Best Practices for Mass Email
In general, the goal is for our emails to be read and for students to take action when needed.
Length and content:
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Be clear and concise.
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Use formatting tools (like bullets and headings) to organize long text into easy-to-read chunks.
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Consolidate information and use links for pushing readers to more info.
Accessibility:
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Do not include important text in an image.
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Avoid using the phrase “click here” as your hyperlinks, be specific with link text.
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Avoid sending attachments as they take up more disk space and degrade server performance.
From and Subject lines:
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Be specific about who the message is coming from (i.e. NYU Wagner Office of Career Services).
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If appropriate, send with your personal name, but using an alias as a return address (i.e. “From: Jane Smith, wagner.studentservices@nyu.edu”).
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Use a subject line that clearly defines the purpose of the email.
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Be consistent with subject lines for recurring emails (i.e. “Weekly Digest”).
Look and feel:
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Use provided banners for a quick visual cue as to what information will be in the email. Download email banners
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Does not need to be flashy. Important deadlines and info should be simple.
Timing:
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For recurring emails, have a set schedule. Same time, same day weekly/bi-monthly/monthly/etc.
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Try to avoid sending emails on the same day as other units.
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Keep reminder emails to two times or less.
Audience:
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Try to target emails to specific groups (i.e. Urban Planning Jobs of the Day to just MUP students)
Other:
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Combine multiple announcements into one message and collaborate with other departments as appropriate to avoid redundancy and reduce the number of messages sent.
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Utilize other channels instead of email (i.e. Wagnerds Facebook group).
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Keep in mind there are NYU Central emails as well and students do not think of them as a separate group (i.e. NYU Weekly always goes out on Tuesdays).
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Avoid fatigue. Reconsider the goal of the email and whether it is urgent or essential information that needs to be shared through an email.