✉️ Messages
Messages is the Studio's inbox for what readers send through the site's contact page. This page will guide you through reading a message, replying, keeping the inbox tidy and turning a message into a Brief.
The inbox
"Messages" is headed "What readers sent through the contact page." It has three tabs, "Inbox", "Unread" and "Archived", each with a count, and a number beside "Messages" in the navigation shows how many are unread. The Dashboard's "Unread messages" card shows the latest few, with an "Inbox" link.
A message shows the sender's name, email, subject and the time it arrived. "Show more" loads older messages.
Handling a message
Press a message to read it. The buttons above it let you:
- Reply by email: opens your email app addressed to the sender.
- Mark as read or Mark as unread.
- Archive, or Move to inbox from the archive.
- Turn into a Brief: start a Brief from the message. See Briefs and The Wire.
Simply archive a message once you have answered it. This ensures "Unread" always shows what still needs you.
Turning a message into a Brief
Press "Turn into a Brief" to start a Brief from the message. Check the wording before you publish, since a message is written to you, not for readers, and remove anything personal such as the sender's name or email.
Readers' messages are private. Never publish a reader's name, email or message text without their permission.
The contact email under "Settings", then "Site", is shown to readers on the contact page. Messages from the contact form also land in "Messages". See Site settings.
Best Practices
- Clear the inbox weekly: archive what you have answered, so "Unread" stays meaningful.
- Reply from the message: "Reply by email" addresses the reply for you.