The 90 Second Rule For Email

There are various interpretations of the 90 second rule. One, is that you should not talk for more than 90 seconds when making a sales presentation without asking for a response from the customer.[1] Another is vlogging or video blogging, if someone can’t pay attention to your video for more than 90 seconds because it doesn’t get to a point, you lose them.[2] Yet another for email is, if you can’t take care of it or respond to it in 90 seconds, it gets moved to a file for later response.[3] In some cases it may get left in the inbox clutter and even be forgotten.

This topic is going to specifically address email. In today’s fast-paced world of over-stimulation and more information than any one of us individually can or will ever absorb, there is usually too much to do and not enough time to accomplish all of it. When a person is bombarded with emails, it can all become noise and even the valid emails can be lost because it becomes an overwhelming task to just keep an Inbox clean.

Webpages have quickly evolved from a page that just provided information to much more complex and over stimulating pages with too much information and action. It can sometimes be hard to find what you want and the eye is pulled in so many directions that nothing is seen.

The same has happened to email marketing in many cases. Too much is crammed on a page which when first opened is perceived to take too much time to comprehend. Even though it could possibly be read in less than 90 seconds, the perception is that it is going to take more time than what is available. As a result, it gets filed or left in the clutter for a hopeful return.

The world of email can be divided into three primary categories.
1. That which is relevant to you on a personal level.
2. That which is relevant to you because you have signed up to receive it.
3. Junk or spam mail.

The first two categories can be broken down into six sub-categories.
1. Immediate action/response – 90 seconds or less required.
2. Later action/response – longer than 90 seconds required.
3. Further read and review – will require set aside time to comprehend.
4. Pending – you have responded and are awaiting a response.
5. Reference – filed for later access if something relevant arises.
6. Deleted or forgotten – it doesn’t fit into any of the above.

Successful people have developed a time management system that works for them so they can accomplish the most in their waking hours. At the other end of the spectrum, people don’t have a system and live life without a focus and just react as it comes at them. Either way, applying the 90 second rule can work for all people and bring greater results in getting them to respond.

Taking it a step further, you have 3-5 seconds to initially grab their attention and move them toward an action or response. This is where simplicity is king. It is the billboard concept. You need to capture their attention for a brief moment as they are whizzing by on the freeway of life being bombarded by all other kind of stimuli. After you get their attention, you have 90 seconds or less to get an immediate response or action. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting lost in the clutter.

[1] http://www.joelblock.com/blog/161/the-90-second-rule
[2] http://punkrockhr.com/2008/11/19/90-second-rule-for-vlogs
[3] Newberry, Tom. Success Is Not An Accident, 2007, Tyndale House, Ill., pg 109. He actually uses 100 seconds.