Group Communication: Sample Email
It’s really important that your weekly announcement email makes people READ IT! Have a look at the sample email below for an idea of what to include and how to structure it.
Sample Weekly Email
P&P: Meeting on Monday - DDD protest - Treat AIDS Now action cards [1]
Dear all, I hope term is going well and you can make it to the P&P meeting on Monday! [2] Jim
CONTENTS [3]
Meeting on Monday (Action, 29th Oct)
Ditch Dirty Development protest (4th Nov)
Redress Fashion action cards
1. MEETING ON MONDAY
Monday’s meeting will be held at
8pm in SU meeting room [4]
On the agenda is: * Planning our DDD protest * Report back on Go Green campaign
All welcome! [5]
2. DITCH DIRTY DEVELOPMENT PROTEST
The UK Government supports oil and gas extraction projects using development money. We’re creating a massive oil rig with ‘oily hand’ petitions to show our disgust. Details will be sorted at Monday’s meeting, but if you want to help out with prop making meet on:
Saturday 3rd November, 2pm, venue
http://peopleandplanet.org/ditchdirtydevelopment [6]
3. REDRESS FASHION ACTION CARDS
We’re getting lots of Redress Fashion action cards signed before the big hand in to Topshop HQ at the end of the year. We’ll give them out at the meeting, if you can’t make it and want some, send your name and address to Jane (jane@someuni.ac.uk). Read more - http://peopleandplanet.org/redressfashion
This is the email list of Someuni P&P group. To be removed, email jim@someuni.ac.uk [7]
Notes on the sample email
Make sure it’s obvious from the subject line what the message is about - having a common marked (such as “P&P:”) and then summing up the contents makes it clear to people.
Put a short, friendly greeting at the top. You can use this to draw people’s attention to something in the email or add any minor points. Make sure you mention somewhere that this is a People & Planet message, if you haven’t done so in the heading.
List the contents if there is more than one point. Number them so people can scroll down to any one they’re interested in. You could add, as here, “(Action, date)” to mark out things you want people to come to, as opposed to information points. And of course, put the most important at the top.
Make sure the date, time and place of events and actions are highlighted, otherwise people might miss them and forget to turn up.
If you’re plugging a meeting, say what’s happening and invite people on the list - they are more likely to come if they are sure it’s for them.
Give background information to explain why you’re doing something. You can do this with a web address to keep the email short, or paste it in at the bottom of the message. Make sure that the links you provide are correct and people are able to click through directly from the email (use http:// before the web address).
A footer containing unsubscribe information is important. You can set the controls to add the footer automatically. Don’t forget to remove people when they ask!
Top Tips
- Highlight important points - like where and when actions are;
- Structure the email in sections with an index at the top;
- Keep it friendly, clear and concise;
- Use links so people can find out more information
- To get responses for volunteers start a list and get people to add themselves (eg. when can you help on the freshers fair stall? Bob: 10-12, Jane 2-4). What rarely works is “someone please volunteer” emails.
