Your colleagues decide in less than a minute whether your email is worth replying to. Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index Report shows that the average employee receives 117 emails a day, and most are skimmed in under 60 seconds. In other words, if your email takes someone more than a minute to understand, there’s a strong chance you won’t be getting a timely response.

Well-written emails don’t just make you sound smarter; studies show that they also reduce misunderstandings and speed up responses.

Here are five simple ways to get faster email responses, while also helping your recipient preserve mental energy and time.

BREAK UP WITH THE EMAIL BRICK

Long blocks of text are the enemy of attention. Research shows that visually uncluttered text (with white space and intentional spacing) is easier for busy readers to scan and digest quickly. Simply formatting your email with bullet points, bold text for important questions or updates, and short paragraphs will significantly increase your chances of getting a prompt response. 

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Structure is just as important as length. If the email is longer than this article, consider your reader overwhelmed.

DON’T LEAD WITH SMALL TALK

One of the biggest mistakes professionals make is burying the lead. Instead of opening with a short anecdote or unrelated small talk (“Hope your week is going well”), start with the purpose of your email, and ideally, the action you need. In military and executive communication, this is known as BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front).

BLUF requires you to put key information, like the request or decision needed, in the first sentence or two. After you have led with the key information, you can share further details that the recipient can read if they need background context.

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