Writing Clear Email Updates

In the past six months, I've got expert advice on pricing, mentorship from experienced founders, and customer intros, and it’s all because of one 5-minute thing I do every month. Here’s how to use your investor updates to get help on ANYTHING from your community. Every month I send an email to investors, advisors, and other people who have supported @chezie. In it, I share updates on KPIs and product launches, but I also talk about challenges that we're facing. I share challenges to be transparent, but I also use the challenges as an opportunity to get help from our community. When thinking about what to ask for 𝟏. 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 As the founder, you probably have an idea of where your company is struggling, but asking your teammates for help lets you get more granular and also allows them to share their thoughts with your community. 𝟐. 𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 Once you’ve identified the ask, word backward to reword that ask and describe it as a challenge. Include this new description in the Challenges section of your deck. Ex: When I wanted some input on SaaS pricing, I included the following bullet in the challenges section of our monthly update: 𝐶ℎ𝑒𝑧𝑖𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑙, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑡-𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛’𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐵2𝐵 𝑆𝑎𝑎𝑆 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝟑. 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥 Give folks everything they need to support you by including context that they can just forward to the person they have in mind. It doesn’t need to be long; just make sure it includes enough context on the problem so that the person being contacted can quickly understand the challenge. Using the pricing challenge above, here’s how I worded the ask: 𝐸𝑚𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶ℎ𝑒𝑧𝑖𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑟-𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝-𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑤. 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜’𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐵2𝐵 𝑆𝑎𝑎𝑆 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠-𝑡𝑜-𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙 (𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑏𝑜𝑎𝑟𝑑). 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎, 𝐼’𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑜! 𝐼’𝑚 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑏𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑏 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑢𝑠𝑒. Close mouths don’t get fed. Use your investor update to get support from your community on your most pressing issues. #investors #fundraising #askingforhelp

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬: 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. I didn’t realize how many problems were coming from “okay” emails until I started working on fast-moving projects. Delays, confusion, back-and-forth, most of it wasn’t complexity. It was unclear communication. So I started using a simple structure that works almost every time. Here’s the template: 📍Start with context (1–2 lines): Why are you writing this email? “Following up on our discussion on X…” “Sharing an update on Y…” This aligns the reader instantly. 📍State the purpose clearly What do you want from this email? “Objective: Finalize vendor selection for Phase 1.” No guessing. No ambiguity. 📍Add key points (3–5 bullets max) Only what matters. • Current status • Key issue/blocker • Relevant data/decision point If it’s longer, it’s not clear enough. 📍Call out the action required This is where most emails fail. “Action required: Please confirm Option A or B by EOD Friday.” Be specific on who, what, and by when. 📍Close with clarity, not politeness fluff Avoid: “Let me know your thoughts.” Instead: “Once confirmed, we will proceed with implementation.” This one change reduced back-and-forth significantly for me. Because most communication problems aren’t about intelligence. They’re about structure. People don’t need more information. They need clarity on what matters and what to do next. Before sending your next email, ask yourself: Can someone read this in 30 seconds and know exactly what to do? If not, rewrite it. #Communication #Productivity #WorkplaceSkills #Consulting #ProfessionalGrowth #CareerTips #EmailWriting

If you're embarking on a big initiative in 2025, be it professional or personal, I strongly recommend sending a monthly update (even if you're literally just emailing yourself). Here's the exact structure I've used for a few years: Context I send a monthly update to Ethena's investors. While I'm contractually obligated to do this, it's a phenomenal exercise because I'm forced to zoom out and assess progress. The monthly cadence is perfect because it's enough time for there to be something significant to say, but not so frequent that it becomes a burden. Structure 1. The TLDR/summary. No more than 3 bullet points summarizing what I think the biggest developments are. This is fuzzy and based totally on my intuition. 2. The metrics. These *have* to be the same metrics every month. I report on 8 key metrics and if I ever change a metric, I force myself to explain why I'm changing, say, how we calculate gross dollar retention. This builds accountability. 3. Team updates. It always sounds corny, but people will make or break your goal. While this is obviously true in business, I'd argue it's true even in personal goal setting. Want to get fit? You'll need to find the right coach. So I write what's going well (and not), and what open roles we have. 4. Biggest challenge. 2-3 sentences on whatever is hardest. 5. Asks. I ask my investors for help every single month. 6. Thanks. I thank everyone who did something in the past month. This is really important! It builds gratitude and people like being seen for their contributions. One last thing I do before I send an update is I read my previous month's. It helps me to see the through line and also, it's nice to see progress so concretely. I hope you read all the things/lift all the weights/accomplish whatever it is you're excited to tackle in 2025! And LMK if you think my update is missing something.

