| EMAILING TOGETHER, FROM DOCS

Some emails are too important for email programs built for speed.

You can now draft emails with other people, unlocking many new ways of using email.

How to use email drafts

In Google Docs, select Insert > Building Blocks > Email Draft. You can also type @email draft. 

You can add people chips as recipients and start drafting your email, including adding pictures and formatting. When you are done, click the Gmail icon to generate an email draft, ready to send. Easy as that! See the picture below for the full workflow.

Note: If Gmail is disabled for you, all of this will continue to work - except sending the email. We'll get to that.

Collaborative email drafting

Now, Google Docs does not send emails itself, and you will note that many features are missing - most obviously, you can only add people in your contact list (people chips exist only for those). Other email addresses you'll have to add before sending.

What it does give you is Docs' unmatched editing and AI experience without the danger of accidentally pressing send. For longer emails, many professionals I know rely on Docs.

The main value is in drafting with other people, which is not possible in Gmail (unless you share inboxes). For the first time, this enables you to properly write version-controlled emails, get people's opinion, proofread, make brand-compliant etc. And do so with others in the same document. Then, when you're done... You press send.

Drafting for someone else

When you are done with your draft, who said you need to send it yourself? Drafting is a perfect way to hand over an email for someone else to send, avoiding formatting issues and last-minute checks for copy/paste errors. Just share the draft with them and have them send.

Also - who said you can only send it once? Drafts in Google Docs can create as many Gmail drafts as your finger can click. It will not substitute a proper email marketing program, but it's perfect to send ten slightly varied emails.

Storing emails as deliverables

Finally, emails created this way can be stored in Google Drive. In projects involving communications, emails are deliverables in their own right ("Item 5.3: Create an email announcing our product to xyz"). You can even have your boss approve it.

You can store emails for yourself as templates or intermediate work packages, like you would a good Slides deck, for not starting at zero in a similar situation.

Drafting in Google Docs is the secret of high performing change management teams and people who write and email creatively for a living. If you have an important email coming up, especially one where you need input: Insert an Email draft and start the flow. Thank you for reading!

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