Conventional Subjects

🎯 Purpose

Conventional Subjects makes emails:

Easier to scan
Easier to filter
Clear about intent
Trustworthy about urgency

It is designed to reduce ambiguity — not add bureaucracy. It is also not a substitute for well-structured emails that properly convey context and intent.

The Conventional Subjects specification is designed to be a starting point, and can be used as-is, or remixed and adapted to suit particular nuances of your organization.

🧱 Standard Format

Base
[TAG] Short summary

[ACTION] Approve Q2 vendor contract

Optional Context
[TAG:TYPE] Short summary

[UPDATE:platform] Migration 80% complete

Optional Deadline (actionable items only)
[TAG] Short summary | Due DATE

[ACTION] Feedback on onboarding checklist | Due Mar 22

🏢 Example Inbox Snapshot

[ACTION] Approve 2026 marketing budget | Due Mar 15
[ACTION:REVIEW] Review lease compliance memo | Due Mar 22
[UPDATE:platform] Payments migration 90% complete
[FYI] Office closed Monday
[REMINDER] Security training | Due Mar 20
[UPDATE] Vendor selection finalized

Core Principle
Conventional Subjects should reduce cognitive load. If it feels heavy, simplify it.

🛑 When NOT to Tag

Do not tag:

Casual 1:1 messages
Active thread replies (unless updating the subject for escalation)
Calendar invites
Very small audiences
Sensitive/emotional topics
Micro-updates

Rule of thumb
If removing the tag does not create ambiguity, don’t use one.

🧭 Core Tags

This list of core tags has been kept small on purpose. These four tags form the core of Conventional Subjects:

[ACTION] [REMINDER] [FYI] [UPDATE]

There might be a tendency to keep adding more and more tags, but if you get to the point where you need a secret decoder ring to figure out your tagging system, you probably have too many.

Conventional Subjects suggests the following tags as a starting point, separated into two different categories: 1) Things you are asking of others, and 2) Information you are sharing.

Things you are asking of others:

[ACTION]
You are requesting that the recipient do something.

[REMINDER]
Follow-up on prior communication.

Optional context with actions

You can specify what kind of action by adding a context type: [ACTION:TYPE].

Common types:

[ACTION:DECISION]
A decision is needed

[ACTION:REVIEW]
Review is needed

[ACTION:APPROVAL]
Approval is needed

[REMINDER:URGENT]
Urgent reminder, usually only used in the event of multiple escalations (see escalation ladder later in this document).

Note: Good subject lines often don't need context added. Compare these two examples:

[ACTION] Review new Policies & Procedures
[ACTION:REVIEW] New Policies & Procedures

Some of this will come down to style preference, but less should be more when it comes to use of tags. Your organization should agree and remain consistent in its use of context types.

Things you are sharing with others (that don't require action):

[FYI]
Awareness only.

[UPDATE]
You are sharing a status or progress update.

🛠 Team-Specific Tags

Beyond the core tags and optional context types (like [ACTION:REVIEW]), teams may add specialized tags where they provide meaningful, relevant information to your organization. Choose only what adds value—not every team needs custom tags.

Marketing Teams

[CAMPAIGN]     Campaign planning or execution
[CREATIVE]     Creative review or brainstorming
[BRIEF]        Creative or project brief
[LAUNCH]       Product or campaign launch coordination

Engineering Teams

[RFC]          Request for comments
[POSTMORTEM]   Incident analysis
[ISSUE]        Bug or issue tracking
[FIX]          Bug fix notification

Sales Teams

[PROSPECT]     Prospect-related communication
[DEAL]         Deal progress or negotiation
[PIPELINE]     Pipeline review or forecast

Operations/HR

[POLICY]       Policy updates or changes
[ONBOARDING]   New hire onboarding
[SYSTEM]       System updates or maintenance

Leadership

[STRATEGIC]    Strategic planning or decision
[BUDGET]       Budget planning or approval
[INITIATIVE]   Company-wide initiative

📅 Due Date Format

Include deadlines only when:

A real deadline exists
Missing it has consequences
It is not already handled via calendar invite

Recommended formats

| Due Mar 15
| Due Fri 3/15
| Due 2026-03-15   (best for global teams)

Avoid

ASAP
Due 3/4   (ambiguous internationally)

🚫 Anti-Patterns

Avoid these common mistakes:

❌ Tag stacking

[ACTION][REMINDER]

Use one tag. Add urgency as a context type when needed (for example, [ACTION:URGENT]).

❌ Hiding action inside [FYI]

If someone must act, use [ACTION].

❌ Vague summaries

[ACTION] Quick question

Be specific so subjects stand alone in search results.

❌ Inventing new tags

Stick to the approved list to preserve filterability.

❌ Emotional formatting

[CRITICAL!!!]

Stay calm and structured. Avoid punctuation escalation.

❌ Over-scoping

[UPDATE:finance-billing-ops-integration]

Keep scopes short and standardized.

🧠 Best Practices

⭐ Core Principle: Less is More
Good subject lines often don't need context added. If the tag doesn't add clarity, skip it.

Tags are ALL CAPS
Always bracketed
Always first
Keep summaries concise (≤ 60 characters when possible)
Keep the approved tag list small
Use urgency sparingly

📈 Deadline Escalation Ladder

Deadlines escalate gradually and predictably.

🟢 Stage 1 — Initial Assignment

[ACTION] Submit compliance report | Due Mar 15

Neutral tone. Clear deadline.

🟡 Stage 2 — Reminder (3–5 days prior)

[REMINDER] Submit compliance report | Due Mar 15

Do not escalate urgency prematurely.

🟠 Stage 3 — Due Soon (1–2 days prior)

[ACTION] Submit compliance report | Due Tomorrow

[URGENT ACTION] Submit compliance report | Due Mar 15

Escalate only if necessary.

🔴 Stage 4 — Due Today

[URGENT ACTION] Submit compliance report | Due Today

No emotional language. No punctuation escalation.

⚫ Stage 5 — Overdue

[ACTION] Submit compliance report | Overdue

Use [ESCALATION] only if formal escalation is required.

Escalation Principles

Escalate gradually
Change only one variable at a time
Preserve credibility of [URGENT]
Don’t over-escalate within the same thread
If subject escalation isn’t working, escalate via conversation

📋 Quick Reference

Core Tags

[ACTION]    You are requesting that the recipient do something
[REMINDER]  Follow-up on prior communication
[FYI]       Awareness only
[UPDATE]    Status or progress update

Format Patterns

[TAG] Summary
[TAG:TYPE] Summary
[TAG] Summary | Due DATE

Common Context Types

[ACTION:DECISION]   A decision is needed
[ACTION:REVIEW]     Review is needed
[ACTION:APPROVAL]   Approval is needed
[REMINDER:URGENT]   Urgent reminder (use sparingly)

Due Date Formats

| Due Mar 15
| Due Fri 3/15
| Due 2026-03-15   (best for global teams)

Golden Rule
If removing the tag doesn't create ambiguity, don't use one.

🚀 Getting Started

Adopting Conventional Subjects in your organization:

Start simple — Begin with just the 4 core tags: [ACTION] [REMINDER] [FYI] [UPDATE]
Agree on context types — If needed, choose 2-3 context types (like [ACTION:REVIEW]) and standardize across your team
Lead by example — Have managers and team leads model the behavior in their emails
Review and simplify — After 30 days, gather feedback and remove anything that isn't adding value
Adapt to your needs — This spec is a starting point; remix it to fit your organization's culture

Remember: The goal is to reduce cognitive load, not add bureaucracy. If it feels heavy, you're doing too much.