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How to get every email returned

nytimes.com

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Re: How to get every email returned

#51

Post by DuskStar »

Animats wrote: post #10
CaliforniaKarl wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One minor point: Emails to alumni.stanford.edu addresses are handled independently from (and outside of) other Stanford mail infrastructure. Looking at the MX records right now, it looks like they're using Google for mail processing (which would include their spam filtering). (For non-Stanford people: Assuming you graduate and don't come back in some other capacity, your @stanford.edu mailbox stops working, becomes f…

I have an address on "cs.stanford.edu", from decades ago. I'm surprised that it's still turned on. Probably dates from when I was a visiting scholar in the 1990s and CS was a much smaller department.

I'm very happy to still have access to my @umich.edu account (which is supposedly permanent) - it's great for reading papers!

Re: How to get every email returned

#52

Post by gnicholas »

bruhmoment wrote: post #44

Hi everyone, would you mind avoiding using any sites articles from New York Times? They require a subscription after a certain amount of views. Sure, journalism isn't charity work (news editors and journalists need food on the table, too, you know?), but all other sites have advertisements. I leave advertisements enabled on sites that don't block you out. If you use an article from NYT, would you mind including anoth…

Many public library systems give their patrons free access to the NYT. I was able to set this up with mine (San Mateo County Library system) in about 5 minutes from home. Another commenter mentioned incognito windows, but my understanding is that the NYT has started blocking this avenue.

Another alternative is to read via Pocket (I know, not everyone likes them), which appears to give unlimited access. Just save articles to your Pocket and open it there!

Re: How to get every email returned

#53

Post by thrower123 »

takanori wrote: post #46

Lots of nytimes articles on HN lately

There are always tons of NY Times articles. I think they are getting better at writing rage-bait headlines over at the Grey Lady, but it's hard to find a day that three or four times stories aren't on the front page, and I've been more or less keeping track for a few years because I tend to hide them, as I find them utterly disinteresting.

The NY Times recycles topics and takes so often that if you read it for a year, you can pretty much cancel your subscription for the next five.

Re: How to get every email returned

#54

Post by goatherders »

I do this for a living and craft somewhere between 1000 and 2000 emails a week. Here are some additional tips:

- be authentic. I never email anyone without believing 100% that my message can help solve a problem I already know they are struggling with.

- be personal. Do some research and find something that shows you are putting in the work to make sure you are authentic. It makes all the difference.

- be honest. Should go without saying.

- offer something expecting nothing in return. For example, if you are selling SEO services send them a list of where their site ranks for 5 keywords you think apply to their business. Then send 2 or 3 simple things they can do on their own to solve the problem

- keep it short. 140 words is enough. Keep rewriting until it is that short.

- ask one question and make it yes or no.

Lots of other nuance but those are good pillars to build on.

Re: How to get every email returned

#55

Post by gnicholas »

goatherders wrote: post #54

I do this for a living and craft somewhere between 1000 and 2000 emails a week. Here are some additional tips: - be authentic. I never email anyone without believing 100% that my message can help solve a problem I already know they are struggling with. - be personal. Do some research and find something that shows you are putting in the work to make sure you are authentic. It makes all the difference. - be honest. Sho…

What is your source of email leads? That is, how do you know of 1000-2000 new people each week whom you know you can help with a problem they are struggling with?

Re: How to get every email returned

#56

Post by brewdad »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #18
js2 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On your last point, you might be interested in reading Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It . The author would advise you to ask a negative question in your email such as "have you given up on this project?" People don't like to say no and it often motivates a reply. https://blog.blackswanltd.com/the-edge/3-ways-to-make-no-wor...

Depends on the person. We're not all sheep, and I'd see through that and think "Fuck You". I might right click the email and select "create filter out of this..." The problem with any systematic of getting someone's attention is that is is impersonal by nature (not tailored to the person). As audiences get more sophisticated and used to technology, the sender needs to get more sophisticated. In the early days of inte…

I can think of one person who rode the Rich Jerk shtick all the way to the highest office in the US. There is a large population of less than sophisticated individuals, even today.

Re: How to get every email returned

#57

Post by erichurkman »

tosser0001 wrote: post #34
gnicholas wrote: post #2

I've found a couple things to be useful: * If there's a question for the person to answer, make sure it is the very last sentence in the email. That way when the person finishes reading the email and is deciding whether to ignore/archive or reply, they're more likely to reply. If possible, make the question yes/no instead of long answer. For example: "Is now a good time to move forward?" versus "How does this sound t…

> * If there's a question for the person to answer, make sure it is the very last sentence in the email. Oddly enough I do the exact opposite: Within reason, I try to make the question I want answered the very first sentence. I hate expository emails. Just tell me what you’re looking for. If I need more detail I would hope the follow on text would provide it.

There's also a factor in how modern email clients display messages. Gmail, Apple mail, etc show the first few words of the text alongside/under the subject.

Am I more likely to open an email that says "[subject] Have you heard about how cloud services can reduce..." -or- "[subject] Does that time work for you?"

(Disclaimer: neither, please stop emailing me about your amazing cloud services and how it will save me money.)

Re: How to get every email returned

#58

Post by gnicholas »

erichurkman wrote: post #57
tosser0001 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> * If there's a question for the person to answer, make sure it is the very last sentence in the email. Oddly enough I do the exact opposite: Within reason, I try to make the question I want answered the very first sentence. I hate expository emails. Just tell me what you’re looking for. If I need more detail I would hope the follow on text would provide it.

There's also a factor in how modern email clients display messages. Gmail, Apple mail, etc show the first few words of the text alongside/under the subject. Am I more likely to open an email that says "[subject] Have you heard about how cloud services can reduce..." -or- "[subject] Does that time work for you?" (Disclaimer: neither, please stop emailing me about your amazing cloud services and how it will save me mon…

Just to clarify, this article was not about sales emails, and the tips I offered above were likewise not about reaching out to people I'd never talked to before. They were about following up with people with whom I'd already had substantive conversations that indicated mutual interest.

I think the strategies — and etiquette — for cold outreach emails are totally different.

Re: How to get every email returned

#59

Post by [deleted] »

pointytrees wrote: post #39
gnicholas wrote: post #2

I've found a couple things to be useful: * If there's a question for the person to answer, make sure it is the very last sentence in the email. That way when the person finishes reading the email and is deciding whether to ignore/archive or reply, they're more likely to reply. If possible, make the question yes/no instead of long answer. For example: "Is now a good time to move forward?" versus "How does this sound t…

Have you considered making the question the first line? I think I understand your reasoning. If you lead with the question, then write a bunch of stuff. When they finish reading and get to the end, they may have forgotten the initial question. I guess I have found in my professional experience that leading the with question is often more effective when talking to management. They're often quite busy and may skim the…

[deleted]

Re: How to get every email returned

#60

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

jimmaswell wrote: post #31
panarky wrote: post #21

1. Only ask one question. More than that and people skip it until later then forget. Or if they do respond they only answer one question anyway and forget the others. 2. Schedule the delivery for first thing in the morning. Email delivered during the day, after people get busy, just scrolls off the front page and gets lost. (I use Gmail's new scheduled send multiple times a day now.)

Re: #1 why can't it just be expected that people be professional and just read the whole thing, answering everything in it? Why is it acceptable that everyone is lazy and inconsiderate? Why am I the only person on the planet who would actually do that? Humanity is so disappointing sometimes.

Because email if fundamentally an inconsiderate medium: you are essentially pushing tasks on to someone else without asking for their permission. This is considerably different than face-to-face communication, where things usually start of with a "Do you have a moment?" or something similar.
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