This post isn’t about gear or even film, but it is relevant to anyone who works with human beings. So please… For the love of all that is good in this world, follow these 5 simple tips when sending/forwarding emails.
1. Give A Rip About Your Subject Line
Always have at least the project and a task in the subject. ALWAYS. Sometimes it is also appropriate to include an asset name. This way people at a glance can see what the email is about, what assets might be involved and what they need to do about it.
WRONG:
“Intro”
RIGHT:
“Levi Commercial (project): Updated Intro (task and asset)”
2. Take 5 Seconds And Rewrite The Subject Line Of A Forwarded Email
It is tempting to just hit the forward button and write “FYI…” or “See below…” but this is actually disrespectful. We should
always make sure we are doing our best to serve others on our team and our clients. So take the time to get the subject line correct so your
recipient has a clear objective to look for. You’re not better or more important than anyone else, so work for your people and they will work for you.
3. Write A Concise, To The Point Message, Along With Your Forwards
Don’t You FYI Me!!!
You don’t like it when someone forwards an email with a string of 16 threads and no explanation… So please don’t do that to us.
WRONG:
“Info below…”
RIGHT:
“Below you will find the title of the CEO that you asked for, please add that to the lower third on the “About Us” video.”
4. Don’t Blindly Forward Emails If You Can Copy And Paste
If someone needs a login or some copy for a webpage and it is in an email, don’t forward me the email so I have to scan through the whole thing, just copy and paste it into a fresh email.
5. Don’t Forget To CC
Nobody likes to be left out when they should be involved.
Conclusion
This stuff isn’t rocket science, but it does require a little work. Trust me, as someone who gets hundreds of emails a day, I can say following these tips will make people love you.
Forward classy my friends.
– Caleb Pike