The following list of email tips is created for a middle school level student. It helps them with emails that they may send today as well as emails they may send in the far future (but explained on an understandable level).

The following is a list of helpful tips for writing emails. In this world of technologically advanced communication, it is helpful for you to know what makes an email effective and what makes an email drive other people crazy!

1. Create a useful subject line.

This is an important tip, especially if you are emailing someone who gets many emails a day. State your email topic clearly in the subject line so the recipient of your email knows exactly what kind of information is in the body.

2. If you are responding to someone else’s email, make sure you re-write the information they want from you in your response.

If you need to respond to someone else’s email, re-write the question(s) that you are answer in the beginning of your email. This way, the recipient will be reminded of what issues you are addressing.

3. Use short paragraphs.

Short paragraphs is a simple way to make reading your email easier. If your paragraphs are short, they will only fill the email screen in view; the person reading your email will not have to scroll down to finish reading.

4. Use plain text only.

If you write an email with words in italics, bold, or some other type of fancy font, the email may be translated differently for the recipient. Some email programs do not allow for these kinds of changes in font style, so avoid using them.

For example: John, I loved your presentation!

Might be received as: John, I <i> loved </i> your presentation!

5. You can include signs to indicate your emotions.

Instead of assuming the person who are writing to knows when you are joking, you can use different symbols to indicate emotion or intent. This way, there will be no mix up when interpreting your meaning within emails.

Here are some examples:

Happy :-)

Sad :-(

Surprised :-o

Joking ;-)

6. Acronyms are also allowed for informal emails.

Acronyms (an abbreviation for a word or term) can be used to shorten email length as well as the time it takes to type an email. Many acronyms that can be recognized by lots of different people. Here are some examples:

BTW: by the way

FYI: for your information

LoL: laugh out loud

7. You can also indicate your intonation (tone of voice) if smiley faces and symbols are not enough.

There are certain times when you will be writing a personal email and would like to indicate that you are muttering to yourself or commenting under your breath. There are certain ways to do this for different levels of intonation. For example:

If you want a light emphasis on the word, you may use asterisks.

I was really upset about last night *obviously*.

If you want a stronger emphasis on a word, use all caps with exclamation points.

I was REALLY!!! upset about last night.

If you want to indicate that you are muttering under your breath, you may use either asterisks or double parentheses (( )).

I thought Sam was completely inappropriate ((the jerk)).

8. Use a spell check or grammar check.

When sending an email, be aware that you are making an impression upon another person. Wrong grammar usage, homonym mistakes, poor wording, and spelling mistakes are some errors and can be detrimental to your reputation. Many people see these errors as a form of disrespect – you have not made an effort to perfect your email, therefore why should the recipient take your email seriously?

9. Be wary of attachments.

Many email programs will allow to attach files to mail. However, not all computers are able to translate the attachments. For example, Word documents, pictures, and other texts can be send easily. However, if another person’s email software cannot handle the non-text file such as pictures, it will show up as lots of garbage.

10. Make a good impression.

There are certain ways to impress yourself upon the person to whom you are sending your email. For example, if they do not know who you are, introduce yourself and your intentions right away. If you frequently send professional emails, create a signature line that will identify your contact information at the end of your emails.

All of these tips and guides will help make your communications more effective and productive!