Make Them Reply To Your Email With This Sentence : The 1 Email Element That Will Guarantee You A Response

Table Of Contents

1. Introduction  
2. The Whole Lesson In 1 Picture  
3. The Lesson in Text  
  • What is A CTA?
  • How To Write A CTA + Samples
  • Mini Quiz  

Introduction

How many times have you sent an email and waited for a reply for days and days maybe weeks only to have to send a follow up email again to remind the recipient to respond? 

Well some people are slow; others are busy; and the rest don't care about YOUR TIME. But it is YOUR JOB to care and make YOUR EMAIL response-ready.
Sometimes, a recipient will receive an email and not realize that they have to take a certain action. This is why you need to be clear about that. Don't assume your readers will know what to do or will respond quickly to you. Provide specific instructions. Provide a CTA.
 

The WHOLE LESSON

In 1 Picture

The Lesson

In Text

What is a CTA?
What sentence can you add to make them reply to you?

So you wrote a compelling email. You included an appropriate subject line, salutation, and sign-off. Your email has good punctuation, grammar, and spelling, and the right tone. And it is cliche free! Great. But don't hit "send" just yet.
There's just 1 last step to complete your email masterpiece.

What is that 1 element that you need to include in your emails so that you actually get a response from your readers and not have to send a follow-up email to nudge them to reply?
It is the CTA.

CTA means call to action. It should be included in your email if you want your readers to respond by a certain deadline. So a CTA sentence basically tells the recipient what to do after they read the email and when or if they should do anything at all.
A CTA can also be included in the subject line.

Look at these three sentences
1. I hope to hear from you soon.
2. Please reply as soon as possible. 
3. Please get back to me by Tuesday morning.

Which one of the above sentences is more efficient?
  • The first one will not get you any response in a timely manner because "soon" to some people might mean a week or more, and it says "I hope" which implies your message is not urgent. Why keep yourself hanging? Urge people to take action by telling them what to do and when to do it.
  • In that sense, the second sentence is better because it spells out clearly to the recipient that they are supposed to do something "reply," but again "as soon as possible" does you a disservice. You can sit there wondering for days if the reader likes your offer, wants to buy, or has even read your email. 
  • This is why the third sentence is the perfect one because it asks for a specific action by a specific deadline. You clearly asked the reader to "get back to you" and gave them a "deadline: Tuesday Morning."

How To Write A "CTA"

 To write a good CTA, first you need to specify your goal (what action you want your recipient to do).
1) Start with "please." 2) Then, use action verbs like (read, reply, give you ideas, send a report, submit the application, confirm attendance, etc.). 3) Then specify the deadline if you need it. 
E.g. Please send the report by June 11th.
 A CTA can also take the form of a question. E.g. What are your thoughts on this ?
E.g. Can you share your thoughts on this?

  Remember only include a deadline if you need a quick answer or action by a certain date. A good reasonable deadline is always about 3 days. For an email sent on June 1, you can say "Please let me know by June 4".
E.g. Please let me know by [DATE + 3 DAYS] if you are ready to [XYZ].

 If you receive an email without CTA or an unclear required action or deadline, you can always double-check with the sender to confirm the action you are supposed to take.
E.g. Just to confirm my next action is [XYZ]?

Sample CTAs

  • Can you share your thoughts on this by June 11th?

  • Could you send me those files by Thursday?

  • Could you write that up in the next two weeks?
  • Please send that report on [DATE]. Sound good?                  
  • Please let me know by {DATE} if you are ready to sign the contract.

  • Please write to Jack about this, and let me know in the next 3 days when you've done so.
  • Will you please email me on [DATE + 3 DAYS] to confirm [XYZ]?

Your turn

Let's look at the 3 sentences below.
  1. Please share your thoughts on this
  2. Can you share your thoughts on this?
  3. I appreciate your thoughts on this.
Which one does not include a CTA?

ANSWER

The 3rd one. It includes no action verb.

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