additional work. Fewer contacts, higher hit rate. 🔹 Problem-first messaging – Instead of opening with “who we are / what we do,” every sequence started with the cost of their current status quo (missed appointments, staffing gaps, wasted pipeline). That framed the outreach as relevant instead of salesy. Trigger events > endless pitches. 🔹 Structured follow-up cadence – Most replies didn’t come from Email 1. They came from emails 3–4, where we shifted tone: lighter, more conversational, sometimes even with a short one-liner but always built urgency and displayed the ROI of the offer to the prospect. Consistency > cleverness. Outbound isn’t about “sending more.” It’s about sending smarter. If you’re only relying on referrals or inbound, you’re betting on luck. Cold email gives you control over pipeline. 👉 I’ll keep sharing breakdowns like this—so if you’re building outbound, follow along. #coldemail #instantlyai #outbound #GTM