How to Write an Email

A simple guide on how to write better emails somehow turned into a full-blown workplace culture showdown. The article’s big message is brutally clear: say the point first, put bad news up front, cut the fluff, be specific, and tell people exactly what happens next. In other words, stop writing long, nervous little novels and send something a tired coworker can understand in seconds.

But the real entertainment is in the comments, where readers immediately started picking apart the rules like it was a group project gone wrong. One camp basically said, finally, somebody said it: nobody wants to read your email, so keep it painfully short. Another camp pushed back hard, saying the examples were already too wordy and a little bossy. One commenter even complained the suggested subject lines were so long that people would bail before reaching the body. Ouch.

Then came the tactical warriors. One reader praised the military-style BLUF approach—“bottom line up front,” meaning you lead with the conclusion. Another dropped a hotter take: don’t ask people what to do if the deadline is close—tell them the plan and let them object if needed. That sparked the quiet but very real office drama underneath this whole discussion: is a good email supposed to be polite, or just useful?

The funniest running joke was also the bleakest: the internet seems united on one thing—absolutely nobody wants more email. The only real debate is whether to make it shorter, sharper, or just mercifully nonexistent.