by Tess Townsend – @Tess_Townsend

Boomerang CEO Alex Moore has compiled lessons from the machine learning technology behind his company’s email plug-in that tells users how likely their email is to get a reply by scoring characteristics of its content.

Keep the language simple.

Pick the two-syllable word over the five-syllable word, the short sentence with simple syntax over one that’s cut in half by a semicolon. Basically, aim for a third-grade reading level.

Politeness may not matter that much.

Moore says algorithms indicate politeness has the lowest correlation with outcome.

Don’t be neutral.

You probably want to steer clear of the middle ground. People want to respond to emotion.

Take an individual approach.

Recognize that your communication style is not the gold standard. Ascertain what you can about how a person communicates. You should try to meet in the middle and adapt.

Say what you need to say.

You’re better off saying your piece and then editing and tweaking your message and format.