Last week, a founder reached out to me in tears. She'd sent 47 emails to investors. Zero responses.💢 After 8 years of helping startups raise capital, I've learned why most emails fail.❗️ 💡Here's what actually works: Keep your first email under 100 words. Open with your traction, not your dreams.🎯 📝Follow up exactly 3 days later. Not 2, not 4. The sweet spot is 72 hours when their memory of you is still fresh. 📌Send your emails between 5-7 AM their time. You'll be at the top of their inbox when they start their day. Bonus: 💡Include a single, specific ask. "Can I get your thoughts on our AI model?" works better than "Would love to connect." End with urgency💢, not desperation. "We're closing our round in 3 weeks" is more compelling than "Looking forward to hearing from you." That founder? She implemented these changes. 4 investors responded within 48 hours. 2 meetings scheduled. 1 term sheet in discussion.💯 Share your experiences—let's spark a conversation! #startupfunding #venturecapital #entrepreneurship #investing #startups #fundraising #financials #investors #founders #investorpitchdecks #pitchdeck #pitchdeckagency

Your Inbox Is Your Reputation (how to email like a CEO and build a real network): Most people write emails that either apologize for existing or bulldoze the reader. Neither earns trust. Clear, confident, respectful messages open doors and keep them open. Simple playbook (use this this week): 1. Lead with purpose. First line = why you’re writing and what success looks like. 2. Ask like an owner. One clear request, one date, one owner. 3. Be brief, not vague. 3–5 lines max or a bulleted skim + a direct ask. 4. Give the why. Tie your request to the goal, team, or customer outcome. 5. Set a clock. Deadlines prevent drift; include the consequence of delay. 6. Offer options. Make it easy to answer: A/B, Yes/No, or a number. 7. Close the loop. Confirm next steps in writing; send the receipt of action. 8. Follow up with a decision, not a nudge. “Decide by X so Y can move.” 9. Email isn’t small talk, it’s leadership in writing. Make every send count. What’s one line you’ll upgrade in your next email? ♻️ Share this with someone building real connections ➕ Follow Helene Guillaume Pabis for human-first leadership, clarity, and momentum ✉️ Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dy3wzu9A

You spend time crafting the perfect update. And then? Crickets. Not even a "Thank you" It's not that executives don't value your work. They just don't have time to decode it. They're not scanning for detail. They're scanning for decision points. So here's the fix: Use the B-I-R Framework: Bottom Line. Insight. Risk. 1) Bottom Line: "Customer adoption is up 12% this quarter." 2) Insight: "Feature X is driving the lift - especially with enterprise clients." 3) Risk: "But onboarding time is dragging - could stall the next wave of growth." BONUS: "Here is my suggestion for next step" Short. Strategic. Skimmable. One clear update in this format beats three status meetings. Because execs don't want information. They want insights. Make their lives easier - and they'll read every word. (I know because I loved getting these kind of updates as a VP)

Routine emails are still stealing time from your calendar. Let’s get those hours back and end the late nights. 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵. 1. 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 (𝗶𝗳 𝗜𝗧 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀): turn on a notetaker like Fireflies.ai, Fathom, or Otter. It records, transcribes, and drops an action-item summary in your inbox before the Zoom window closes. 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸: copy raw chat notes into ChatGPT and tell it: “Create a 150-word summary with action items, owners, and deadlines.” 2. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸-𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 Feed the AI three things—goal, timeline, top risks—then ask: “Draft a 200-word kick-off email for cross-functional stakeholders. Include purpose, milestones, and risk mitigation.” 3. 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 Give the LLM last week’s update, plus fresh numbers and request: “Refresh the metrics, highlight wins and blockers, keep under 180 words, bullet format.” 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 Lead with AI, edit later. You’re polishing, not staring at a cursor. 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆: even a small ~18 minutes saved each week is 10+ hours a year back in your life, while colleagues who still draft by hand keep funding your edge. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀? Check out last week’s story with my 𝗗.𝗘.𝗙.𝗜.𝗡.𝗘. 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹—five simple moves that turn any request into a high-performing prompt: https://lnkd.in/eUWf_5MZ Make the swap tomorrow morning and watch the clock. Your calendar will notice.

