[jlmcgraw]

A style I picked up from a relative, who is a lawyer, is to make bullet points with minimal other fluff:

  Addressee,
   - Do this
   - Then that
   - Be sure to be aware of this

I found it impersonal at first, but it's very effective in calling out the things that need attention

[bbatha]

Numbers or letters are better than plain bullets so its obvious to the responder when they quote reply that they skipped from 1 to 4.

[sublinear]

Bullets are so underrated as a tool. Perhaps because writing them clearly and concisely can be a lot of effort, but that's the point. You have to reduce the reader's cognitive load to get a response.

The format you described is what I use for emails and messages.

Bullet trees are what I use for everything else. I can spend like an hour on a good bullet tree, but I am rarely misunderstood or ignored.