You've been waiting on an answer from a colleague for days. You've popped back into his inbox with a few general follow-up messages -- but still, all you've heard in return is crickets.
你已经等了同事的邮件回复好几天了,甚至你给他发了许多通知信息,但是你得到的只是你自己的点击鼠标的声音。

Your first inclination might be to brush that person off as an undependable, unresponsive flake. And, in some cases, you might be right.
你的第一反应是把对方视为最不可靠,又不回复邮件的怪咖。而且某些情况下,你还是对的。

But, if your check-in emails are complete messes, it could likely be you that needs to shoulder at least a little bit of the blame.
但是,如果你的联络邮件完全一团糟,那么你自己也或多或少需要负上一点责任。

That's right -- crafting an effective follow-up email involves a lot more than simply firing off pesky reminders day after day. If you truly want to make an impression (not to mention receive a response), you need to implement these five key tips.
没错,精心撰写一封有效的后续提醒邮件,所需要付出的不仅每天是把提示语划掉那么简单。如果你真的想要打动对方(不单单让别人回复你的邮件),你就得好好地实行以下的5个注意事项。

1. Consider Timing
1. 注意回复的时间点

If there's one thing I know to be true, it's this: Nobody ever shares your same sense of urgency. That question or issue you're eagerly awaiting a response on might be time-pressing for you. But, to your recipient, it's just a minor task that she can push to the back burner.
我觉得这是真的:没有人能真切感受你的紧迫感。你迫切需要他人答复的问题可能对于你来说有时间的紧迫感,但是对于你的发信对象来说,只是一件小事。

Needless to say, timing is crucial when attempting to follow-up. If your problem is so urgent that you feel the need to circle back a mere hour after sending your first message, then you're probably better off skipping email altogether and picking up the phone.
发送后续邮件的时间很重要,这一点就不用赘述了。如果你所反馈的问题真的如此迫切,只是过了一个小时你就要提醒对方给你回复了,你还是不要发送邮件了,直接打电话吧。

Similarly, you need to be conscientious about your recipient's schedule. Is he swamped under work or -- even worse -- on vacation? In those instances, your follow-ups aren't going to be effective, regardless of how flawlessly crafted.
同样地,你要对发信对象的日程有一定的概念。对方是不是很忙碌,还是更糟的——在度假?在这些情况下,你的后续邮件不会对对方产生任何作用,不管你写得多么完美无瑕。

2. Use a Detailed Subject
2. 详细的标题

We all tend to rely on overly generic subject lines. However, when you're checking in on something, make it your goal to use as specific of subject as possible.
我们都容易滥用笼统的邮件标题。然而,当你想确认某些事情的时候,最好把邮件标题设置为特定的字眼。

That means skipping those fallback standards like "Checking in" and opting for something that clearly illustrates the purpose of your message, such as "Feedback needed on quarterly sales report".
这就意味着抛弃万能的措辞,如“确认”,转而使用清晰表明信息意图的字眼,如“急需季度销售报告反馈”。

You can also use your subject line to instill a greater sense of urgency in your recipient by incorporating a deadline right in the subject -- such as "Feedback needed on quarterly sales report by tomorrow".
你还可以利用标题栏灌输一种紧迫感,在标题栏写上截止日期提醒你的发信对象。例如,你可以写“明天前急需季度销售报告反馈”。

In fact, a 2014 Hubspot survey found that emails that use "tomorrow" in the subject line are opened 10% more than those without.
这样做是有依据的。2014年Hubspot创业公司的一项调查发现,当邮件的标题添加了“明天前”的字眼,被回复的几率比没有带上这个字眼的邮件增加了10%。

3. Reiterate What You Need
3. 重新强调你的需求

Think about the last time you drafted a quick follow-up message that said something like, "Hey Jason, just checking in on this!"
想想你上次写下这样的后续提醒信息是什么时候:“嘿!杰森,看一下这份报告吧!”

Chances are, you're nodding along right now. We're all guilty of firing off brief, nearly empty messages -- as if the sole act of popping back into that person's inbox will inspire him to finally take action.
很有可能你现在就点头赞成了。我们都对写这些短暂甚至无味的信息感到愧疚感,似乎单单靠这样一封提醒信息可以促使对方尽快行动起来。

However, with each follow-up email you send, you need to remember to reiterate your purpose. What exactly do you need from this person?
然而事与愿违。你发送的每一封后续提醒信息,你都要记得重申你的意图。你期望得到对方什么样的回复?

So, skip the fluffy, short messages and instead make it almost painfully clear what you need that person to complete. The more obvious, the better.
所以,跳过不必要的赘述,也不要发送短消息,不管罪恶感有多重,直接要求对方回复你所需要的信息吧。越清楚明白,效果越好。

4. Provide Additional Context
4. 额外提供背景材料

In a similar vein, you also need to ensure that your follow-up email contains enough context for that person to take action -- without needing to scroll through a seemingly endless email thread to get the information he or she needs.
同理,你还要确保后续提醒邮件提供足够的背景材料,以便对方更好给你回复,而不是翻遍了整篇文章都找不到他/她需要的信息。

This doesn't need to be anything overly complex or exhaustive -- as a matter of fact, you want to keep things somewhat concise. But, ensure that you're offering enough information for your recipient to get a brief reminder of what's going on.
但这不需要太复杂或产生负担的内容,实际上,你保持一定程度上的简洁明了就可以了。但是,要保证你提供足够的信息能让对方了解大概的情况。

5. Offer an Out
5. 安排一次外出见面

No matter how much elbow grease you put into crafting the perfect follow-up message, there are some people you'll just never hear back from. It's frustrating -- but it happens.
不管你多么想要撰写一条完美的短消息,但有些人你永远不会收到他们的回复。这让人很抓狂,但确实是存在的。

It's for this reason that you need to offer an out by explaining your next steps to the recipient. What will you do if you don't receive a response by a certain date?
这样的话,你就要行动起来,去找收信人谈谈你接下来的计划。

Sticking with our sales report example and that obnoxiously unresponsive Jason, you could end your email by saying, "If I don't receive any notes from you by 3PM on Thursday, I'll move forward with the report as is."
要是在特定的时间内没有收到对方的回复呢?那就坚持上面提到的销售报告例子和杰森的例子,你可以发送这样一封邮件:“如果我周四下午3点前还没收到您的回复,我就会按照原定报告的进度执行了。”

Yes, this might seem a little direct, particularly if you're used to sending overly polite, "I know you're super busy, but..." messages out of fear of rocking the boat. But, if you're really aiming to get a response, you're going to need to be a little firmer.
是的,这样看起来有点直接,特别当你已经使用了过度礼貌说法: “我理解您很忙碌,但……”但是,如果你真的需要别人的回复,你的语气就要更坚定一点。

We all have to follow up on things. And, there's no denying that being completely ignored is obnoxious and disheartening.
我们都有需要跟进的事情,并且如果被别人彻底无视,这真的会很不爽也很扫兴。

As easy as it is to shift the blame to that unreliable recipient, don't forget to turn the spotlight on yourself and the quality of your follow-up email. Make sure you use these five key tips, and you're sure to increase your chances of getting a reply.
怪罪那个不负责任的人很容易,把注意力放在后续邮件的质量上也一样简单。好好利用以上5个小诀窍,收到邮件回复的几率就大大提高了。

声明:本双语文章的中文翻译系沪江英语原创内容,转载请注明出处。中文翻译仅代表译者个人观点,仅供参考。如有不妥之处,欢迎指正。