Emails form a crucial part of any given point in our professional career. In 2020 alone, 300.4 billion emails were sent and received a day.
The way you write an email reflects on your professionalism and most importantly, ensures everything is documented.
I personally love emails. Email writing is not everybody’s cup of tea, which is why it is an art. Based on personal experiences I share a few “tricks of the trade”.
Champions are brilliant at the basics - John Wooden, American basketball coach and player. With this thought in mind, let us start with the basic tips to draft a professional email.
Subject is the first thing that will attract your reader’s attention. Here are a few dos and don'ts.
While highlighting what the email is about to ensure high open rate, your subject should also be:
Short
Contain important keywords
Brief and specific
Have the purpose eg: MOM/Invoice/Proposal
Contain words like regarding, company name
For eg:
Regarding contract ending + way forward
MOM : XYZ<>Your company name
ABC: Design changes
Interview schedule
Feedback on session conducted
[internal][external] [urgent] [imp] tags
This sets the tone of your email. Do not be over-friendly.
We generally go by first names only
Avoid using “Dear” in professional emails
Use “Sir” only if the person is really senior in regards to experience and age
Format
For eg:
Hi John,
Hey Peter,
Hello Emma,
Hi Swami Sir,
Hi Dan & team,
Hubspot Drag and Drop Email Editor - Email Marketing Tool
They basically lay the foundation. Consider them the biscuit base to your email cake.
These are email starters
Keep these focussed on the day, time, special events
Avoid emoticons and being over-friendly
For eg:
Hope you had a great start to the week (Mondays or Tuesdays)
Happy Friday!
Hope you are well/doing great
Happy holidays!
Trust you are well and safe [Covid times]
Thank you for your time [MOM emails]
Pleasure to e-meet you [if you are introduced/looped in an email]
This is the soul of your email. It is the reason why you are writing the email.
Introduce yourself if it’s the first interaction
State your reason for writing as clearly and concisely as possible.
Give reference/context if required.
Start with acknowledging their thoughts
Put the information in a sensible order. Use paragraphs/bullet points
For eg:
This is Nilesh from
This is in reference to…
Based on our discussion [if it’s a response email]
Thank you for pointing out your concerns.
PFB my responses inline [for a query resolution]
This defines the action that needs to be taken and is the most important aspect of an email, especially if you want your reader to know what has to be done next.
Keep a clear CTA
Be clear about what response you expect from the recipient
For eg:
Let me know a convenient day and time to discuss this
Do let me know your thoughts on this
Please share your approval on
This seals the email. At this point the recipient should be aware of why the email was written and what is expected of him/her.
Always end on a positive note
Have a common signature format across the organisation
Signature should have relevant links, contact information
For eg:
Hope you understand my perspective
Regards
Best
Thank you
Thanks & Regards
Cheers [only if we are celebrating something in the email]
Name the attachments appropriately
Avoid unnecessary attachments
If you are using links in the email, rename the links to relevant names.
Avoid heavy attachments. Larger organisations have attachment size limitations
Have quick response to emails
Read your email before sending
Add “+” if you are adding someone in the loop/ “-” if you are removing someone
Use standard font size and style. Arial, Calibre, Times New Roman or go with default gmail fonts and styles
“Reply all” only if required.
Do not use capital letters
Avoid abbreviations and emoticons
Avoid long complex sentences
As many as 376.4 billion emails are expected to be sent and received by 2025. This statistics only shows that email etiquettes are an important aspect of your business. People are always running short of time. To hold their attention and let them know what you want them to know in the shortest time possible, you must learn the tricks.
Need assistance on how to create a marketing strategy or roadmap for your business? Talk to us today.
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