Write an email that gets answered before lunch

Most unanswered emails aren't rude, badly spelled or too long. They're just expensive. The person opened it, realized that replying would take fifteen minutes of thinking, closed it, and told themselves they'd come back after the meeting. They didn't.

So the whole skill is this: make the reply cheap. Everything below is in the order you actually do it.

Decide what you want before you type a word

One email, one ask. Write the ask on a scrap of paper first if you have to.

Not "I wanted to touch base about the Riley job." That's a topic, not a request. The ask is "Can you approve the revised quote for the Riley job?" or "Can you send me the site access code before Thursday?"

If you have three unrelated asks, you have three emails. People answer emails they can finish. A message with three asks sits in the inbox until all three can be handled at once, which is never.

And if you genuinely can't state the ask in one sentence, you're not ready to send. You're still thinking. Think first, on your own time.

Check that email is the right tool

Email is good for things that need a record, things with attachments, and things the other person needs to act on when they get a free moment.

Email is bad for negotiation, for anything emotional, for anything where tone can be misread, and for anything urgent within the hour. If someone's upset, call them. If it's on fire, call them. If it needs three rounds of back-and-forth to land, walk over or pick up the phone and then send a short email confirming what you agreed.

Also worth knowing before you start: assume every work email will one day be read aloud by someone you didn't intend. Write accordingly. If the subject touches on a contract, a dismissal, an injury or anything with legal weight, get a lawyer or your HR lead to look at it before it leaves your outbox. That's not caution for its own sake. That's the one category where a fast reply is worth less than a correct one.

Pick one recipient and mean it

Put one name in the To field. The person who can actually do the thing.

Everyone else goes in CC, and CC means "for your awareness, no action needed." Four people in To means nobody owns it. Each of them is quietly hoping one of the others will handle it.

If two people genuinely need to act, name them in the body. "Dan — I need the invoice number. Priya — I need sign-off once Dan's sent it." Now the work is assigned.

Open with the ask, not the runway

First line, first sentence. No "Hope you're well, I know you're busy, I just wanted to reach out regarding…"

Compare these two openings.

Weak: "Following up on our conversation last week about the warehouse lease, I've been going through the numbers and had a few thoughts I wanted to run past you when you get a chance."

Strong: "Can you confirm we're renewing the warehouse lease for another year? I need an answer by Friday to hold the current rate."

The second one can be answered in four seconds while walking to the car. That's the bar.

A short, warm greeting is fine. One line. "Morning Tom" costs nothing and reads like a human wrote it. Just don't spend a paragraph on it.

Give the smallest amount of context that works

After the ask, two or three lines of background. Only what the person needs to answer, not everything you know.

This is where most people go wrong. You've spent two days on the problem and you want credit for the thinking. The reader doesn't need it. They need the one fact that lets them decide.

If there's genuinely a lot of detail, put the summary in the email and the detail in an attachment or below a line that says Detail if you need it:. That way the reader chooses. Never make them read 600 words to find out you wanted a yes or no.

Make the reply a single keystroke where you can

This is the part that changes your reply rate more than anything else.

Instead of asking an open question, offer the answer and let them confirm it.

• Instead of "When are you free?" try "Tuesday 2pm or Wednesday 10am — either works for me."
• Instead of "What do you think we should do about the shortfall?" try "I'm planning to cover the shortfall from the contingency line unless you object. Say the word and I'll hold."
• Instead of "Could you review the attached?" try "Attached is the draft. I only need your eyes on section 3 — the rest is unchanged."

That last technique, the "unless you object" move, is the most useful sentence in professional email. You've converted a decision into a silence. Use it for anything reversible and low-stakes. Don't use it for spending money you don't have authority over, and don't use it to sneak something past someone. Once people notice you doing that, none of your emails work again.

Give a deadline and a reason for it

"When you get a chance" means never. "By Thursday" means maybe. "By Thursday, because the printer needs the file Friday morning" means Thursday.

The reason is what does the work. People deprioritise arbitrary deadlines and respect real ones. If there's no real reason, say so honestly: "No rush, but I'll chase you Monday if I haven't heard." That's not pushy. That's telling someone exactly what happens next, which is a kindness.

Then write the subject line

Write it last, once you know what the email says.

Good subject lines contain the ask and, where relevant, the date. "Need lease decision by Fri" beats "Warehouse." "Approval needed: Riley quote, £4,200" beats "Quick question." "FYI only — no action" is the most considerate subject line in the language and almost nobody uses it.

Never write "Quick question" or "Touching base" or "Checking in." Those are the three most reliably ignored subject lines in existence, because they tell the reader nothing about the cost of opening.

Read it once, cut a third

Read it top to bottom, out loud if you're alone. You're looking for four things.

• Any sentence that exists to show you worked hard. Cut it.
• Any hedge — "just", "sort of", "I was wondering if maybe". Cut them. "Just checking" isn't politeness, it's apology.
• Any wall of text over four lines. Break it or bullet it.
• Any sentence that would read badly if forwarded to someone you hadn't considered. Rewrite it.

Then check the ask is still in the first line. It has a habit of sliding down while you edit.

Send it at a time someone can act on it

Early morning beats late afternoon. Nobody makes a decision at 4:50pm on a Friday. Tuesday to Thursday mornings are the sweet spot for anything requiring thought.

If you write it at 11pm, schedule it for 7am. Late-night sends make you look either frantic or performative, and neither helps you get a yes.

Follow up once, short, on the thread

If you get nothing after your stated deadline, reply on the same thread. Two lines.

"Bumping this — still need the lease decision. If it's easier, I'll call you at 11."

That's it. No new context, no apology for following up, no passive comment about how you'd sent this on Tuesday. If the second nudge gets nothing, stop emailing and pick up the phone. Two unanswered emails is information: this isn't a priority for them, and you need a different channel.

The habit that makes all of this stick is simple. Before you hit send, imagine the recipient reading your email one-handed, standing in a corridor, with ninety seconds before their next meeting. If they can answer it right there, you'll hear back today. If they can't, you've written a note to yourself.