I’ve been writing emails for 3 years now.

It never fails to surprise me how far the personal touch goes.

Most emails are so… boring and business-like. If you can sprinkle in a bit of personality, you will stand out like a firework in the night sky.

I’ll give you one simple trick to help today.

I’ve been using it for a while now—it’s super effective:

Write like you’re sending a letter to a close friend.

There’s something about the cold gleam of a word document that makes writing stuffy and official. But when you write a genuine letter to someone you know, you shake off the boring office drone tone.

You could even write the letter by hand. I’ve tried it, it’s slow as hell but works.

As you might imagine, I’m using this strategy right now.

Before I began tapping away at the keyboard, I pictured one of my close friends. As in, I literally close my eyes and think about him (although I’ll never tell him that—too weird).

He’s a smart guy who enjoys writing but knows much less about the online world.

I see him as my ‘One True Fan’—my ideal reader.

I even start the email with Dear Kevin, although you should delete that part because great emails don’t waste words.

Bit of a ‘hacky’ tactic?

Sure. But becoming a better writer is mostly about undoing the crap they taught you at school. You’re not trying to ‘find’ your voice. You’re trying to reconnect with it.

Small tricks like these can make a big difference.

Especially when it comes to building relationships—which is the writing business, through and through.

Hope this helps,
Kieran