A client in Seattle told me my emails sounded too formal and it changed everything

I had this one client, a small tech startup in Seattle, who kept giving me work but never replied to my check-in emails. After three weeks of silence I finally asked them straight up. They said my emails felt like a legal notice and it made them hesitate to respond. So I rewrote everything. Shorter sentences, no jargon, no "per our conversation" stuff. Just plain talk. Like how I would talk to a friend. Now I get replies within a day. Has anyone else had to adjust their tone based on a single piece of feedback like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.olivia2d ago

Nah, I actually think formal emails show respect and professionalism in most cases.

waderamirez2d agoMost Upvoted

Wait what? You actually believe that? Formal emails in this day and age feel like something from 1995. Half the time people just delete those long formal messages without reading them. A quick, direct email gets way better results with my crew and clients. Nobody wants to wade through "Dear Sir or Madam" stuff when a simple "Hey, here's the deal" works fine.

johnson.eva6h ago

Mix a little bit of both honestly. I've found that starting with a friendly "Hope you're doing well" then jumping straight into the bullet points works best for everyone. Clients appreciate not having to dig through a paragraph just to find what you actually need from them.