Nobody sets out to write a long email. Length creeps in while you think on the page: context first, then background, then the question at the bottom where it is easiest to miss. The fix is mostly editing, and it takes less time than writing the long version did.
Six edits
- Move the ask to the first line. Whatever you need from the reader goes at the top. Context follows, for those who want it. Most will not.
- Delete the warm-up. "I hope this finds you well" and "I wanted to reach out because" can go. Start with the second sentence you wrote. It is usually the real first one.
- One email, one decision. Two questions get one answer, and it is rarely the one you needed. If you have two decisions, send two emails or number them.
- Replace paragraphs with a list when items are parallel. Three options, three dates, three files. Not for reasoning, which needs sentences.
- Cut what the reader already knows. You do not need to restate the last meeting to someone who was in it.
- Make the reply a single word. "Does Thursday at 2 work?" can be answered from a phone. "What does your availability look like?" cannot.
A before and after
Before: "Hi Tom, hope you had a good weekend. I wanted to follow up on our conversation last week about the Q3 report. As you know we have been working through the numbers and there were a few things that came up that I think we should discuss before it goes out. I was wondering if you might have some time this week to go through them?"
After: "Hi Tom, can we take 20 minutes on Wednesday or Thursday to settle two open numbers in the Q3 report before it goes out Friday? Churn and the EMEA figure are the two."
The second version is under half the length and tells Tom what, when, how long and why.
Short is not the same as curt
Brevity reads as rude when it strips out the person. Keep the name, keep a thank-you where one is due, and keep one human line when the relationship calls for it. What you are cutting is repetition and hedging, not warmth.
When to write long
- Bad news. People need the reasoning, not a headline.
- A decision that will be forwarded to people without the context.
- Instructions someone will follow step by step.
Even then, put the summary first and the detail under it.
Check your own baseline
Look at the last ten emails you sent and count the lines. Most people are surprised. Your natural length is also part of your voice, which matters if you use AI to draft. Pranan learns your typical sentence length and phrasing from your sent mail, and uses that profile when it drafts. If a draft runs longer than you would write, you can ask for a shorter version. See also our guide to making AI emails sound like you.