FIX THAT STALE EMAIL?

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Media Email Do's and Don'ts

1) Does your subject line say something compelling? "XYZ Company Launches New Product" does not say enough to make the contact open up your email.
Try something like, "XYZ Company's New Product Outselling Competition 2:1."

2) Always provide a hook whenever possible; if not, use the
company name prominently as many editors are interested in specific companies and that may draw their attention.

3) Write subject lines like headlines. Take a lead from the daily newspapers and online news sites, which condense the news into compelling, interesting headlines. For instance, instead of "The Public Relations Training Company teaches PR pros to increase coverage" (yawn!), you could write, "New training teaches PR pros to boost press coverage by 300%"
Put time and effort into your subject line. At a recent panel of journalists, an editor from the Dallas Morning News said he only scans the first six words of an email header before deciding to open it or delete it. This is the most important part of your email. Spend time working it!

3) Did you give the contact an impetus to respond? Always include a call to action. Instead of ending the email with the standard, "please don't wait to call with questions," or "I'll call to follow up", ask for a specific date and time to talk. "Are you available next Thursday between 2 and 5 p.m. for a phone interview with our CEO?" This is a very powerful technique. When you ask someone to commit to a specific appointment, they automatically feel compelled to do it if another appointment is not staring them in the face. You could go so far as to give your contact a couple of choices by including a check-box that your contact can fill-in , hit "reply" and seal the deal.

4) Is it too long? Anything more than four paragraphs is probably too long and is not being read all the way through. Email is just a teaser to make the introduction to you or your client. Make it snappy and short.

5) Is the most important information up at the top where it belongs? Be brutal - go through it with the cynical eye of an editor: "What is this about? Why is it interesting?" If you want to schedule an interview with the contact, say so right up front.
"I want to have you meet with our CEO next week because we have a new product coming out that is different than anything we've ever done."

6) By attempting to schedule an interview time in the original
email, you'll have a reason to email or call back: "Can you meet
with our CEO on the afternoon of the nineteenth?" Then move
toward locking in the appointment, which, after all, is the
original goal of the email.

7) Proofread. You can't afford to look stupid or illiterate in
any communication, so make sure your email reflects your best
effort before sending it. Make sure you spell the contact's name
correctly.

8) Include live links to more information. Instead of sending a
release or attachments, give a link to the website where contacts
can visit, download info and bios as well as images and press releases.

9) Use blind copy if you're sending out multiple emails to
different contacts. Nothing turns a contact away faster than seeing their name wedged among a 30 line "To:" list.