34. 3 Email Disasters Speakers Should Avoid

3 Email Disasters Speakers Should Avoid 

Professional speakers send emails quite frequently, so email etiquette is important.  It can really be the difference between developing goodwill and a loyal following versus un-subscribers.

 

Working with Speakers and Meeting Planners every day, I see these mistakes frequently. It may seem nitpicky, and sometimes they go unnoticed by the sender, but recipients take notice. Even I am guilty of email mishaps and need to slow down and double check before hitting the “send” button. Watch for these little things that can make a HUGE difference:

 

1.     Don’t send attachments unless asked. They won’t get opened. Rather put them on a page on your website or link to a shared Dropbox file. There’s just too much spam and viruses and people will hesitate to open attachments unless they are very familiar with you. Unexpected emails with an attachment are likely to go straight to the delete box.

 

2.     Spell the recipient’s name correctly. Take notice of name spellings before you push the send button! People can be very sensitive and it really can show the recipient that you care. A meeting planner could take offense and if you’re pitching yourself, sending a proposal or inquiring about an event, it won’t look good and shows a lack of attentiveness. Be on your toes, always get the correct spelling and double check your emails before sending. The extra few minutes you take to do this can be the difference between landing a gig or getting reflexively deleted.

 

3.     Don’t use CAPS and Colors. This can irritate the recipient. Use a consistent font and size and a black font. When you use CAPS, it appears as if you are hollering at the reader, and if you use red, especially bold it’s not only hard to read, it also appears that you are raising your voice. Mix-and-match colors, changing out font sizes to express a word or feelings — they may both irritate and reflect poorly on you. Please keep it consistent to build the trust you need to start a relationship and keep email from going to the trash unread.

 

Details are important. Attention-to-detail can get you the gig. Rushing, not doing your homework, failing to double-check your work can lead to the delete box and end what could have been a big opportunity for you.

 

Slow down. Be sure you keep your emails professional.

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