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I send and receive a lot of emails. “Email ethics” is key but, surprisingly, good email manners are not yet commonplace. Here is a little thread of my personal pet peeves and suggestions. What are yours?
1/ When I email someone, I try to think of my audience and always appreciate the same treatment back. Although B2C projects may be interesting, I am a B2B investor. A diamond mine or a movie is also not what I focus on
2/ Double opt-in intros are critical. Never impose an introduction on someone. Following up always takes time and one may have spoken to the person you are introducing already. It is common courtesy to ask first. @fredwilson wrote about back in 2009: https://avc.com/2009/11/the-double-optin-introduction/
3/ Short emails with a clear ask are not rude. They are efficient and respect the recipient’s time
4/ I am not a “Sir” or just “Investor”. Using my name is a good start. It is a nice touch if it is spelled correctly. You can even copy it from my email address.
5/ If you copy my entire team on the email it is not clear who you want to respond. Emailing everyone the same thing individually is also not a great idea. Pick someone who you think is the right person or the one you want to speak to
6/ If you want an introduction to someone it is great to draft it yourself. Even better to send a separate email I can actually forward. Multiple forward-able emails if you want a few. Saves a ton of time and can be done on the go, ie I can help faster!
7/ Feel free to bcc me on an intro once it is made. The scheduling that follows may not be the best use of time for the person who introduced you. But a thank you/ follow up after is always appreciated. Set a reminder on @Superhuman or use http://brdg.app @ConnorPM
8/ Marketing automation tools are great but if you don’t want to end up in a spam folder or it is a personal ask, putting time in an actual email goes a long way.
9/ Being friendly is good. Being familiar, rude or sexist not so much. I don’t start my emails with “yo” or believe that LinkedIn is a dating website. I thank you if you think I’m beautiful but it is not an appropriate comment
10/ Recalling an email only draws attention to your mistake in it or that attachment you didn’t mean to send. Just send another one, apologise for the mistake or ask politely to delete the attachment. These things happen. Or use @ZIVVER_EN!
