Email is an important part of business communication, so it's critical to get it right. While emails aren't usually as formal as letters, they should still be professional and present a good image of you and your business, community, or position. Follow the steps in this tutorial to create business emails that are true to etiquette and ensure professionalism.
[Edit]Steps
[Edit]Addressing the Email
- Address your email. Type the email address of your recipient into the To field. Use the To field if you want to email contacts while encouraging their response.[1]
- This field is for people that the message directly affects. If you are expecting someone to do something in reaction to your email, they should be in the To field.
- It's a good idea to include all of the people in your To field in the opening line of your email. This way, you engage everyone in the conversation from the start and inform everyone of who else is involved in the conversation.
- If you have included more than four people in the To field, address the group as a whole by starting your email with something like, "Hi Team, or "Good Morning All,"
- The To field can be used for as many addresses as you'd like. Remember, everyone who is directly involved and needs to take action should be included in the To field.
- Use the Cc field (optional). The Cc (or Carbon Copy) field is used as a way to keep others "in the loop" without an obligation or requirement to reply or take action on the matter.[2] Think of the Cc field as an FYI to distribute relevant information or updates to a number of associates who need only look through them. To add addresses to the Cc field, simply click on the Cc field and type as many addresses inside as you'd like.
- When Cc-ing multiple associates, each recipient will have access to the list of email Cc's.
- Use the Bcc field (optional). The main purpose of the Bcc field is to send an email to a group of contacts that don't know each other. The Bcc field (Blind Carbon Copy)[3] allows you to send a message to several contacts without them knowing who else got the message. To add addresses to the Bcc field, just click on the field and type in each email you need to include.
- Use the Bcc field to send an email to multiple associates who don't know each other. This protects the privacy of each recipient by keeping the list of recipients visible only to the sender and not to each recipient.
- Use the Bcc field when sending an e-mail to hundreds of people.
- Your contacts will be able to see anyone who the email was sent to in the To or Cc fields but not in the Bcc field.[4]
- Respond to an email Cc. If you are included in a Cc email, you are likely part of a handful of other associates all included in the conversation as well, and the sender may not be looking for or expecting a reply from any of you. If you do need to reply, think about the nature of your response and who it applies to. You can chose to "Reply to Sender" if you just have a note for the original writer of the email, or you can "Reply to All" only if the information is relevant to all involved in the conversation.
- Only when your comments are important to the entire group would you use the "Reply to All" field.
- Be careful when choosing to reply to all recipients on the email. You should avoid flooding other people's inboxes with irrelevant information whenever possible.[5]
- Respond to an email Bcc. If you have been included on an email Bcc you will only have the option to reply to the sender of the email and will be unable to see the list of other recipients who also received a Bcc. Simply click on the Reply button to compose an email to the sender.
- Use a short and accurate subject header. Use as few words as possible to describe the topic or nature of your email. Rather than filling the subject with one or two vague terms, let the recipient know up front what they can expect from your email. Otherwise, it might fail to make the impact that it’s supposed to. Be as specific as possible when supplying a subject for the email without becoming overly wordy.[6] Try things like:
- "Leadership Meeting Update"
- "Issue Regarding Lunch Breaks"
- "Meeting Overview for March 12th"
[Edit]Composing the Email
- Stick to a standard structure. When approaching a professional email, it's important to keep it clean, short, and clear. Say what needs to be said and keep it at that. You can develop your own structure that works best for you. Here is a basic structure to consider:
- Your greeting
- A pleasantry
- Your purpose
- A call to action
- A closing message
- Your signature
- Write your greeting.[7] To keep things professional and sophisticated, always open your email with a formal greeting, like "Dear Mr. Lu". Depending on your relationship with the recipient, you can address them as expected, either with their entire name and title, or just their first name. If you’re not on a first name basis with the person, stick with their last name to avoid potentially offending them.
- If your relationship is very casual, you can even say, "Hi Gabe". In most cases, it’s perfectly fine to open with a simple “Dear Marie.” If the nature of your correspondence calls for something a little more formal, it's safest to use the recipient’s name alone as the greeting to keep things short and sweet.[8]
- If you don't know the name of the recipient, you can use: "To whom it may concern" or "Dear Sir/Madam".
- If you are composing an email to a group of recipients who you have included in the To field and require a response from, greet them as a group (if the number of recipients is four or greater) or include each of their names in the greeting.
