Whether you are one of those people who has previously written someone an email asking for something, or whether you are the person on the receiving end, plodding through abundant quantities of mail you receive each day, you will probably agree, one of the golden rules of writing is: respect the reader’s intelligence. The more emails you get, the more refined your BS detector becomes. This is an important skill, as it can help you detect impersonal “template” emails in seconds, which makes it hard for the person who is writing to get you to pay attention and respond. Emailing requests is a delicate art – not only do you need to be charming and concise… but you need to self-edit. Here are a few tips:

Make a “yes” response easy.

Unfortunately, this is where most people fall short. Often people receive emails from unknowns interested in some sort of knowledge exchange, who never clarify how they would like the receiver to take action. Do they want to go for coffee? Do they want to talk over the phone? It’s unclear, which means that instead of saying, “Yes!” the reader has to respond and ask for clarification…which is sometimes too much effort, especially for busy executives with little time to spare - which can result in them not responding at all. If you are asking someone to take the time to answer you, it should be very clear what you are asking for. If it’s not, you need to redraft.

Make the subject line intriguing

Keep in mind that while it’s always good to be clear, you also don’t want to give anyone a reason to dismiss your email before reading it. Which is why the subject line is so important – it’s the first thing the reader notices. For that reason, you’ll want to avoid cliches or spam-alert phrases that might get your email ignored or lumped into a spam folder.

Editor-in-Chief and Director of 99U, Jocelyn K. Glei, who is also editor of the 99U books, Manage Your Day-to-Day and Maximize Your Potential believes that composing a good email subject line is similar to writing a great headline. “If you’re cold-emailing someone you’ve never met, it’s important to strike a balance between being direct and being interesting,” says Glei. She believes that using someone’s name in the subject line makes it feels personal, while using a question mark gives a sense of possibility and creates curiosity. Try avoiding generic phrases that can turn people off before they’ve really assessed the particular opportunity you are proposing.

Be both interesting and interested

Make your email original, and make it clear you really know who the person you are writing to is – not just their name. Do your homework. You don’t have to sing their praises as such, but it’s nice to articulate why you’re interested in them. And even more importantly, why they should be interested in you. Try to have a voice and say something funny, meaningful, or thoughtful.

Be concise and get to the point

Never assume that someone is going to read your entire email. You should make it clear from the very start exactly what you are asking for. That means clarifying why you’re reaching out in the first couple of sentences. Make your objective clear. And it might also be a good idea to preview your email on a mobile phone, as many people check their messages on the go these days.

Give a deadline if you can

People are often shy about including deadlines in emails, especially when they are addressed to people they have not met before. Interestingly, deadlines actually are effective - in fact, most busy people like them.

Finally, never ever use the word “Synergy”!

The single word that gets the BS detector ringing like mad is the word “synergy.” Nobody cares about exploring synergies. Emails with this language typically mean that the person asking for something hasn’t really thought through what they want enough to be specific. If you want someone to take a chance on you, show them respect by putting in the effort to think through what you are asking for and be up front about it.

Otherwise, you’re just wasting your time… and theirs.