Effective communication with investors is a foundational yet often overlooked responsibility for founders. It's important enough to merit repeated discussion, given its practical impact. Regularly updating investors is not just a form of courtesy - it's a demonstration of your leadership and management capabilities in all situations. It’s also a great way to improve your accountability and focus as a founder. Unsure how to begin? Here’s a template you can use: Subject: Monthly update - April 2024 Dear investors, Here’s our update for April, highlighting key progress and developments: Product: - We've rolled out an enhanced feature set in our mobile application, improving load times by over 30%. - Launched a beta test for our upcoming product line, receiving preliminary positive feedback from early users. Sales and marketing: - Initiated a targeted ad campaign that has decreased customer acquisition costs by 18%. - Established a new partnership with [influencer], expected to double exposure in our target markets. Financials: - Revenue for April was €80K, marking an 8% increase from the previous month. - Effective cost management reduced our monthly expenses by 10%. - Our current burn rate is €30K, giving us a runway of 24 months with our existing capital reserves. Challenges: - Encountered unexpected regulatory changes affecting one of our product lines; currently strategizing compliant solutions. - Faced technical issues with our customer database, which have been resolved, but highlighted areas for improvement in our IT infrastructure. Next: - Planning to introduce two new product features aimed at increasing user retention rates. - Preparing to expand our market presence in Europe with targeted marketing efforts beginning next quarter. Warm regards, [next unicorn founder name] This format ensures you communicate effectively, keeping your investors closely aligned with your journey.

Silence is deadlier than bugs in IT. So here's my 5-part framework to keep clients happy. In IT, people think the biggest sin is missing a deadline. It’s not. It’s disappearing. No update. No email. No, "this might take longer than planned." Silence turns small delays into big problems. • It breeds assumptions • Assumptions turn into frustration • Frustration kills trust I’ve seen projects slip by two months, and the client still walked away happy. Not because the work was perfect. But because every week, they knew exactly what was going on. And people in IT know problems happen. • Servers crash • Timelines shift • Code breaks But communication is the difference between a frustrated client and a loyal one. And silence kills faster than any missed deadline ever will. Now, if you want my communication framework, here's what I recommend to people: 1// Set Communication Expectations Upfront • Define channels: 2–3 preferred methods (email for formal updates, Slack for quick questions, weekly calls for big discussions) • Set response times: “Emails within 24 hours, urgent issues within 4 hours” • Create update schedules: Weekly reports, bi-weekly demos, or milestone check-ins, but make it consistent 2// Be Proactive In Communication • Update before you’re asked, even “everything’s on track” matters • Flag problems early: “This might take an extra day because of X” • Explain the “why” behind updates and changes 3// Translate Technical into Human • Avoid jargon overload • Use analogies: “Like traffic on a highway - too many requests are slowing it down” • Focus on impact: “Making the app load 50% faster for your users” 4// Build Trust Through Transparency • Own the problems: “Here’s what went wrong and here’s our fix” • Provide realistic timelines, under-promise, over-deliver • Show your work: Screenshots, videos, or live demos 5// Listen as Much as You Talk • Ask clarifying questions • Acknowledge concerns • Adapt your style to the client And beyond this, here's what else I recommend you can do: a) This Week: • Define communication channels and response times • Create a simple weekly update template (3 bullet points) • Choose a project management tool with client visibility b) This Month: • Share client communication guidelines with your team • Practice explaining services without jargon • Set up automated project updates c) This Quarter: • Survey clients on communication preferences • Train your team on best practices • Build protocols into onboarding Ultimately, the best IT founders don’t just build great products. They build great relationships. And relationships are built on great communication. Start treating communication as seriously as you treat your code. Your clients will notice the difference. --- ✍ Tell me below: When was the last time proactive communication saved you from a client blow-up?

Plain text email is a hugely underrated revenue driver and most brands still aren’t using it to its full potential. If you acquiring a sizeable fresh cohort in November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday, perhaps?), December is the perfect time to re-engage, build trust, and drive repeat revenue with founder-led plain text content. Here are 5 proven email content frameworks that consistently perform and work especially well in a founder’s voice: Answer your most common customer or prospect questions. You’ll find gold in your Facebook ad comments, DMs, or support tickets. Go deep and give them clarity. Tackle objections head-on. Take the things that make people hesitate and flip them into strengths. Transparency builds trust. Talk about your differentiators. Frame the market as noisy, impersonal, and generic—while positioning your brand as the one that actually cares. A heartfelt founder update. Share what’s happening behind the scenes and what inspired you to start the business. (This only works 1x per quarter, so don’t overuse it.) Share a compelling stat or viral trend relevant to your product category. Something like: “This TikTok changed how I think about [problem your product solves].” Why is plain text so effective? It’s a pattern interrupt—higher CTRs More likely to land in the main inbox Encourages replies, which help with deliverability Replies = actual conversations with customers = insights Great copy feels like a direct line to the brain, no frills, just substance If you're not using plain text emails as part of your December strategy, you're leaving money (and retention) on the table. Make it founder-led. Make it real. And hit send.