Your Email is Too Long

And no one is reading it.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "I'm sorry I could not have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time." And honestly? That might be the most honest - and overlooked - truth in communication today.

It's easy to ramble and easy to write long. If you've read my musings for any period of time, you are already quite aware of this fact. What's hard is writing with clarity, intention, and brevity.

We live in a world dominated by written communication: emails, Slack messages, texts, LinkedIn DMs, and comments on 37 versions of the same Google Doc. And. let's be honest, most of it is a mess. Things are habitually overwritten, under-thought, full of jargon, fluff, and a whole lot of "let me know if you have any questions" at the end of 300 words that never actually said anything.

Here's the thing: writing is thinking. And writing well - with purpose, direction, and clarity - takes time:

• Time to consider your audience.

• Time to trim the fat.

• Time to ask, "Is this actually communicating what I mean, or am I just mindlessly tapping keys until it sounds 'professional'?"

Lincoln, in under three minutes, delivered the Gettysburg Address - a 272-word masterclass in clarity and impact. And yet, when writing a casual letter to a friend, he admitted that his failure to make it short stemmed from not having enough time. It's a beautiful contradiction that reveals an important truth: short takes effort. Short, for lack of a better term, is earned.

In business - especially in the world of branding, marketing, and promotional merchandise - your ability to communicate clearly in writing matters more than ever. We're all trying to cut through noise, grab attention, and convey value in as few words as possible. Whether you're crafting a product description, an email to a client, or a caption for a social post, the goal is the same: be clear. Be concise. And for the love of all things branded, be human.

Good writing isn't just grammar and syntax. It's communication. And great communication? That's a competitive edge.

So, the next time you're firing off an email or writing a sales pitch, take a minute to re-read what you've written. Ask yourself:

• Is it clear?

• Does it respect the reader's time?

• Could I say this better in fewer words?

Because it's not about how short you make it - it's about how you make it short.

And trust me, your clients, colleagues, and anyone who's ever had to decipher a six-paragraph email that could've been two sentences will thank you.

Think long. Write short. And communicate like you mean it.