In January 2024, we launched our Propel email etiquette tool for Gmail and Outlook.

Immediately, the tool went to work helping students nationwide become more professional with their messages to teachers and employers.

See how Propel works — 1 minute video!

Quick stats: 

Number of school districts participating: 37

Number of students who have Propel as an email extension: 936

Number of emails written with the help of Propel: 5,449

Number of Propel rules shared with the students: 30,019

Let’s break down the data

Propel guides a student to structure an email (ex: include a greeting and closing) and then analyzes the message to offer further suggestions for grammar and soft skills.

Propel offers advice, but students must make the changes. No AI, no ChatGPT. Pure learning.

Among the 30,019 times Propel offered advice:

• Include a greeting (ex: Good morning): 3,357 times
• Add a period at the end of the sentence: 2,415
• Address the person with a proper title (ex: Ms. Smith): 2,351
• Don’t write the email as one “blocky” paragraph: 544
• Be sure to capitalize the first word of a sentence: 460
• Remember to sign your name at the end: 397
• Don’t use a lowercase “i” to describe yourself: 250

What’s more, 99% of students who use Propel write a subject line as a cogent summary of the message. The #1 complaint our team hears from educators about student emails is that students write the entire email in the subject line.

Propel has solved the subject line problem.

“The Propel tool was easy to use and helped my students so much,” said Shelley Roberts, a teacher in Johnston County, North Carolina. “It is disappointing that many students have no idea what the correct format of a letter/email should be. Propel reintroduced terms like body and greeting. The students love the easy, ‘fill in the blank’ process.”

The bigger picture

Propel is an optional extension in a student’s email, which means the initial batch of pilot students choose to use Propel. They want the guidance.

“When a student fixes a small mistake like not capitalizing the first word of a sentence, instantly the message becomes more professional,” said Danny Rubin, founder of Rubin. “The student will then be taken more seriously in the business community, and opportunities can happen more quickly.”

Rubin added: “In that way, Propel is a tool for equity and eliminating bias in the marketplace.”

Click here to request a trial!