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If you’re questioning why your messages remain unread, it might be that the material lacks emotional depth.

Formulating an impactful email involves more than just the substance and duration. A recent investigation by University of Michigan scholars indicates that the subtleties of communication style and the strength of social ties can significantly affect the chances of receiving a response.

The research emphasizes the significance of an engaging communication method, robust personal relationships, and convincing writing. These components are vital for prompting replies, as the study shows.

Interestingly, the effectiveness of emails varies considerably based on whether you are reaching out to a wide audience or participating in a dialogue with a smaller group.

Co-author of the study, David Jurgens, associate professor of information and electrical engineering and computer science, noted that when addressing a large audience for the first instance, those with a wide array of strong connections tend to receive more responses.

However, caution is warranted against employing excessively personal language, as it could dissuade replies, he remarked. Once a conversation is underway, the focus shifts to a more specific and individualized audience.

“In this scenario, individuals with a reputable standing are more likely to continue receiving responses, and being overly formal or excessively polite may surprisingly hinder the flow of conversation,” Jurgens stated.

Emails that evoke feelings generally receive more responses than those that concentrate solely on factual information. Even when discussing technical subjects, crafting emotionally engaging emails increases the chance of replies, the research suggests. Proper grammar usage and distancing from informal texting habits also enhance your likelihood of receiving responses.

The researchers examined 11.3 million public emails from 2009, of which 7.46 million did not elicit a reply. Some emails, by their very nature, are not meant to provoke a response. In their exploration of the linguistic and network factors affecting replies, the team devised new approaches to manage the confounding influences of the sender’s communicative aim (e.g., is this sharing information or seeking assistance?) and the anticipation of a response.

“We observe that email response rates are influenced, at various times and in distinct contexts, by these pragmatic elements,” commented Nancy Xu, a doctoral candidate at the School of Information.

Subsequent research could explore whether the factors impacting email responses are consistent across various platforms, languages, and cultural backgrounds, the researchers noted.

Jurgens, Xu, and their team asserted that their study offers valuable guidance for professionals looking to improve their email communication efficiency, whether reaching out to new acquaintances or nurturing ongoing dialogues.

The results were shared at the recent Proceedings of the 2025 Conference of the Nations of the Americas Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics: Human Language Technologies.

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