If you’re anything like me you’ll have busy days where you actually have real stuff that needs doing, and by real stuff, I mean physical world stuff away from a screen and keyboard. I actually love these days, as they generally mean working closely with a customer or taking time out to plan and be creative. Unfortunately, while I’m away from my desk it seems that the rest of the world, at exactly the same time, need me for one reason or another.

I like to keep a trim inbox, I regularly receive several hundred emails a day, most of them are important to both me and the sender. I like to use the 2-minute rule from our zero inbox strategies and aim to read every single email I receive and decide what needs to be responded to immediately and what doesn’t. However, on the days I’m away from my desk, my inbox may put on a few pounds, and I often feel like I just can’t physically respond to every single person.

So in an effort to help me, and the rest of the world, cut through this inbox noise, and hopefully free up time to get back to more real world stuff, I wanted to share with you my top 5 tips on how to get busy people (which is most of us) to read your email.

1) Subject is critical

We all now that if you’re emailing someone you don’t know you need to grab their attention immediately. I marketing we obsess over each and every word and continually test different variations. So why don’t we do the same with all our individual emails, they’re just as important aren’t they? To help your reader there two specific things I would recommend you include within your subject: describe the content of the email and be clear about your request.

2) Keep it short and to the point

When you’re sending your email, think about the 2-minute rule. Can your recipient read and reply to your request within 2 minutes? If someone is able to read your email within 2 mins they are more likely to reply. Remember, most people are completely turned off by having to read long emails. Try to phrase your request clearly and within a few sentences. If you need to write a long email consider using alternative communication methods, schedule a call or video chat, or grab a coffee.

3) Format and form

If you must stretch your emails over a few paragraphs then break them down into short concise sentences. It’s far easier to read emails which contain one or two sentences per paragraph than a long block of text.

4) Be clear with what you want

Have you ever received one of these emails when you have no idea exactly what the person actually wants? You know the type of email, they’re generally long, go off in multiple directions and often have no call to action for you. Frustrating eh?
If that’s you, try putting your call to action in the first few lines of the email, or even try adding it to the email subject title. (See “Less is more” in the zero inbox strategies.)

5) Be respectful of others time

Remember that 2-minute rule? Make it easy for someone to action your request. Don’t fire off an email that you know would take someone over an hour to respond.
If someone can respond to something in less than two minutes, they will generally do it immediately. So be specific with your request, and if you can’t aim for an alternative method of communication. If you require more than 2 minutes of someone time try to arrange a quick video call, Google Hangout, or Skype etc. But if you want their time, make sure you’re clear as to the question you need answering.

6) Would you reply to your own email?

Take a good look at yourself, what are you asking, and would you reply, oh and be honest.
If you’re sending an email cold, what would make you interested enough to respond? These days it’s easy to check out a person before committing to spending time on a call or having coffee. LinkedIn, and Facebook are great places to look into someone’s background so make sure yours is up to date and reflects what you’re doing. Try connecting with people before sending over your email.

If you’re sending an email to someone you know, again ask yourself that simple question, “Would I read and reply to this email?”
So tell me, what tricks and tips do you use to get people to respond to your emails? Post them in the comments.