- If you are sending an email with Cc's, simply address the group as a whole if you have a great number of recipients, otherwise include each recipient's name in the greeting.
- If you are sending an email with BCC's, address the group as a whole by opening with something like, "Hi all".
- If you are emailing someone for the first time, keep introductions brief and let them know who you are in one sentence. For example: "It was great to meet you at [X event]."
- If you are not sure if an introduction is necessary and you've contacted the recipient before, but you're not sure if they remember you, you can leave your credentials in your email signature.
- Identify yourself right away. Stating your name and formal title or position will help the recipient tell who the message is from without the need for guesswork. This is especially important if you’re writing to someone you've never met. Even if your name is contained in your work email address, letting the other person know who you are is a common courtesy.[9]
- Pique your recipient’s interest by highlighting a common connection or shared experience (“We met at the annual Women as Leaders conference in Toronto last year”).[10]
- It's alright to skip the introduction if you're already acquainted with the person you're writing.
- Thank the recipient briefly. Your reader is a busy person, so acknowledging them for taking the time to read your email is a gracious gesture. Additionally, this will be your first opportunity to inform them of your reason for writing. “Thank you for considering my research grant proposal” sets a friendly tone while telling the recipient what they need to know.[11]
- Beginning an email by expressing your appreciation also demonstrates respect, which can keep the message from coming across as cold or impersonal.
- State the reason for your email. If you are initiating the line of communication, you are responsible for telling your recipients what the email is regarding. It is important to state your purpose early. Business associates will want to be able to read your email quickly and get to the point. Take a minute to ask yourself why you are writing it and why you need your recipient to see it. This will help you avoid idle chitchat and cut right to the chase for a more professional email. This is also a good time to ask yourself: "Is this email really necessary?" Again, only sending emails that are absolutely necessary shows respect for the person you're emailing. Once you are ready to compose your email, try starting with something like:
- “I am writing to inquire about …”
- “I am writing in reference to …”
- "Please take the time to look over these changes and offer me your feedback..."
- Thank the recipient (optional). If you are replying to a client's inquiry, or if someone has replied to one of your emails, you should begin with a line of thanks.[12] For example:
- "Thank you for getting back to me..."
- "Thank you for your attention on this matter..."
- "Thank you for contacting Ocean Safari Scuba..."
- Thanking the reader is a great way to remain polite, professional, and on good terms with your recipient.
- Keep the body of your email brief. With business emails, the less you include the better. Make each email you send out just about one thing. If you need to communicate about another project, compose another email.
- Try communicating everything you need to in just five sentences. Say everything you need to say, and no more. Sometimes it will be impossible to limit your email to just five sentences. Don’t worry if you need to include more information.
- In the body of your email, include all relevant information and anything you may require from your recipients.
- Include a call to action (optional). If you need your recipient to do something, don't just assume they will know what to do or when. Help them out by clearly outline what you need. Say something like:
- "Could you send me those files by Thursday?"
- "Could you write that up in the next two weeks?"
- "Please write to Thomas about this, and let me know when you've done so."
- Structuring your request as a question encourages a reply. You can say, "Let me know when you have done that."
- Tell the recipient how you expect them to follow up. Now that you’ve offered a call to action, give your reader a nudge in the right direction. A request to look over a financial report, for instance, might be accompanied by an entreaty like “let me know what you think of these numbers.” That way, the other party won’t be left wondering what to do with the information they’ve been given.[13]
- Offering a definite time frame in which you’d like to hear back (“it would be ideal if we could have these documents organized before the meeting on Thursday”) may ensure a swifter response.
- Try to reply to important emails within 24 hours.[14]
- Add your closing. To keep your emails professional, end your email with another thank you to your reader or a formal goodbye such as:
- "Thank you for your patience and cooperation”
- “Thank you for your consideration”
- “If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know”
- “I look forward to hearing from you”
- End your email with a proper closing before your name, like “Best regards” or “Sincerely”
- Avoid casual closings like “Cheers” unless you are good friends with the reader, as these types of closings are less professional.
- Sign your name. In a professional email, your signature should include the following:[15]
- Your name.
- Your job title.
- A link to your website.
- Links to social media accounts (optional).
- Necessary contact information.
