Short answer: Skip "as per my last email" - it reads as icy and blaming. Instead, help them find it: "Sharing this again for convenience," "just resurfacing my note from Tuesday," or "here's the summary again so it's in one place." Point them back warmly and make it easy, rather than scoring a point.
"As per my last email" has become internet shorthand for "I already told you, pay attention." Even when you don't mean it that way, the reader hears the sarcasm. The good news: you can make the exact same point - "look at what I already sent" - without the frost.
The phrase does two things at once: it corrects the reader and implies they didn't read you. Both put them on the defensive, which makes them less likely to help, not more. You want cooperation, and passive-aggression buys the opposite.
Resurface the information instead of scolding them for missing it:
You're doing them a favour, not filing a complaint.
The most gracious move skips the reference entirely and re-gives the answer:
"Happy to help - the timeline is [X] and the owner is [Y], copied here so you don't have to dig."
It costs you two seconds and reads as generous rather than annoyed.
They missed a detail you sent:
"No worries - here it is again: [detail]."
They asked something you already answered:
"Good question - I covered this on Tuesday, resharing so it's handy: [paste]."
You need them to actually read it this time:
"Flagging the key part below so it doesn't get lost: [the one line that matters]."
If you're annoyed and it's showing in the draft, that's exactly when to run it through Rewrite It Better - it strips the edge while keeping the point. Writing async messages that stay warm and clear under pressure is our Async That Lands course.
Instead of "as per my last email," resurface the information warmly - "sharing this again for convenience" - or just re-give the answer. Help them find it rather than scoring a point, and you'll get cooperation instead of defensiveness.
It corrects the reader and implies they ignored you at the same time, so even when you don't mean it, it reads as passive-aggressive. That puts people on the defensive and makes them less willing to help.
Resurface it warmly: "just bumping my note from Tuesday for easy reference," "sharing this again so it's in one place," or simply re-paste the answer. Point them back without the frost.
Make it effortless - re-paste the relevant part or re-attach the file rather than telling them to go look. "In case it got buried, here it is again" is helpful; "as I said before" is not.
If something genuinely must be read, flag the key line directly ("flagging the important part below") rather than commenting on their reading. Highlight the content, not their oversight.
Write the draft, then strip the edge before sending - a quick pass through a rewrite tool, or just rereading for any line that scores a point. Warm and clear gets cooperation; sarcasm gets resistance.
Real situations, before/after examples, and a quiz. Chapter 1 is free.
Open the course