I used to write stakeholder emails that got ignored for weeks.

I’d spend an hour crafting the perfect message backed with data & reasoning. Everything they needed to make a decision.

Then…crickets.

I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. And it wasn’t what I thought.

Let me show you.

Here’s a real scenario I faced:

• 🙏 What stakeholder wants:
  • Implement temporary security tool, while waiting for new tool to arrive
• ❓ Why they want it:
  • Stakeholder feels strongly about filling the security gap
  • New replacement tool is delayed indefinitely (no concrete timeline set)
• 💥 Competing priority:
  • Cost saving initiative: team identified new opportunity for $1,500/month savings (previous attempts only $100-$500/month)
  • Company has active cost reduction initiative this year
• 💀 The problem:
  • Internal security experts assessed: “Nice-to-have, not mandatory”
  • Other teams with similar projects are skipping this tool
  • Team sees temporary security tool as wasted effort
  • Both initiatives take 2 sprints each to complete
  • Only 2 sprints available before Christmas and New Year holidays

I needed to convince my stakeholder to prioritize the cost initiative.

The old me would write what I thought was a logical, professional email.

What the Old Adam Would Write:

Hi [stakeholder],

We have 2 competing initiatives for the next sprint and need your help to prioritize them:

• Cost saving initiative
• Security tool

The cost initiative will give us significant savings while the security tool is potential wasted effort.

Each initiative takes 2 sprints, so we need to choose wisely.

What are your thoughts?

The response time? Three weeks. And when they finally replied? ‘Let’s discuss this next quarter.’

That’s corporate speak for ‘no.’

The old me would be so frustrated. I had the data! I had the reasoning! Why wasn’t it working?

The Missing Piece

It took me years to realize what I did wrong.

I wasn’t writing an email. I was dumping a decision on them. And nobody wants more decisions in their inbox.

See, most PMs think better emails need better data.

But the problem isn’t your data. It’s that you’re presenting facts when they need a story.

And since every decision-maker processes information through stories, I turned it into a framework:

• Where are we? (Situation)
• What’s the problem? (Conflict)
• What should we do? (Resolution)
• What’s the call to action? (Ask)

That’s not manipulation, it’s just how humans understand things.

Old Adam gave facts and asked for help.

New Adam needed to give a story with a path forward.

What the New Adam Wrote:

Hi [stakeholder],

I know cost reduction is the top priority this year, but at the same time you’re concerned about the temporary security tool gap.

However, we only have 2 productive sprints left before Christmas. Each initiative takes 2 sprints, so we need to choose wisely.

My recommendation: Prioritize the cost-saving initiative for the next sprint.

Here’s why:

The cost initiative saves $18,000 annually—that’s $1,500 we’re burning every month we delay. This is our highest-impact cost opportunity (previous efforts saved $100-$500/month). This gets you 80% toward your yearly cost reduction target.

For the security tool, I consulted our Internal Security Officers. They assessed our projects and confirmed this tool is nice-to-have, not mandatory. Our existing measures are sufficient, and other teams are skipping it too.

If you agree, I’ll workshop this with the team before next week’s sprint planning. Any concerns about security urgency I should know?

The response time? Same day.

The reply? ‘Makes sense, let’s go with the cost initiative.’

Same scenario. Same data. Totally different outcome.

How Storytelling Changed the Message

1. I started with their perspective, not mine

Old Adam:“We have competing initiatives.”

New Adam:“I know cost reduction is the top priority this year, but at the same time you’re concerned about the temporary security tool gap.”

I showed I understood their world first. I acknowledged their concerns rather than dismiss them.

2. I used specific numbers to highlight urgency

Old Adam:“We have 2 competing initiatives for the next sprint.”

New Adam:“…we only have 2 productive sprints left before Christmas. Each initiative takes 2 sprints, so we need to choose wisely.”

Specificity creates urgency. Vague benefits make people think “I’ll deal with this later.”

If you can describe the problem in a clear and meaningful manner, your credibility will go up. The audience would lean in to hear your solution.

3. I stopped asking them to decide

Old Adam:“What are your thoughts?”

New Adam: “My recommendation: Prioritize the cost-saving initiative for the next sprint.”

Nobody wants another decision in their inbox.

When you say “My recommendation is X,” you’re doing the thinking for them. You’re leading instead of asking for permission.

4. I had a clear call-to-action

Old Adam: “What are your thoughts?”

New Adam:“If you agree, I’ll workshop this with the team before next week’s sprint planning. Any concerns about security urgency I should know?”

“What are your thoughts?” - this question is to ambiguous. It will lead to unnecessary discussion and overthinking.

Instead, sharpen the call-to-action (the ask) to keep the ball rolling.

Notice how I’ve laid out the next steps while leaving some room for any information that I might’ve missed. It’s subtle but this shows a bias towards action while still respecting the stakeholder.

The Short of It

The email example I shared uses something called the SCRA framework - Situation, Complication, Resolution & Ask. It’s a storytelling structure that works for emails, roadmap presentation, pitches, all of it.

Next time you write a stakeholder email, ask yourself:

1. Am I starting with their world or my problem? (Situation)
2. Am I using specific numbers or being vague? (Conflict)
3. Am I making a recommendation or asking them to decide? (Resolution)
4. Am I giving a strong call-to-action (Ask)?

Try those four shifts. I think you’ll be surprised by the response rate.

See you 🙂

Adam