Try these simple email tricks to get faster replies

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. 

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.

And yes, you can still ask your coworker if they have plans for the weekend or how their dog is doing. But for the sake of everyone’s sanity, leave this to the end.

DON’T PLAY EMAIL TENNIS

The back-and-forth dance of unanswered questions (“When works for you?”, “Morning works”, “What time?”) costs time and demands cognitive switching. One survey of modern workplace behavior found that knowledge workers spend roughly 28% of their workweek managing email, with a large portion of that time simply waiting on or chasing down replies. To reduce this, try to include all relevant details on the first send. 

One way to address this is, if you’re proposing a meeting, include your availability windows, the purpose of the call, and how long you expect it to take in a single message. If you want a call back, include your direct phone number rather than waiting for the other person to ask.

Write a clear subject line

In a crowded inbox, the subject line acts as a decision filter: Is this relevant? Is this urgent? Can this wait? Studies show that email subject lines critically influence whether a recipient opens, defers, or ignores an email (before they’ve read a single sentence of the message).

Do your best to craft a subject lines that are specific, concise, and action-oriented. For example, “Budget Review Needed by 3 PM” is more effective than a generic phrase like “Quick Question.” 

BUILD EMAIL TRUST

If you teach people over time that your emails are concise and to the point, you are building email trust. This means that recipients are more likely to respond positively and quickly when they see your name. Researchers in written communication emphasize that consistency in formatting and clarity doesn’t just improve readability, it builds an implicit reputation for professionalism.

Getting faster email replies isn’t about sounding smarter. It’s about making decisions easier for the person on the other side of the screen. When your emails are clear, scannable, and consistent, you reduce mental load, build trust, and teach people to respond to you faster.

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