How to Respond to Feedback on a Draft by Email

To respond to feedback on a draft, acknowledge the review, explain what you understood, and connect the main comments to your revision decisions. Say what you will change, what you have already changed, or why you propose another approach. Finish with the next step the reviewer needs to know.

“Thanks for the feedback” is a useful opening. When someone is waiting for a revision, add enough detail for them to understand how you will use their comments.

This lesson covers a colleague’s requested review of a work document. If you are still arranging that review, start with how to ask for feedback by email. If you are the reviewer, see how to give feedback on a draft.

Connect the comment to the change

Before writing, identify two things: the difficulty the reviewer noticed and the solution they suggested. They are related, but they are not always the same.

For example, a reviewer might say that a reader cannot find a setting and suggest adding a screenshot. The difficulty is finding the setting. A screenshot is one possible solution. Naming the correct menu in the instructions might also help.

Purdue OWL recommends turning feedback into concrete revision tasks and keeping a record that connects comments with changes. Its guidance concerns academic manuscripts; the same organizing idea can help you explain a short workplace revision. Purdue OWL: Writing with Feedback on a Manuscript.

Use specific language:

What you need to communicate	Possible wording
The concern you understood	“I see that the instructions do not show where to find the setting.”
A planned change	“I’ll add the menu name before the numbered steps.”
A completed change	“I’ve added the menu name at the start of section 2.”
A different solution	“The image shows the old menu, so I’ll describe the current menu in the text instead.”

These are examples to adapt, not a list to include in every reply. If you do not understand a comment, ask for clarification before promising a change.

Write first: reply to a colleague’s review

This is a fictional workplace exercise. You are Mina, writing a short printer guide for new employees. You asked Omar to check whether version 2 is easy to follow. He has agreed to look at the next draft as well. You decide how to revise the guide; this is a peer review, not a request for final approval.

Omar sends this email:

Hi Mina,

I read version 2. In section 2, I couldn’t tell which menu contains the colour setting. Could you add a labelled screenshot? Numbering the steps would also make the sequence easier to follow.

Thanks, Omar

Use these facts:

• You have an accurate screenshot of the current menu and can label it.
• You will add the screenshot and number the steps in section 2.
• You have not made these changes yet.
• You can send version 3 for Omar’s next clarity check by 2 p.m. Paris time on 12 November 2026.

Write your reply before reading the example. Acknowledge the specific difficulty, explain both revisions, and state what Omar will receive and when.

One possible answer

Subject: Re: Printer guide — version 2

Hi Omar,

Thanks for checking the guide. I see that section 2 needs to show new employees where to find the colour setting.

I’ll add a labelled screenshot of the current menu and number the steps so the order is clear.

I’ll send you version 3 for the next clarity check by 2 p.m. Paris time on 12 November.

Thanks, Mina

The reply connects Omar’s comment to a reader need: locating the setting. It then names the two planned changes. The final sentence identifies the next version and the agreed review purpose. It does not suggest that the guide is already revised or ready to publish.

You do not need to praise every suggestion. A specific acknowledgment and an accurate plan are enough here.

Try again when the suggested solution no longer fits

Repeat the exercise with one changed fact: the only screenshot available shows an old menu, and you cannot get a current image before the deadline. In this version of the situation, you discover that before starting the edits or sending your reply.

IT has confirmed that the current menu is called Print settings and contains the colour setting. You can name that menu in section 2 and number the steps. The deadline and Omar’s agreement to check version 3 remain unchanged.

Rewrite your email before reading the second answer. Remove the screenshot promise. Explain why you propose a text change and how it will address Omar’s concern.

One possible revised answer

Subject: Re: Printer guide — version 2

Hi Omar,

Thanks for pointing out that section 2 needs to show where to find the colour setting.

The only screenshot available shows the old menu, so I’ll leave it out. IT has confirmed that the current menu is called Print settings. I’ll name it in the instructions instead and number the steps to make the sequence clear.

I’ll send you version 3 by 2 p.m. Paris time on 12 November for the next clarity check, including whether the menu name is easy to find.

Thanks, Mina

The revised reply keeps the reader’s difficulty in view. It explains the problem with the proposed image, offers a relevant alternative, and keeps the numbering change. Omar can see both how Mina used the feedback and what the next check should cover.

UCL’s guidance on peer feedback asks writers to evaluate suggestions before making changes. That principle fits this exercise because Mina owns the draft and Omar is advising her. If someone with approval authority requires a particular change, discuss an alternative with them before treating it as agreed. UCL: Reviewing, editing and responding to feedback.

When you send the revised document

After making the changes, switch from a plan to a short account of what changed. For the revised exercise above, you could write:

I’ve attached version 3. In section 2, I’ve added the Print settings menu name and numbered the steps. Could you check whether the menu name is easy to find in the instructions?

For a longer document, detailed replies may already sit beside the review comments. Point to their location and summarize the important decisions in the email. Avoid “All comments addressed” if some still need a decision. See how to mention an attachment for help identifying a file and its purpose.

Before sending, check that the reviewer can tell which concern you addressed, what changed or will change, why you chose an alternative if needed, and what happens next.

Practise responding to workplace messages

EmailBetter sends workplace scenarios tailored to your profile, including your industry, to your inbox. You write your reply in your usual email app, then review AI feedback in your dashboard. The practice starts with your own writing.

Start practising with EmailBetter.