You've finished your invoice. It's in PDF. You open your mail client. You stop.
What do I write?
Most freelancers write too much, or not enough. Here's what I ended up using, after seven years.
The template
Subject: Invoice March 2026 — Pivert project — #00142
Body:
Hi Caroline,
Attached is March's invoice for the Pivert project. It covers 47h30 of work from March 1 to 31, totalling $3,275.06 taxes included.
The weekly breakdown is in the PDF. Net 30 as agreed, so due by April 30.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Patrick
Four paragraphs. 58 words.
Why it works
The project is named in the subject. Caroline works on six accounts. When she looks for the invoice in six months, she'll type Pivert and find it. If the subject is March Invoice, she'll get 14 results.
The invoice number is in the subject. Her accountant wants it. You spare her a round trip.
The hours are in the body. She may not read the PDF immediately. She wants a readable summary in Gmail. 47h30, $3,275, March. She files.
The due date is explicit. Not net 30. By April 30. You remove the ambiguity between 30 calendar days and 30 working days.
What I no longer write
I no longer write hope you're doing well. It's filler. No one reads it. It doesn't feel friendly, it feels padded.
I no longer write thanks in advance for payment. It pushes. Payment is an obligation, not a favour. You don't thank someone in advance for paying their electric bill.
I no longer write Best regards. I sign with my first name. Warmer, not cooler.
What Sablio automates
When I click Export → PDF in Sablio, an email draft opens with the subject, recipient, and this template pre-filled with the right numbers (total hours, total amount, period). All I do is hit Send.
I measured: 11 seconds between Export and Sent. Multiplied by 12 invoices a month, that's 26 minutes a year recovered. Not huge. The real win is consistency.
— Patrick