Participants in our writing workshops are complaining more and more about reading complex, long e-mails on their BlackBerry, iPhone or any other smartphone. They are now asking one question more often…”Do we need to write differently for smartphones?”

The short answer is NO. You should be writing clearly and concisely for every business document. You should be helping your reader with every technique you choose. However, you can adopt a few techniques specifically for smartphones.

Our readers are becoming more and more mobile. Speed and keeping in-the-know are vital. Here are some “smartwriting” tips to help your smartphone readers.

1. Write subject lines that clearly state the topic and the urgency. (Check IWCC’s recent BLOG on writing good subject lines)
2. Tell the reader, in the first two sentences, why you are writing and what you want them to do or know when they finish reading your e-mail.
3. Eliminate/minimize images. Some phones won’t display them and others display them poorly.
4. Summarize the key points of must-read attachments in the e-mail text. (Large attachments display poorly on most phones and some documents won’t open.)
5. Don’t assume your reader will click on a link to the internet or be able to access an intranet.  Include the key points from the link in your e-mail if it is “must know” information.
6. Copy readers on “must-read” e-mail only, when all they can access is their smartphone. (You can forward the message to them later if necessary.)
7. Ask your readers how they want you to deal with e-mail when all they can access is their smartphone.
8. If the message is urgent and critical, consider calling their smartphone rather than writing to it.

As we continue to evolve in this mobile world of high technology, IWCC believes the key to communicating successfully is to focus on this core concept “Help Your Reader”. Think like a reader and ask yourself what would make reading this e-mail easier for you. Now that’s “smartwriting”!