How to Write Business Emails

Email overload! Many people in business get more emails than they can deal with. To make sure your business emails are well received you need to make them clear, concise and actionable. In addition, using the appropriate format and knowing what to include or exclude from a business email can help you and your company maintain a professional presence.

EditSteps

EditMaking a Clear, Concise and Actionable Message

1. Summarize the email in a 6-8 word subject. Your subject should be short and to-the-point and it should highlight the main message of the email.^[1] The ideal subject gives the reader all they need to know or informs them they need to make a decision. People who receive hundreds of emails a day may only open emails with particularly compelling subjects. Ideal subjects are 6-8 words so that the entire subject will appear on a mobile device as well as it does in full-sized computer email programs.^[2]
   • Good example email subject lines
     • Marketing meeting 6/7 at 3 PM. Can you attend?
     • The printer broke. Can I replace for $200?
     • Your PetsAlive shipment will arrive on 9/8
   • Bad example email subject lines
     • A meeting
     • A printer
     • On the way to you
2. Make it concise. People are busy, and they don’t want to spend much time reading work emails. Make your emails as short as they can be, while still providing all the details necessary.^[3] Your sentences should be short and to-the-point.^[4]
   • Before sending your email, read over it for any irrelevant information. If you have provided excess off-topic information, delete it.
   • Some people try to send all their emails in under 5 sentences. An exercise like this will force you to focus only on the details that matter^[5]
3. Write the email to be skimmed and acted on. Use formatting to help your reader get quickly to information they need. Bold the most important sentences in a long email.
4. Include URLs or attachments if that will help the reader get the email processed faster. Never force the reader to hunt around for a URL or attachment in another email.
   • Good example URL practice
     • "The agenda for the marketing meeting is in this Google doc URL. Google.com/sample"
   • Bad example URL practice
     • "The agenda for the marketing meeting is in a previous email I sent you."
5. Ask very clearly for the action you want the reader to take. Don't make the reader guess that you are asking for a decision, or advice, a referral, or a purchase. Ask for it!
   • Asking clearly is especially important if you are sending to multiple people, call out the name of the specific person you need to make the decision. For example: "Elizabeth - Would you prefer I go down path A or path B here?"
   • Alternatively if your email is only informing someone of something rather than asking for any action, clearly label the email as "FYI" in the subject or first sentence.

EditFormality and Professional Image

1. Use a formal tone. The tone of your email should remain professional and straightforward.^[6] Try to leave emotional or informal language out of the email entirely. Avoid contractions and abbreviations whenever possible, full-length phrases often seem more formal.
   • For example, the following email is too informal for business: Thanks for the snakes you sent. I’m sorry to say that two were dead. Send more soon, plz. Talk to ya later!
   • This is a more formal version of the previous email: Thank you for your shipment of 4 ball pythons to our store, Pets Alive! on March 2, 2015. Unfortunately, two of the four snakes appear to have been hurt during the delivery and were deceased when I opened the snake crate. I would like for you to send two replacement snakes as soon as possible. Please email me back or call the store with further questions or to make arrangements for a new shipment.
2. Proofread your email. Try to ensure that your email does not include grammar or spelling mistakes and uses standard punctuation (no all caps, for example).^[7] Many email programs include a spell check option; if your email has one, use it! Poor grammar can undermine the message that you are sending.
   • If you are sending an email to a large number of people or if the email is particularly important, you may want to have someone proofread it for you before you send it.

EditFormal Greeting and Closing Suggestions

1. Depending on your relationship to the recipient, you may want use formal openings and closings of the email. This level of formality is less common in intra-company communication or among peers. The following steps outline these techniques if you do need them.
2. Begin your email with a greeting. The greeting should be concise and formal.^{[8] [9]} You may or may not choose to address a person specifically by name, depending on the context of the message. A message to another business or to an unspecified person does not require a name.
   • Some examples of greetings are:
     • Good afternoon,
     • Greetings,
     • Dear Dr. Smith,
     • Mrs. Campbell,
3. End the email with a closing. An appropriate closing is polite and it signals that the email has come to an end.^[10] While the closing of an email may not always bear a more common letter closing such as “Best Wishes” or “Sincerely,” it is considerate to provide a closing to your email.^[11]
   • Some closings could be:
     • I look forward to your response,
     • I hope to hear from you soon,
     • Thank you for your time,
   • You may end your Pets Alive! email to the snake distributor by saying, “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
4. Sign your name. It is appropriate to write your name at the end of an email.^[12] Many email programs allow you to provide an automatic signature that can be customized to your liking. Be sure that the formality of your response corresponds to the details of the email. You may want to provide your full name and title in a work email to another business or to someone you have not met, while your first name alone may be appropriate in an email to a coworker you see every day.
   • Some signature options are:
     • Dr. Jane Smith (most formal)
     • Dr. Smith (slightly less formal)
     • Jane Smith (somewhat informal)
     • Jane (informal)
5. Consider providing contact information. Depending upon the details of the email, you may want to provide contact information such as your phone number, fax number, address, or website beneath your signature.^[13] If this is information that you wish to include in most or all of your emails, it can be built in to your customizable email signature.

EditTips

• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms unless you are certain the recipient will understand them and they don't compromise your professional image.

EditRelated wikiHows

• How to Develop Good Communication Skills
• How to Practice Nonviolent Communication
• How to Become Popular by Using Good Communication Skills
• How to Feel More Confident at Work

EditSources and Citations

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