Okay, breathe. You're about to send an email. But should you? Let’s run through this rapid-fire sanity check (and save your reputation in the process):
- Sending it to just one person? Great—skip ahead to #10.
- Got a group in there? Cool, but… do you really know who’s on that list?
- Are they all BCC’d or are we about to start an accidental “Reply All” disaster?
- Did everyone opt in? Not “kind of” or “they follow me on Instagram”—but actually asked for your emails?
- Would they notice if they didn’t get your email? Like… complain-about-it level notice?
- If not, remove them. Seriously. You're not doing them (or you) any favors.
- Pro tip: “Has a blog” ≠ “wants bulk email from strangers.”
- Remember: Permission marketing means sending things people actually want. Not things you want to send. I know, wild.
- Is it coming from a real person? And if I hit “reply,” does it go to a human? Please say yes.
- Have you ever talked to this person before? At all? Like, even once?
- If not… maybe don’t cold email them like you’re old friends.
- And if you are cold-emailing: no apologies. If you feel the need to apologize, it’s probably spam. 😬
- Are you angry right now? If yes, don’t send. Go drink water. Wait an hour.
- Would this be easier as a phone call? Or a meme?
- Are you sneakily BCC’ing your boss? Are you sure that’s a good idea?
- If this landed on the front page of a newspaper, would you regret it? If yes, DELETE.
- Is anything IN ALL CAPS? Please... just... no.
- Use normal font, normal size, normal color. (This is not MySpace.)
- Did you include contact info? Or are you hoping they telepathically find you?
- “Save the planet. Don’t print this.” You’re not Greenpeace. Remove that.
- Can this email be shorter? It probably can.
- Is everyone CC’d absolutely necessary? Marie Kondo your CCs.
- Sending a 50MB file? Stop. Google "how to send large files." Thank me later.
- Word doc that should’ve been a PDF? Fix that.
- Emojis? In moderation. 😉 No dancing pineapples, please.
- Forwarding someone else’s email? Will they not flip when they see it? Think it through.
- Religion, politics, or conspiracy theories? Just… don't.
- Forwarding a virus alert or “Bill Gates will pay you $500”? Fact-check it first. Snopes is your friend.
- “Reply All.” You sure about that? Really sure?
- If your email only says “Yes” or “Thanks”… maybe don’t. Add context, people!
- Grammar check: its vs. it’s. Their vs. they’re. Seth Godin is watching.
- If this is a press release, will they actually be excited? Or are you hijacking their time because email is free?
- Any animated animals in your footer? No one’s staying for the dancing penguin.
- Long, scary legal disclaimer? Why though? Who hurt you?
- Does your subject line make it clear what this is about—or is it “Quick Question” level vague?
Bonus Round: 💰 If sending this email cost you 42 cents, would you still send it? If not... maybe it doesn’t need to be sent.
