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Getting read · Lesson 2 of 10

Put the Point First: Write Emails That Get Read

Learn to put your request and deadline in the first two lines of an email, and to write a subject line that says what it is for.

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Putting your point first is the most useful habit in work writing. It lets the reader know what you need before they stop reading. In this lesson you will see why readers stop early, how to turn an email upside down, and how to write a subject line that does its job.

Readers stop early

Busy readers skim from the top, and they often stop before the end. This is called early quitting: the reader decides they have got the gist, or that the message is too much for now, and moves on. A request hidden in the last paragraph may never be seen at all.

A long email called Project update with a dashed arrow down its left edge that stops with a red cross before the last line, Could you send the report by Friday, which is faded. A label says The request at the end is never seen, and a card shows an eye and the words Early quitting.(opens the full-size picture)
The request at the end is the part most at risk.

Picture your reader

Imagine a manager with thirty unread emails and five minutes before a call. They open yours and read the first two lines. What do those two lines need to say? If you can answer that, you already know what to write first.

An inbox showing 30 unread, a clock marked 5 minutes to the call, and an email called Report for Friday with only its first two lines clear. A thought bubble asks What do they need to say?(opens the full-size picture)
Two lines is all a rushed reader may give you.

Turn it upside down

Most of us write in the order we think: background first, then the reason, then the request. Flip it. Put what you need, and by when, first. Then the reason. Then any background, if it is needed at all.

Two email windows. On the left, Before, the blocks run Background, Reason, Request, with a red cross on Request. An arrow labeled Flip it leads to After, where the order is Request plus deadline with a green check, then Reason, then Background.(opens the full-size picture)
Same content, new order: the request moves to the top.

The subject line

The subject line is the first line of all, so make it say what the email is for. Add the key date if there is one. Compare “Quick question” with “Decision needed by Thursday: venue for the team day”. The second one tells the reader what to do before they even open it.

An inbox with two rows: Quick question marked with a red cross, and Decision needed by Thursday: venue for the team day marked with a green check. Below, an email to The team shows that clear subject highlighted above two short lines asking for a vote by Thursday.(opens the full-size picture)
A clear subject line works before the email is opened.

The two-line test

Before you send, try the two-line test. If the reader stopped after your first two lines, would they know what you need, and by when? If not, move the request up.

Three numbered steps: Stop after two lines, shown as an email with a red line under its second line; What do I need? By when?; and Move the request up, shown as a Request block moving from the bottom of a stack to the top.(opens the full-size picture)
Stop after two lines, ask two questions, move the request up.

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Read the full lesson script

Welcome back. In this lesson, you'll learn the most useful habit in work writing: putting your point first, so the reader knows what you need before they stop reading.

Busy readers skim from the top, and they often stop before the end. Researchers call this early quitting: the reader decides they've got the gist, and moves on. So a request hidden in the last paragraph may never be seen at all.

Picture a manager with thirty unread emails, and five minutes before a call. They'll open yours and read the first two lines. What do those two lines need to say?

Most of us write in the order we think: the background, then the reason, then the request. Flip it. Put what you need, and by when, first. Then the reason. Then any background, if it's needed at all.

The subject line is the first line of all. Make it say what the email is for, and include the key date if there is one. Decision needed by Thursday: venue for the team day. The reader knows what to do before they even open it.

Before you send, try the two-line test. If the reader stopped after your first two lines, would they know what you need, and by when? If not, move the request up.

So remember: busy readers stop early, so the end of an email is the worst place for a request. Put what you need and by when in the first two lines, then the reason. And make the subject line say what the email is for. Before the next lesson, rewrite one recent email so the request is in the first two lines. Next, you'll learn to keep it short, without sounding curt.