Send Better All-employee Broadcasts with this 9-Question Checklist
Corporate communications teams send an average of 61 email broadcasts per month.
Not every email goes to all employees, of course, yet employees who feel bombarded with information are far more likely to leave the organization. Since replacing and retraining people is expensive, it’s better not to overwhelm them.
So, before sending another company wide email, pause to ask how it’s valuable and relevant to the recipient. When crafting and sending internal communications on someone’s behalf, leaders in particular, this can be a delicate issue. To sway a leader’s “just send it to everyone” opinion, use objective data to support your argument.
Big broadcasts may also cause “send anxiety,” those feelings of unease due to the high exposure and potential risks. To avoid this, we suggest using this 9-question checklist to reduce your risk of making mistakes and to ensure your messaging is on target.
EVALUATE THE MESSAGING
1. Is this message concise and complete? Every broadcast email should be as clear and straightforward as possible. Readership is highest for emails that are 250 words or less, or about a minute of reading time. Based on PoliteMail data analysis from billions of internal emails, you can expect to lose 10% of your readership with every additional 250 words, so edit ruthlessly. When you need to convey more information, include a short summary paragraph with the essential details within the email and then link to a separate intranet page or document containing the longer-form content.
2. Does this message cover more than one topic or ask? Aside from newsletters, it’s best to keep an email to one topic. If there are action items, focus on one or two at the most. By breaking multi-topic or multi-to-do emails into separate messages (and spacing out the delivery timing), you will keep your messages shorter and more focused, yielding better engagement. The feeling of email overload is most often due to too much content within one message. A shorter, more focused email is easier and faster to process, even when that means more messages overall.
3. Is this information time-sensitive or critical? When you have deadlines, it’s best to indicate this by using priority markers or putting the date or time in the subject line. If the message is about an event—or requires a response before a specific date and time—using a feature like PoliteMail’s message expiration to auto-expire the message content will prevent people from attempting to view or register for a live event after it has passed. You can use this feature to direct them to a recording or tell them they missed the opportunity.
4. Is this message error-free and easy to read? It’s second nature for most communicators to double-check for spelling and grammar and avoid acronyms and jargon. Another consideration is editing for reading ease. When a message is easier to read, readership is higher. Rewording for simplicity, using shorter sentences and paragraphs, and ensuring plenty of whitespace between paragraphs and story elements can significantly improve reading ease.
ANALYZE THE ‘FROM ADDRESS’ AND SUBJECT
5. Is this the best ‘from address’? People receive an average of 121 emails daily, so they use filters like the sender or ‘from address’ and subject lines to filter out what is (and isn’t) important. Data shows that the broader the range of topics and the higher the frequency of email sent to the same audience, the lower the readership will be.
Instead of sending everything from one shared mailbox, increase the number of ‘from addresses’ you use (more email addresses are free but require IT to create them). Make the email addresses relevant to the specific content areas the broadcasts will address. You might have several email addresses for news, announcements, policies and procedures, events, plus leadership aliases.
6. Is my subject line compelling and short? The best subject lines elicit interest or curiosity and allude directly to the content or the benefit of reading a message. When multiple news items don’t fit into a short sentence, use a brief list of interesting keywords or highlight the key story. PoliteMail’s benchmark data shows emails with subjects of 7 words or less gain the highest attention.
- Before: January 2025 Corporate Newsletter
- After Option1: New Promotions | Q4 Sales Beat | Jan Social
- After Option2: Sales Beat Expectations & More News…
TARGET THE AUDIENCE
7. Is this message relevant to the audience? It’s worth asking if every recipient on the distribution list needs to know the information. If the message, or parts of it, only apply to specific groups, consider sending more tailored messages to smaller, more targeted lists. When messages do apply to all, you may still have an opportunity to personalize some of the content by region or business unit, and send more customized and relevant messaging to these specific audiences. When sending follow-up messages like reminders, use segmented analytics to only send to individuals who haven’t taken action or ignored previous messages.
OPTIMIZE FOR TIMING AND AVOID INBOX COLLISIONS
8. Should I collaborate with anyone on this broadcast? Are other departments or business units sending broadcasts in the same timeframe as you, and will they cover similar content? By collaborating with others on content and timing, you can reduce the number of messages, prevent overload, and avoid competing for limited attention spans. Tools like PoliteMail’s shared editorial calendar can help raise awareness between groups and avoid timing conflicts and content overlaps.
9. Is this the best day and time to send? While you don’t always have control over the timing of a message—sometimes they just need to go out—when you do, it’s best to avoid sending emails at the end of the day or late in the week. The emails with the highest attention, readership, and click rates tend to be sent on Mondays, with the lowest on Fridays. On average, most broadcasts are sent on Thursdays. Tools like PoliteMail’s time-zone sending feature allows you to reach employees at the start of their business day, wherever they are, so the email doesn’t get buried in the inbox.
SEND ALL-STAFF EMAILS WITH CONFIDENCE
To minimize send anxiety, create processes that reduce your risk of mistakes while maximizing the impact of your messaging. Ask these nine questions to ensure your email content is valuable, optimized, and, ultimately, something that will engage your audience.
