Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

In my role as an editor and a blog manager I receive countless numbers of emails a day. Many of them are cringe-worthy! Why? My name is spelled incorrectly. Yes, I realize Robbi may not be typical, but hey it's my name so please use it correctly. I am not Bobby or Bobbi or Robbie or Robbin. Truly, when I see my name incorrectly spelled I begin to subconsiously doubt anything else you may have written to me.

In today's online environment chances are you are communicating with almost everyone via electronic means -- whether email or text or on your social media platforms. Because of this, if you want to be taken seriously, you need to have well-written emails/texts/whatever the medium. To present yourself as the ultimate professional, you need to have mastery of the written word -- just because you're communicating electronically is no reason for sloppy prose. Yes, back in the early phases of blogging and internet writing, people were of the mindset that "because it's online I don't have to be as precise as I would be if I were penning a book or brochure.Wrong. Wrong. Wrong!

Here are three ways to compose a "good aka well-written" email:

• Read and reread your subject line. If you want to guest post then mention that in the subject line. Be compelling. Be brief. Does your subject line reach out to the reader? Will it get lost in a spam box? Note, if you use the word FREE in an email subject line it is typically tagged as spam by most email carriers and will be lost in the shuffle. You don't want to have a subject line of "reaching out to you" because a lot of people "reach out to me" and if they aren't compelling in the subject line I will move onto the next email. A great subject line could be, "Guest post idea for your monthly Writing Theme topic." This lets me know you've read my blog and are also being thoughtful in your subject line.