Published: 2021-10-04
Views: 267
Author: Riley White
Published in: Email Marketing

Email is among the most popular forms of communication both inside and outside of the workplace. In today’s business world, it is very common to use emails as a means of communication, regardless of your role or industry, due to their speed and efficiency.

There are many reasons why professional emails are written. For instance, you may want to summarize an important meeting, exchange information, as well as pass an important update to others.

A well-written email conveys to the recipient a message that is friendly, clear, concise, and actionable. Although, when you start writing emails, you might make some mistakes. But, down the road, you need to get enough practice in order to write an email that meets all of these requirements.

Check out the following guidelines and tips for writing effective, professional emails:

Recognize your goal, hold your audience in mind, keep it brief, spellcheck your email, use proper etiquette, and keep in mind to follow up.

They are quick and easy to use, and they allow you to interact with businesses both within and outside of the country.

5 Easy Steps for Writing Professional Emails

In case you don’t know the steps you need to take to write a professional email, then follow these five steps to create a professional message:

#1. Identify your goal

To get started, you need to find out what you want the person who is going to receive the email to do after reading it. After you have known the reason for the email, you should then make sure that everything in the email content supports that the purpose of writing the email.

For instance, You may want the person receiving your email to review a document you have attached, then need to ensure that you tell them why you need them to review it, as well as the kind of feedback you're looking for, and when you need the tasks done.

#2. Consider your audience

Another point you need to look at is the tone of your email. This is very important because different individuals respond to the way the email’s tone is been written.

So, as an example, if you happen to be emailing a business person, especially the one you've never met, then you are expected to keep the email professional and free of any jokes or informalities.

But, if you're sending the email to a coworker with whom you have a good working relationship, then, you might take a less formal tone and be freer with your expression.

#3. Keep it concise

Short and concise are the watchwords here. Time is very short for so many business people, you need to ensure that what you are going to send does not consume much of their time.

So, make sure you avoid addressing too many topics in one email, because it can possibly make your message too long, difficult to read, as well as difficult to act on.

Again, to make your email short and simple, you can remove any information that is not important to the topic you are addressing when editing your email.

#4. Proofread your email

When you write an email that is free from errors illustrates the attention to detail and competence. You must make sure you take a moment before sending an email to recheck it for spelling, grammar, and syntax errors.

In case you are adding an attachment you mentioned in your message, make sure the attachment is also error-free. On the other hand, if it is an important email to key stakeholders, you should have your direct supervisor or a trusted colleague review it before sending it.

5. Use proper etiquette

If you really want to sound friendly and polite, then you need to include a courteous greeting and closing. Also, remember to be mindful of the receiver and their time.

#6. Remember to follow up

This last point is mostly overlooked, even though it is an important point to take note of when sending an email to others. This is because a lot of people receive multiple emails per day, they may miss or overlook to respond to your message.

When you have sent an email and the recipient has not responded within two working days, you can consider sending a friendly follow-up email.

The Format of a Formal Email in English

#1. Introduction

The introduction of your email depends on the type of relationship you have with the person who is going to read the mail. The most important point is to note that all emails should start with a greeting.

Some of the ways to start include:

Mr./Mrs./Ms then add their surname, e.g. Mr. Black)

In case you don’t know the receivers name, then you can use

Dear Sir/Madam or “To whom it may concern".

#2. Body of the text

The body of an email does not demand standard formula. It mainly contains the information that you want to pass to the receiver, hence it is determined by you.

But, it is best to write an initial draft and then go over it and make any necessary changes.

#3. Conclusion

The ending of your email should be short. Here are some ways to close your email:

1. Best wishes.
2. Sincerely.
3. Yours faithfully.
4. Regards.

But note that if you started the email with ‘Dear Sir/Madam' because you don't know the recipient's name.