Follow these email etiquette tips to advance your PR career. Photo credit: miniyo73
Public relations professionals can live or die by email. Email is often their preferred communication tool. PR pros use email to pitch stories journalists, schedule interviews, and relay information. They also use email to communicate with clients, colleagues, and just about everyone else you can think of.
Unfortunately, embarrassing email gaffes are all too common when PR pros fail to follow unwritten rules of email etiquette.
Veteran PR pros recommend following do’s and don’ts when emailing journalists as well as other professionals.
Hide the recipient list. Use the bcc function when emailing to multiple recipients. Preferably, email each individually with the recipient’s email address in the “To:” box. If you use the cc option, reporters can see every other publication on your email list. That’s one of the major faux pas of email etiquette.
No fake replies. Don’t add “Re:” to the subject line. The recipient might think you’re trying to trick them into thinking you’re actually replying to their message. “Re:” is used only by spammers and legitimate email responses.
Limit “high importance” flags. Don’t mark messages as “high priority” or “high importance” unless they truly are and you have a relationship with the recipient.
Proof it. Run spell check and read the message for clarity and grammar. Make sure company names are spelled correctly and consistently with regard to hyphens and capitalization. Avoid using texting shorthand and industry buzzwords that might confuse people. Break big blocks of text into bullet points.
Don’t Cc indiscriminately. Don’t add to others’ overflowing inboxes by copying them on emails that aren’t truly relevant to them.
Beware of forwarding. Messages that are repeatedly forwarded may contain embarrassing or confidential information. Don’t forward press releases. Send press releases directly to reporters or editors. Journalists may perceive forwarded press releases as a sign of disrespect and laziness.
Be succinct. Long emails are annoying and waste of time. Get to the point.
Who you gonna call? Include your contact information, including your telephone number in the signature of all emails. Don’t forget your area code – and include the country code on international correspondence.
Fill the subject line. The purpose of the subject line is to inform the recipient what the message is about. An empty subject line indicates you have nothing say – and is a trick that’s lost its impact.
No attachments. Everyone fears attachments that can carry viruses. Cut and paste from the Word document or other file into the body of the email. If it’s something graphically intensive, put it on a website and provide a link.
Name the recipient. Don’t use “name here” or “first last.” Why would you send an email if you don’t know who you’re addressing?
Write “Press Release” in the subject line. For example, “Press Release: XYZ Corp. Announces Launch of …” People are more likely to read a message with “Press Release” in the subject line than one with a deceptive or click-bait type of headline meant to trick them into opening it.
Be professional. Save greetings like “Yo!” for your best buddies. Special formatting, backgrounds, colored text, and emoticons are also perceived as unprofessional.
Unsubscribe when asked. Remove journalists and anyone else from email distribution lists when they ask.
Don’t annoy. Emailing reporters three times and then asking them if they received your email is not a good use of your time. Flooding someone’s inbox with countless emails is a way to get put in the spam folder.
Format in plain text. A company logo or other graphics in the email body can make the email cumbersome. The images may not appear properly and may cause the email to appear garbled or unreadable.
Bottom Line: PR pros who break email etiquette rules may be perceived as unprofessional and/or lazy. Those who follow proper email form are more likely to secure media placements and maintain professional respect.
Resources
Email Etiquette for PR People
eReleases
Email Etiquette 101: Avoid These All-Too-Common Gaffes When Communicating With Journalists
Bulldog Reporter
Five Tech Etiquette Tips
The Creative Group
Press Release Format, Instructions & Easy To Use Template
Fit Small Business
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
