You’re a transformer. A change agent. A take-it-down-at-all-costs-for-something-better-and-bigger. You know the difference between assets, liabilities, and equities. AND you remembered to send your youngest out the door with school-approved snacks for their Big Assignment. You’ve already been working for 2 hours, when you realize all you’ve done is… write emails. The same emails. Different topics. Different audience. But the same emails. Any plans of blocking “think and do time,” dried up like that Peace Lily you swore you’d keep alive this go-round. There is no peace. For the lily — or for you.  

There’s got to be a better way. And around here, we’re all about finding hacks to game the system. We’ve already introduced the magic of templates when talking to clients and your boss. Now, we’re going to help you take down internal communications.    

Reminder: You’ve got a front door called a subject line, so don’t forget to read this.

Announcing a Launch 

Purpose:  You’re excited. That project your team has been working on has finally launched and the world needs to know.  

“Project X launched on [date of launch]!

Project X will [include brief description of what the project is].

With this successful implementation, we can expect [include value proposition for project].

The project team would like to thank [highlight key players involved].

As we continue forward, anticipate [include any details about future communication or launches of importance].

Cheers,

[Your name, or team name]’

Networking With a Colleague

Purpose: You’re looking to make connections within the broader organization. Either as a warm or cold outreach, it’s time to take the first step.

“[Name of Colleague],

I am looking to set up time to [state your intent: get to know you, understand a bit more about your work, learn about your career path, etc.]

Your name came up [explain why you know the person], and based on that introduction I wanted to know more. My role in the company is [give brief description], and I am interested in [state your agenda:  thinking about my own career, enhancing our team’s strategy, etc.]

If you’re amenable to it, I will send an invite. I appreciate your time in advance, either way.  

Regards,

[Your name]”

Status Update

Purpose: Work is happening all of the time, and it’s critical to let people know what’s going on.  Clear updates mean your projects get the attention they deserve.

“This is intended to provide a [include cadence of update, if appropriate] update on Project X.

We have seen/continue to see [include highlight of any impacts of project].

Since launch/In the last period, the following milestones have been met:

• Milestone 1: [brief description of accomplishment]
• Milestone 2: […]
• […]

We are actively watching the following:

• [Provide brief description of risk and any mitigation efforts]

The team will continue to move forward with [include next major milestones]

If you have any questions, please reach out to [point of contact].”

Requesting Support

Purpose:  Teamwork makes the dreamwork. Except, we often have to ask for things from people outside our immediate team. 

“[Name of Colleague],

Project X is [include brief context about situation], and I wanted to talk through [explicitly state what you’re looking for].  

If [state any challenges you’re aware of, or – “I want to be sensitive to your team’s demands and if that”], means we need to talk through feasibility – I will gladly set up time.  This needs to be beneficial for all teams.  

I would anticipate [include any details around request:  timeline, frequency, one-time or ongoing, etc.].

What questions could I answer that would help in this effort?

I appreciate your time in advance, either way.

Best,

[Your name].”

Organizational Changes

Purpose: Team changes happen.  So, let’s tell people about it!

“Announcing organizational changes for [name of team]!

Recently [include short comment about why the change: our team has seen growth, our strategy has shifted focus, etc.].  With this, we are looking forward to [description of change: the promotion of [name], moving [x team] into our [team name], etc.] We believe [state the impact of this decision].

As a result, the [teammate names] will now report to [name]. 

Please join us in [celebrating/welcoming] our new teammate[s]!”

Not every email can — or should! — be written from a template. But, by using some of the above templates as starting points, you can save yourself lots of time. Not to mention, since we’ve done the groundwork for you, you can be assured that your email follows tried-and-true best practices. After all, at SaneBox, we’ve been email experts for many years. You can always trust us to help you live more life outside of your inbox instead of in it!