More effective email – tips from Al Hidden, Gloucestershire, UK, copywriter

Email is a fantastic tool: quick, flexible and easy to use. But even as we hammer out another message, a little thought and a few of the principles of business writing can make the difference for your recipient – and more effective email and a more professional image for you.

Here are my top tips.

1. Plan, plan, plan – it only takes a few moments to think your message and content through before writing your email. You will work more effectively and your reader, be they in Gloucestershire or Australia, will thank you for respecting their time.

2. Keep paragraphs short and writing informal for easy reading and assimilation of information. By all means be informal – but don't be sloppy. Wherever possible, restrict each email to a single idea.

3. Vary the length and structure of sentences for dynamic writing that helps move your reader to the required action, information or response.

4. Use sentence case – not all caps, which reads as if you are shouting – LIKE THIS!

5. For longer emails (those that continue 'below the fold' on a typical screen), encourage readers to scroll down by ending the first page mid-sentence (a clever trick from the old days of hard-copy letters).

6. Use simple, ordinary words – they're quicker to use and more effective than jargon, euphemisms, slang or Gloucestershire dialect. Impress your reader with your ideas, not with obscure, fancy words.

7. Eliminate redundancy – repetition is boring and time consuming. Write clearly and concisely to avoid misunderstandings.

8. Always spell-check before sending. (But remember that software spellcheckers have their limitations so don't forget the human check too.) Gloucestershire or Glostershire, anyone?

9. If in doubt, sleep on it – email isn't private and an email doesn't convey your tone the same way that speech does! Is the content in any way controversial or sensitive. If in doubt, or if you've hammered out an email while angry, frustrated or otherwise emotionally aroused, save it as a draft and review it in the morning. Do you still want to send the message as you wrote it?

10. Strong subject lines help – "Check out this great Gloucestershire Copywriter!" A well-crafted, informative subject field helps your message stand out in a busy Inbox. If you are replying to an email, consider altering the subject header to help the recipient.

Next time you are about to whiz off an email, why not check it for some or all of these points. It's easy to gradually integrate these sound email principles into your communications. Soon, you won't even think about them – but your readers, in Gloucestershire, the UK, Europe or the other side of the world will, as they enjoy efficiency-enhancing clarity and appreciate your new professionalism.

It really is worth the effort!