Why Most Emails Fail

The Black Hole

You write an email. Craft it carefully. Hit send.

Nothing.

A day passes. A week. You wonder: Did they get it? Did it go to spam? Are they ignoring me? Should I follow up?

This happens constantly. And the frustrating part is that most people think the problem is the recipient—they’re too busy, too rude, too disorganized.

Usually, the problem is the email itself.

What to Expect

This course is broken into focused, practical lessons. Each one builds on the last, with hands-on exercises and quizzes to lock in what you learn. You can work through the whole course in one sitting or tackle a lesson a day.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Organize emails for clarity and quick comprehension
• Write subject lines that get emails opened
• Apply tone appropriately for different audiences and situations
• Apply difficult conversations professionally (rejections, complaints, bad news)
• Write effective follow-ups that don’t feel pushy
• Build a personal template library for common situations

How People Actually Read Email

Here’s what happens when someone opens an email:

1. Glance at subject line (0.5 seconds)
2. Scan first 2-3 lines (2 seconds)
3. Make a decision: read, skim, or skip (1 second)

Total time before deciding: about 3 seconds.

If your email doesn’t pass this 3-second test, it gets pushed to “later.” And later often becomes never.

What people scan for:

• Who is this from? (Do I know them?)
• What do they want? (Is it urgent? Important?)
• How much effort will this take? (Can I handle it quickly?)

If any answer is unclear, the email gets skipped.

The Effort Equation

Here’s the brutal math:

Likelihood of response = Value of responding ÷ Effort required

Value: Does the recipient care about this? Is there a benefit to responding?

Effort: How long will it take? How much thinking is required? Do they need to find information?

Most emails fail because:

• The value isn’t clear (why should I care?)
• The effort is too high (this requires a long answer)
• The ask is buried (I don’t even know what you want)

What Gets Responses

Emails that get responses share characteristics:

Clear purpose. Within 5 seconds, the reader knows why you’re writing.

Obvious ask. The request is explicit, not hidden.

Minimal effort. Easy to answer. Yes/no questions. Multiple choice. Specific options.

Scannable format. Short paragraphs. Bullet points. Key information bolded.

Appropriate length. Long enough to be useful, short enough to be read.

What Gets Ignored

Wall of text. No one wants to parse dense paragraphs on a phone screen.

Vague purpose. “Just wanted to check in” means nothing.

Buried ask. The request hidden in paragraph four.

Too many asks. Multiple questions mean none get answered.

High-effort questions. “What do you think about our strategy?” requires a dissertation.

Missing context. Assuming they remember details they don’t.

A Quick Example

Gets ignored:

Hi John,

I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to reach out because I’ve been thinking about our conversation from last quarter regarding the potential synergies between our departments. As you know, there have been some developments recently that might change the landscape of how we approach collaborative initiatives. I was wondering if you might have some time in the coming weeks to discuss how we might potentially move forward with exploring some of the ideas we touched on previously.

Let me know your thoughts!

Gets a response:

Hi John,

Following up on our Q3 conversation about marketing-sales alignment.

Quick question: Are you free for 30 minutes next week to discuss the lead handoff process? I have a specific proposal I’d like your input on.

I’m open Tuesday 2-4pm or Thursday morning.

Same request. Second one gets answered.

What This Course Covers

Over 8 lessons:

By the end, you’ll write emails that people actually respond to.

Key Takeaways

• People scan emails in 3 seconds before deciding to read or skip
• Response likelihood = Value ÷ Effort
• Clear purpose, obvious ask, minimal effort = responses
• Walls of text, vague purpose, buried asks = ignored
• Structure and clarity matter more than eloquence

Next: the structure that makes emails impossible to ignore.

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Email Structure.