- Sign off with a custom signature. The signature at the bottom of the email should offer the recipient all the information they need about who you are so that there’s no need to introduce yourself at length within the message. Be sure to include your full name, the name of your company, your title or position, your preferred email address and a phone number at which you can be reached directly.
- To save yourself some trouble, save your custom signature in whatever email platform you use so that it will be displayed automatically in future messages.[16]
- Providing links to your social media accounts will give unfamiliar contacts a more complete picture of you.[17]
- Don’t bog down your signature with unnecessary details, quotes or graphics.[18]
[Edit]Delivering Email Professionality
- Maintain a professional tone. When sending business emails, it's important to be especially mindful of the language you employ to avoid confusion or misinterpretation. In general, you shouldn't say anything in an email to your boss or coworkers that you wouldn't say to them in person. Your words should always be calm, polite and congenial, even in situations where you don't feel that way yourself.[19]
- Once you've written your email, read it back to yourself to determine whether you've captured the right tone.
- Though it should go without saying, refrain from using any type of slang or profanity.
- While humor is often a valuable quality in the workplace, work-related emails are usually not the right vehicle for it.[20]
- Present the most important information first. As previously mentioned, you should assume that your recipient has a lot on their plate and make an effort not to take up too much of their time. After thanking them for their attention, get straight to the point. Don’t mince words or feel the need to come up with an overly detailed introduction. Unlike more casual methods of correspondence, professional emails should be polite yet direct.[21]
- Try an introductory sentence like "I'm writing to inform you that your membership has expired and needs to be renewed in person before you can continue receiving member benefits." You can then follow up with whatever pertinent details the recipient needs in order to take action.
- Most people tend to scan emails rather than reading each and every word. The nearer your main objective is to the beginning, the more likely your recipient is to pick up on it.[22]
- Keep the rest of the message concise. There’s no sense in rambling aimlessly once you’ve stated your purpose. With the space you have remaining, provide any other details that you think are worth mentioning. Always use short, simple words and phrases to take as much of the work out of interpreting your meaning as possible.[23]
- Observe the “five sentence rule”—messages shorter than five sentences may come off as brisk or rude, whereas anything longer than five sentences puts you in danger of losing your reader’s attention.[24]
- If for some reason you have to include a large amount of information, do it as a separate attachment.
- Convey a clear idea or request. Once you’ve stated your reason for writing, articulate to your reader exactly how you’d like for them to respond. If there’s something they need to know, tell them; if there’s something they need to do, ask them. By the time they finish reading your message, your recipient should be ready to formulate a response.[25]
- Experienced communicators refer to this as a “call to action,” and it’s a good way to ensure that your dialogue maintains a distinct sense of purpose.[26]
- A call to action in a professional email might say something like “it’s important that you memorize the security clearance number provided with this email” or “please update your summer availability by the end of the month.”
- Limit your email to a single topic. Confronting your recipient with too much information at once can leave them feeling overwhelmed. It’s best to limit the scope of your email to one or two relevant subjects. Not only will this allow the reader to understand what’s going on much faster, it will also help you keep your message succinct.[27]
- Multiple topics or requests should be reserved for multiple emails.
[Edit]Sending the Email
- Proofread your email before sending it. Go back over your message thoroughly to make sure it’s free of any typos, misspellings or unclear sentences. Careless mistakes can reflect poorly on you and the company you represent.[28]
- Use your email platform’s spell-checker feature to avoid accidental oversights.
- You can also take this time to make any last minute changes to the formatting that you think may make your email easier to digest.[29]
- Simplify your email if possible. Remember, your recipients are busy and they want to get to the meat of the email quick.[30] Take a step back and evaluate your email. Here are some things to consider:
- Use short sentences, words, and paragraphs. This helps make the email quick and easy to read and understand.
- If it's possible to cut a word out, cut it out. Trim your sentences down to as short as possible.
- Give your email a thorough proofreading. Professional emails require careful proofreading. Read your email aloud to yourself. This can help you catch a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes. Ask yourself:
- Is my email clear?
- Could my email be misunderstood?
- How would it sound if I were the recipient?
- Keep it professional. You don't need to show your personality in your professional email. If you'd like, you can let it show subtly through your writing style, but stay away from emoticons, chat abbreviations (such as LOL), or colorful fonts and backgrounds.[31]
- The only time it is appropriate to use emoticons or chat abbreviations is when you're mirroring the email language of the person you're writing to.
