Writing Effective Team Updates That Get Read

How I Write Updates That Actually Get Read as a Program Manager at Amazon Weekly updates shouldn’t feel like novels. And they definitely shouldn’t feel like homework. At Amazon, we don’t write updates to inform…we write them to drive action. Here’s how I make sure mine get read…and drive decisions: 1/ I follow a 3-part format every time ↳ What moved ↳ What’s stuck ↳ What I need from you Example: I start every update with “3 Things You Should Know This Week” and bold the key takeaway of each one. 2/ I cut the fluff ↳ No storytelling ↳ No context dumps ↳ Just signal Example: Instead of writing “we had a productive conversation about timeline shifts,” I write “new launch date agreed: Sept 22.” 3/ I use bold + bullets to make scanning easy ↳ Execs skim ↳ My job is to make the right info jump out Example: I bold every owner and every date…so even in a 10-second scan, leadership knows who’s doing what and when. 4/ I link to source docs, not summaries ↳ If someone wants depth, they can click ↳ If not, they still get the takeaway Example: “For full RCA doc, see here →” has saved me from 5 follow-up questions per week. 5/ I stay consistent even when nothing’s on fire ↳ Trust is built through rhythm, not emergencies Example: Even in quiet weeks, I send the update. If there’s nothing to report, I say that…because silence kills visibility. The best updates don’t just share information… They build confidence in your leadership. What’s your go-to trick for writing updates people actually read?

Most people assume communication is about sharing information. It’s not. It’s about making sure the right people actually care and act. And yet, most internal messages get ignored because: - They’re too long (nobody has time). - They’re too vague (what’s the point?). - They bury the key takeaway (no clear action). Want to get leadership’s attention? Your team’s buy-in? Faster approvals? Don’t send long Slack messages or emails hoping they’ll “get it.” Try communicating like an executive: clear, concise, and actionable. How? 1) Lead with the headline. Instead of “Here’s some background on the situation,” start with: “We need to make a decision on X by Friday. Here’s what you need to know.” Decisions happen faster when no one has to dig for the point. 2) Be brutally concise. Instead of a wall of text, write: “Key update: [X]. Next step: [Y]. Need from you: [Z].” If it takes more than 10 seconds to skim, it’s too long. 3) Make action crystal clear. Instead of “Let me know your thoughts,” say: “Please approve/reject this by EOD Wednesday.” If you don’t set the expectation, you’ll get ignored. 4) Match the medium to the message. Instead of sending a complex update over Slack, ask: “Would a quick call make this easier?” Not everything should be an email. Not everything should be a meeting. Your ideas don’t just need to be good. They need to be impossible to overlook. Stop sending noise, and start communicating for impact.

Here's a stat that might blow your mind (and make you throw your arms up in regards to that communication you're writing): The average employee spends just 9 seconds reading an internal email. That’s about 50 to 125 words, barely enough time to clear their throat, let alone absorb a complex update. That means your internal communication needs to use the PIE principle, as developed by Mel Loy SCMP: Personal – make it relevant to the individual. Interesting – capture attention fast. Easy – reduce friction. Avoid corporate jargon. Deliver clarity. You can’t afford to bury the lede. And you definitely can’t afford to send long-winded updates with five attachments and no clear call to action. So next time you draft a message, ask yourself: “Is this scannable in 9 seconds?” “Will they know what I need them to know, feel, or do in that time?” “Would I read this?” If the answer’s no, back to the draft you go.

If I had a dollar for every vague update I’ve seen, I could retire from project management and live off passive aggressive email threads. The biggest project failures I’ve seen? Not caused by bad software. Caused by emails that read like riddles and meetings that could’ve been… literally anything else. Here’s what’s saved me from communication chaos: The 3C Rule: Clear. Concise. Contextual. CLEAR: Use words that actually mean something. ✘ "We need to optimize the user experience." ✔ "We need to reduce checkout time from 3 minutes to 1." (Unless “optimize” means “do nothing,” let’s be specific.) CONCISE: Get to the point before people fall asleep. ✘ "Following up on the thing from earlier that we mentioned that time..." ✔"Decision needed: Launch Feature X March 1 or 15?" (You had me at “decision.”) CONTEXTUAL: Tell people why it matters. ✘ "Please review the attached document." ✔"Please review by Friday, we can’t start dev without it." (Because no one wants to discover they’re the blocker five minutes before logging off.) The result? •Fewer emails •Fewer status meetings about status meetings •More decisions •Less collective eye-rolling Communication isn’t about saying more. It’s about saying something people actually understand. Stop writing novels. Start making sense. What’s your biggest PM communication pet peeve? I’ll go first: emails with no subject line.