Let’s start to tackle the problem with how your email is structured.

The first step is to decide what it is you want a response on. Limit it to a couple of items per email. Anymore and you run the risk of the reader delaying a response while they research an answer.

Next, keep all the social talk to the start of the email. Things such as “How was your weekend”, “How are the kids”, etc. These are what I call “distractors.” Put them in the middle or at the end of your email and the chances of you getting a response to what you asked for just went downhill.

Next, pay attention to the layout of your email, and make it easy to read. Limit paragraphs to 3-4 lines max, or put your important points in bullets. When we read a computer screen, our tendency is to scan, and when we see big blocks of text, we often skip them.

The last of the “distractors” has to do with your writing, namely the spelling and grammar. Think of how you react when you receive an email with typos or grammatical errors. At the very minimum, it took your focus away from the email’s content. It might even have made you think differently about the sender.

WhiteSmoke’s spelling and grammar checker lets you check any document, even emails. It also suggests words that may improve what you have already written. The obvious benefit is that you will have more impactful emails with no errors, allowing your reader to focus on what you ask for and send you the responses you are looking for!