Everyone has a different email ritual.
每个人的邮件习惯都不一样。

Maybe you send emails early in the morning, or late at night. Maybe you create insanely long subject lines or militaristically short ones. Maybe you CC as many people as possible in hope of eliciting a response. You stay steadfast in your superstition — but what if you could know for sure what?really?works?
也许你会在一大早或夜深的时候发送邮件,或者你会写一个冗长或极短的标题,又或者你会尽可能转发越多的邮件以获得一个回应。你坚持你所坚持的习惯——但你能确保这真的可行吗?

1.MYTH: Monday is the best day to send an email.
误区1:周一是发送邮件的最佳日子。

TRUTH: Sorry — Mondays are still useless.
真相:不好意思——周一仍无特殊意义。

Yesware found that email reply rates were actually significantly higher on the weekend. That's likely because people take it slow and have more time to reply. During the week, reply rates were essentially the same every day.
Yesware网站调查发现,周末的邮件回复率实际上比平日的高出很多。这有可能是因为人们可以拥有更多的时间慢慢地回复。在工作日里,每天的邮件回复率则基本持平。

So what's with the Monday hype? Perhaps because it's usually the beginning of the work week. People have time to catch up before getting bogged down in other responsibilities and endless email threads. Days of the week really has no bearing on anything, unless you know for a fact that the person you're emailing enjoys receiving stuff on Monday more than any other day.
那么周一大拥挤是什么回事?也许是因为这是一周的开始,人们就有时间在投入其他任务或无止境的邮件困扰之中赶上进度。平日里的确与其他事情无关,除非你知道你所发送邮件的对象更倾向于在周一收到信息。邮件回复率则基本持平。

2.MYTH: Emails get faster responses in the morning.
误区2:在早上,邮件更容易被回复。

TRUTH:?Well...sort of.
真相:恩,某些时候吧。

Emails sent between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. were found to have quick responses. However, so were emails sent in the evening, around 8 p.m. About 40% of emails sent around those times received a response. Again, knowing your audience can greatly impact what time you decide to send that email.
在早上6点到7点间发送的邮件通常都很快被回复。不过,在晚上8点发送的邮件也同样很快地得到回复。大约有40%的邮件在这些时间段里发送出去都会收到回复。再者,了解你的发送邮件的对象的习惯,对你决定何时发送邮件有很大的帮助。 

3.MYTH: Subject lines should be short.
误区3:主题栏一定要短。

TRUTH: It actually doesn't seem to matter.
真相:这真的是无所谓。

The subject line is kind of like a headline — it reels the reader in. However, Yesware data shows that length of the subject line didn't have an actual impact on open or reply rate. That doesn't mean your subject line should be a novel — short and sweet is a saying for a reason. For example, one of the most successful email subjects of all time? Just the word "Hey," sent by Barack Obama's re-election campaign last year. Its simplicity was a victorious coup for the campaign's fundraising efforts.
主题栏的就像一个标题——能让读者了解邮件内容。不过,Yesware网站的数据表示,主题栏的长短并不能影响点阅率或回复率的高低。这不意味着你的主题栏像部小说——简单明了是有理由的。例如,永不过时的邮件主题是什么呢?只是一个单词“Hey”,是美国总统奥巴马去年再度竞选时所发出的邮件。它的简练精准是获取竞选投资的非常成功的邮件策略。

If you're looking for strategic keywords, Yesware found that "steps," "campaign" and "next" had the highest open and reply rates. On the opposite end, the worst words to put in a subject line are "calendar" and "online." Stop emailing everyone your online calendar, they're apparently not interested.
如果你也在寻找有策略性的关键词,Yesware网站发现诸如“steps”, “campaign”, 和“next”这样的字眼的邮件拥有最高的点阅率和回复率。另一方面,主题栏最糟糕的字眼就是 “calendar”和 “online”这样的词。不要再给每个人发送你的在线日程表了,很显然对方并不感兴趣。

4.MYTH: Adding multiple recipients gets faster responses.
误区4:添加多个收件人就能收到更快的回复。

TRUTH: That's not going to work. Instead, use that "CC" option.
真相:这并没有用。相反,不如“转发”。

Resist the urge to bog down the recipient field. Just because you send your email to more people, doesn't mean you'll get more responses. Instead, Yesware's data shows that putting one person in the "To" recipient field, and "CC"-ing other recipients gets a 10% higher reply rate. When you do that, the one person is more obligated to respond, because they're the top recipient. Give a bunch of people that responsibility, and they'll shrug it off on the next person.
坚决避免沦陷收件人栏。因为即使你发送给再多的人,也不一定收到相应多的回复。Yesware网站的数据表示,把一位收件人到“to:”栏,再把其他的收信人填到 “转发”栏,会有10%的更高的回复率。当你这样做,对方就必须给予你回复,因为他们是第一位收件人。如果你让一大堆人同时查看你的这封邮件,他们只会甩头转至下一封邮件。

It's like a less urgent version of the bystander effect. When faced with a situation around other people, you just stand by, expecting someone else to do something.
这有点像是旁观者效应的低程度版本。当与其他人一起面临一件事情,你只会站在一旁,期望别人做点什么。

5.MYTH: Send emails today, get responses tomorrow.
误区5:今天发送,明天收到回复。

TRUTH: Nope — you should be getting a response within 24 hours.
真相:不——收到回复的时间一般在24小时内。

Yesware found that 90% of emails that ever get replies get one on the same day. After, a response is increasingly less likely. But don't despair — following up to an email yields a 21% chance of getting a reply.
Yesware发现90%的邮件至少会在当天就能收到了回复。若超过了时间,收到回复的几率就会很低。但请别失望——后续的邮件会有21%的几率获得回复。

So what do you say in a follow-up? It depends on who is on the receiving end. If you're following up to a cold email, make sure you're always following up within the thread. Sending a new email gives the other person too much work. Then, keep it brief.
那么在后续的邮件该说些什么?这就要取决于收件的对方。如果你在跟进一封冷冰冰无人情味的邮件,要确保自己有足够的耐心。若给对方重新发送一封邮件就太费时费力了,所以,要以简短为主。