How to Check if Your Email Is About You or the Reader (You vs I Count)
To check whether your email is about the reader, count the you words against the I and we words, then look at the sentences that open with I, we, my or our. The you vs I email checker does both in one paste and gives no score: you decide what the numbers mean.
The by-hand way
- Print or copy the email. Underline every you, your and you're in one colour.
- Circle every I, me, my, we, us and our in another.
- Compare the two. Then underline the first word of each sentence and see how many are I or we.
Cold email guides often advise more you than I, and openings that are not about the sender. That is common practice and no mailbox provider checks it.
Step 1: paste the email
Paste the email text. Include the subject line if you want it counted. Capitals are ignored, and curly and straight apostrophes are treated alike.
Step 2: read the counts
| Group | Words counted |
|---|---|
| You words | you, your, yours, you're, you'll, you've, you'd, yourself, yourselves |
| I and we words | I, I'm, I've, I'll, I'd, me, my, mine, myself, we, we're, we've, we'll, we'd, us, our, ours, ourselves |
The tool shows each total and how many you words there are for each I or we word. The counts are of words as written, so a you that means anyone (you can) counts the same as a you that means the reader.
Step 3: look at the openers
The table lists every sentence whose first word is I, I'm, I've, I'll, I'd, we, we're, we've, we'll, we'd, my or our. A sentence that opens with I is not wrong. The list is there so you can see how many do, and whether your first line is about you.
Step 4: put the reader first where you can
For each opener, try starting with the reader's situation. I saw that Acme opened a second site can become Acme opened a second site. The meaning stays and the sentence is about them. Keep the ones where the sender has to be the subject, such as an introduction or an offer.
Paste the email in again after editing. For the rest of the copy, use the cold email copy checker, and see cold email templates for ways to open.
What this check cannot do
- It counts words as written and cannot tell a general you from the reader.
- Only English pronouns are counted.
- It does not judge tone or clarity.
- A low ratio does not mean the email is bad, and a high one does not mean it is good.
Before you send, verify the list
Before you send, verify the list at the verify page: the first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card. Each address comes back valid, risky or invalid with a reason, and nothing is sent to anyone on the list. A well-edited email still bounces if the address is dead. For larger or recurring lists, see bulk email verification, list cleaning and pricing.
Check your email now
Paste it into the you vs I email checker.
Common questions
How do I check if my email is about the reader?
Count you, your and you're against I, me, my, we and our, and look at how many sentences open with I or we. A you-vs-I checker does both.
What is a good you to I ratio?
There is no standard. Cold email guides often advise more you than I, but no mailbox provider checks it, so the tool gives counts and no pass or fail.
Is it wrong to start a sentence with I?
No. Some sentences need the sender as the subject, such as an introduction or an offer. The list just shows how many do.
Which words does the checker count?
You, your, yours, you're, you'll, you've, you'd, yourself and yourselves against I, me, my, mine, myself, we, us, our, ours, ourselves and their contractions.
Can it tell a general you from the reader?
No. It counts words as written, so read the numbers as a guide.
Check your list before you send
Real mailbox checks over SMTP, and nothing is sent to the address. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. Plans for bigger lists are on the pricing page.