Keep It Short & Sexy : How to Email (Pitch) To Get A Response

You look A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Said no one ever, while staring at an email pitch from you. I’ve been there.  But wouldn’t we love it if people did? Wouldn’t we love it if people (from brands, bloggers, or businesses) desired our perfectly crafted (sexy-looking) emails and pitches? So much so they desire it the way they needed air?

I’ve received a number of pitches during my time as product director and interim editor at Hearst Magazine’s international edition of COSMO, and writer over at Entrepreneur (US and SA).  On the flip side, I’ve had to send out several pitches as the founder of marketing and media platform Adiree Company working on global retail projects, corporate or lifestyle clients. 

To get positive responses, I learned pretty quickly, (from being on both the receiving and sending end of emails) how to style or structure emails. And even more importantly, build viable relationships from this e-exchange.

Here are three clean tips I’ve learned on keeping your emails short and sexy.

 

1. Establish a recognizable and professional email identity, address and alias 

Try to send email messages from a professional and recognizable web identity, consistently.

Do not email professionals or corporate reps from an email like babygotback1995@yahoo.com. It’s unprofessional. Email using your first and last name @ business domain name or gmail.com. People are more likely to open your email when they trust and are familiar with the source. More importantly, your email is less likely to be flagged, thus ending up in the spam folder.  Create and maintain a legitimate email address.

2. Create subjects with catchwords

After your name, the second important thing, that readers view is the subject line. The subject line should have a call to action (hey CTA), and be crisp like a freshly ironed shirt after being starched to death.  Here are an examples below:

CONFIRM –  Meeting Notes and Project Due Dates

REQUEST –  Sponsorship for NYFW + Africa (Time Sensitive )

INFORMATION – Advertising Packages for NYFW + Africa

APPROVE – Logo Mockups for Client XYZ

COMPLETE – Project Task Due 9/2/1987

UPDATE – About Us Section Corrected PDF (attached)

3. Answer the 5 W’s in 5 – 7 sentences or less 

We’ve heard the “get the point” message time and time again. But let’s get specific and clearer on what that means. Within 5 – 7 full sentences or less, address the five W’s: who, what, where, when, and why.

By doing so you’re helping readers quickly absorb the information and quickly make decisions or meet due dates.  I even added a little spice to the subject line, to show how enticing you could get, once you’ve studied your reader’s needs or likes.  Let’s look at my example below:

(Email Sample)

Subject: REQUEST –  USAID Sponsorship of “CNN Featured”  Global Communications Panel

Request: We  are requesting xxx amount of project sponsorship for the Global Communications Panel taking place in New York on January 1st, 2018.

Additional Information:

• This panel in alignment with your 2018 professional target goals
• All of our followers (insert number of followers and important segmentations here) will be marketed to
• Attendees will have the opportunity to hear more about your global communications initiatives and job opportunities
• Funding will be allocated as such
  • Food : xyz
  • Location: xzy
  • Marketing: xzy
• Benefits Include
  • xzy
  • xzy

Disclaimer: As a communications professional, I’ve also learned that it isn’t only our job to communicate, but to identify and use the correct form of communications, at the appropriate time.  Email isn’t always the best way to relay a message. Sometimes a call is best or a face to face.  Consider your audience, the level of relationship you have with them and as importantly how quickly you need them to respond.