As short as you can, without sounding unfriendly. When a busy person opens up an email and sees a massive wall of text, their first thought is “I don’t have time to read and answer this right now,” so they close it, save it for later...and then you never get the response you need to move forward with the project.
The same rules that apply to writing for the web apply to email, too: use bolding, short paragraphs, and bulleted lists to make the email scannable.
If you have a question for the other person to answer (or if you’re asking a question about what they meant), you can provide an answer for both options ahead of time. For example, something like, “Were you asking how to change the background color on the header? If so, you’ll do ABC. Or were you asking how to change the header font? You can do that by doing XYZ.” This helps cut down on back and forth emails.
Hi Cathy - just checking in to see if you wanted to do Option A or Option B for this design package. I think that B probably is a better fit for your needs. Let me know if you want to talk, I should have time tomorrow.
The following version sounds much more polished, no?
Hi Cathy - checking in to see if you wanted to do Option A or Option B for this design package. Based on our conversation, Option B is a better fit for your needs. If you have questions about either package or my proposal, let me know — I have time tomorrow between 2 & 5 PM CST.
After every meeting, it’s a good idea to send a recap email outlining what was discussed. This serves two functions: creating the aforementioned paper trail, and making sure you’re both on the same page. The recap email gives the client a chance to say, “Oh no, I don’t want that, sorry, I want this instead” — letting you change the plan before you start the work and save time in the process.
Before you send the email, read it out loud in a couple of different tones/voices (bored, excited, calm professional) to see how it sounds. People tend to read an email (or text message, or chat message, etc.) in a tone that is highly influenced by their current mood, so this gives you a chance to cut anything that comes off sounding differently than you meant it.
This isn’t meant as an insult to your client’s intelligence, but when you’re writing an email, try to make it simple enough that a five year old could understand it. Since we’re experts at what we do, it’s easy to write an email that’s confusing — which creates more questions and back and forth (and potentially more confusion) and can eat up a lot of project time. Write your emails in simple enough language that a five year old would understand it, and you’ll save time and energy.
Hopefully it goes without saying, but always try to be both honest and transparent with your clients. If something is so far out of your wheelhouse that you won’t be a good fit for the project, say so up front rather than exaggerating your skills, for example. If you make a mistake that could drag the project off track, mention it as soon as possible rather than trying to cover it up (and creating a bigger mess to deal with later). People will surprise you with how understanding they can be, and they’ll appreciate your honesty!
We all have to write emails, every day. With these tips, you’ll be able to write stronger emails and save both you and your client’s time.