- Write like you speak. This can help you keep your email short, friendly, and personable.
- Don't say anything in an email that you wouldn't say to your recipient in person.
- Send your email. Once you have proofread you email and have included all the necessary information and added each recipient to the appropriate field, click the send button.
[Edit]Video
[Edit]Tips
- Remember, people want to read emails quickly, so keep your sentences short and clear.
- If you can say something positive about your recipient or their work, do so. Your words won't be wasted.
- Set up a signature. It's a shorthand way of sharing information that you should include in every email. By putting this information in your signature, you keep the body of your emails short.
- If the recipient has helped you in any way, remember to thank them. You should do this even when it's their job to help you.
- Want to get better at writing emails? Try writing your message as if it will be forwarded to the CEO. This helps you keep your tone and language consistent and professional.
- Pay careful attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation so that you present a professional image of yourself and your company.
- Keep introductions brief by writing them as if you were speaking face-to-face.
- Take a moment to determine whether an email is even necessary before you set about writing one. In many cases, the same information can be relayed with a simple phone call or a short walk to another department.
- Don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you.” Manners go a long way in forging good professional relationships.
- Wait until after you’ve finished proofreading to put in the recipient’s address. This will prevent you from accidentally sending the email before it’s completed.
- Writing effective emails is like anything else. The more you practice, the better at it you’ll get.
[Edit]Warnings
- Be careful with the Cc field. If you are emailing tons of contacts who don't know each other but all need to know the information, make sure to use the Bcc field to protect their privacy.
- Use the Reply to All option sparingly. Only send your response to those who need to know.
- Avoid using informal text slang or abbreviations (“LOL,” “ICYMI,” “TTYL,” etc.). These can be confusing to readers to and have no place in a work-related email.
- Don’t type your message in all caps or lowercase letters.
[Edit]Related wikiHows
- Write Using Proper Business Style
- Sign a Letter
- Avoid Colloquial (Informal) Writing
- Use English Punctuation Correctly
- Write a Letter
- Write a Criticizing Letter
- Write a Resignation Letter
- Sign a Sympathy Card
- Write Letters to the Editor
- Make Letters of the English Alphabet
[Edit]References
[Edit]Quick Summary
- ↑ http://www.netmanners.com/303/to-or-cc/
- ↑ http://www.netmanners.com/303/to-or-cc/
- ↑ http://techterms.com/definition/bcc
- ↑ http://www.writebetteremails.com/to-cc.htm
- ↑ http://www.netmanners.com/303/to-or-cc/
- ↑ https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/234354/Writing-Professional-Emails.pdf
- ↑ http://www.englishtown.com/blog/write-perfect-professional-email-english-5-steps/
- ↑ https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/234354/Writing-Professional-Emails.pdf
- ↑ http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/email/#Identify
- ↑ https://business.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-write-clear-and-professional-emails--cms-20939
- ↑ https://englishlive.ef.com/blog/write-perfect-professional-email-english-5-steps/
- ↑ http://business.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-write-clear-and-professional-emails--cms-20939
- ↑ http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7909-professional-email-tips.html
- ↑ https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-write-a-professional-email-1690524
- ↑ http://www.netmanners.com/673/email-sign-off-considerations/
- ↑ https://business.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-write-clear-and-professional-emails--cms-20939
- ↑ http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7909-professional-email-tips.html
- ↑ https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-write-a-professional-email-1690524
- ↑ http://www.morebusiness.com/running_your_business/marketing/emailtone-mb.brc
- ↑ http://www.businessinsider.com/email-etiquette-rules-barbara-pachter-2013-10
- ↑ https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/234354/Writing-Professional-Emails.pdf
- ↑ https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-write-a-professional-email-1690524
- ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/636/01/
- ↑ https://business.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-write-clear-and-professional-emails--cms-20939
- ↑ https://englishlive.ef.com/blog/write-perfect-professional-email-english-5-steps/
- ↑ https://business.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-write-clear-and-professional-emails--cms-20939
- ↑ https://business.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-write-clear-and-professional-emails--cms-20939
- ↑ http://www.yesware.com/blog/how-to-write-a-professional-email/
- ↑ http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7909-professional-email-tips.html
- ↑ http://www.math.uh.edu/~tomforde/Email-Etiquette.html
- ↑ http://www.businessemailetiquette.com/do-you-use-emoticons/
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