It drives me crazy when people reply to emails, keeping the subject lines the same. Sometimes, especially when multiple people are copied on an email, by the time everyone has weighed in and replied, I might have 8 or 10 emails with the exact same subject line sitting in my inbox.
The quandary – which email reply contained that important bit of information I am looking for? Unfortunately, I end up guessing and wasting time trying to find the info. And then, there I go down that email rabbit hole.
Sound familiar?
What if there was an easy solve?
I am pretty sure I have figured it out. And that is, every time I reply to an email, I change the subject line, with a twist. For example:
If someone sends me an email with the subject line: Setting up a dinner together, I reply by adding on to the original subject line:
Subject line of my reply is: RE: Setting up a dinner together with Karen’s suggestion for 5/1/25
By keeping THEIR original subject line, and being specific on my response, it helps everyone concerned.
But, if you are looking to take your email communication to a new level, then I would like to suggest you make your subject line of every email work hard for you. How to do that?
Since most emails are written for a particular reason, with a desired outcome, then why not identify the reason up front?
Most emails are written with one of these five outcomes in mind (source: Leadership Hacks by Scott Stein):
1. FYI – You want them to be aware of some information, which may or may not be directly in their area of responsibility.
2. Share/gather information – You want the recipient to read through the information, think about what’s being shared and gather additional insights. You may be looking for their thoughts or opinions.
3. Decide – You want them to choose from a number of alternatives.
4. Act – You want them to take specific action based on what you’ve included in your email.
5. Meet – You’d like to meet with them (perhaps to discuss your subject more).
If you want to get responses to your emails, then include what action (from the 5 listed above) that you are looking for.
If you want a timely response, then give a deadline in the subject line (for example: Need your reply by Friday 4/18 at 5pm PT). As you can see, I have included the date, time and time zone, since many of us email people in different time zones.
If you decide to adopt this methodology (which I highly recommend), then I suggest you inform everyone you communicate with that this is your preference. One clever way to do this is to include a quick 1-2 line primer on how to respond to your emails, at the very top or bottom of your email.
An example of a header for emails:
If you should decide to reply to this email, please update/change the subject line to reflect the new subject matter. ***And out of consideration for everyone, please only reply to those persons who need to be informed, vs replying all.
If you adopt this method, I guarantee you will find less clutter and more ease when managing your emails. Or, you could just pick up the phone and call the person and have a conversation with them. You know, the “old school” way to communicate.
That would certainly be a way to stand out from the crowd – to do things differently.
Onward and Upward,
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