My Interview with ChatGPT about How to Write a Great Email

After my article last week about the five keys to “being heard,” a friend challenged me to write a follow-up on writing an email you want someone to read.

Since many people are turning to ChatGPT for marketing and writing support, I thought I’d ask it some questions on the topic.

Hope you enjoy this excerpt from that brief interview:

Me: What are the five most important considerations when sending an email that you want people to read?

ChatGPT: These are the five most important considerations when sending an email that you want people to read:

1. Clear subject line: Your email’s subject line should be clear and descriptive of the content of your email. A clear subject line will help your email stand out in a busy inbox and help your recipient prioritize your message.
2. Concise message: Keep your message concise and to the point. Long emails with paragraphs of text can be overwhelming and may discourage people from reading your message.
3. Relevant content: Ensure that the content of your email is relevant and valuable to the recipient. If the email is not relevant to the recipient, they may ignore it or delete it.
4. Proper formatting: Use proper formatting to make your email easy to read. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and numbered lists to break up your text and make your email scannable.
5. Polite and professional tone: Use a polite and professional tone in your email. Avoid using slang or abbreviations and make sure your email is free of grammatical errors. A professional tone will help ensure that your email is taken seriously and not dismissed as unimportant.

Me: Can you give me one word to summarize each of those points where the first letter of each word makes an acronym? (Last week the acronym was TACPR.)

ChatGPT: Sure, here are the summary words that form an acronym:

1. Clear – Ensure a clear subject line
2. Concise – Keep message concise
3. Relevant – Provide relevant content
4. Format – Use proper formatting
5. Professional – Maintain a polite and professional tone

The acronym formed by the first letter of each word is “CRFPP.”

Me: Can you change those five words to synonyms of each word so that the acronym spells a real word in English?

ChatGPT: Certainly! Here are some synonym options that form an acronym that spells a real English word:

1. Distinct – Ensure a distinct subject line
2. Succinct – Keep message succinct
3. Appropriate – Provide appropriate content
4. Structure – Use proper structure
5. Courteous – Maintain a courteous and professional tone

The acronym formed by the first letter of each word is “DASCC.”

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ChatGPT later apologized to me that DASCC isn’t exactly a real word in English, but I thought it was pretty good. At least you can say the word.

ChatGPT also added some reasons to remember DASCC when writing emails:

In today’s fast-paced business environment, effective communication is essential to success. Whether it’s communicating with colleagues, clients, or customers, the ability to write clearly and concisely can make all the difference. That’s why I recommend following the “DASCC” acronym when writing emails or other business communications.

So the next time you’re writing an email, remember to DASCC it!

***********

Impressive.

The only additions I might make to the ChatGPT list are:

1. Make it easy for the reader to take action. Too often emails “bury the lead,” meaning they take too long, if ever, to get to the specific request. Other times, emails do get to a request, but the request requires more than 10 seconds of the reader’s time because the question is either too open-ended (e.g., What are your thoughts?) or there are multiple questions/actions. That only makes people overwhelmed, so they avoid or delay.
2. Sound like a real human being. AI has made great strides, but it can’t replace the authentic emotions, insight, and quirks that are uniquely human. With the increased use of AI and mass marketing, make a personalized reference, show empathy, and avoid sounding too polished.

Well that ruins the acronym. Or does it?

How about DASCCER:

1. Distinct
2. Succinct
3. Appropriate
4. Structure
5. Courteous
6. Easy
7. Real

Alright so what email are you going to DASCCER today?

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