Email.
Most of us use this quick and convenient form of digital communication. When it comes to personal emails, you can say and do virtually anything.
But what about business emails?
You might be drawing a blank in this instance.
But fear not, even the most professional of people have trouble drafting business emails.
We can show you how to write a business email which looks and sounds professional.
How To Write A Business Email - 5 Best Business Email Writing Tips
When learning how to write a business email, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Read on for our 5 Best Business Email Writing Tips:
1. Choose a professional greeting for the start and end of your business email.
You wouldn't start a regular conversation without saying 'hello' or 'goodbye'; likewise, the same applies with writing a business email.
Depending on your personality, there are several suitable greetings for starting and ending a business email such as:
Start: Dear [add name], Greetings, Good day, Good afternoon, Good evening etc.
End: Sincerely, Kind regards, Best wishes, Yours truly (if you're feeling really fancy) etc.
Mind you, it isn't wrong to greet someone with 'hi' or 'hello' in a business email either. It just depends on the specific context and the relationship between you and the receiver of your business email. Use your discretion wherever possible.
2. Put a 'Subject' at the top of your business email.
Starting your business email with a clear and formal subject lets the receiver know exactly what you want to communicate to them and how they might assist you.
Here are some bad and good examples of email subjects:
Bad email subject example: "Fires and stuff"
Good email subject example: "Query About Fire Safety SOPs"
Now that you've put in a subject and greeted the receiver, it's time to start composing the content of your business email.
3. Don't beat around the bush with the content of your business email.
Everyone's time (including yours) is precious. So, first think of what you want to say before drafting a business email and then get to your point as quickly as possible.
Below are some examples of bad email content and good business email content.
Bad business email content example:
I was taking a walk through the warehouse during my lunch break and saw that the fire extinguishers haven't been refilled in a while. I thought that was really weird. Did you know about this? Don't you think it's weird too? It's really bad not to refill fire extinguishers. What are you going to do about this? What should I write in my SOPs report - any ideas???
Good business email content example:
We are assisting with creating new SOPs on fire safety in the workplace.
During our analysis of your company protocols, we noticed that the CO2 fire extinguishers in your warehouse are nearly 5 years old and need to be refilled soon.
Can you please tell us what your company's specific policy is on refilling fire extinguishers so we can create accurate SOPs? Not doing it often enough could lead to a fire and we are ultimately concerned about the safety of your warehouse staff.
Notice the difference?
The bad content example wasn't carefully thought out beforehand and rambles on a lot before getting to the subject of the business email (e.g. finding out what to do about the fire extinguishers).
Like the good content example, it's important to be clear throughout and stay on point with your objectives (e.g. alerting someone to the fire extinguisher situation in the warehouse and figuring out the best solutions).
4. Watch your tone when writing a business email.
Think of the message you're trying to send and then consider how you want to express it. There's nothing worse than coming off as too casual or too aggressive in a business email.
Here are some examples of choosing the wrong tone in business emails:
Too casual in a business email:
What up bro?
U gt ystrdays report on dem fire extinguishers? Snd it now now pls.
l8r.
Too aggressive in a business email:
Where is that report I asked you for yesterday about the warehouse fire extinguishers?
I've asked you for it 3 TIMES!
SEE ME IN MY OFFICE NOW!!!
As a bonus, avoid using CAPTIALISATION in your business emails. Whatever the reason, it often comes off as being too informal for written communications and could easily send the wrong message to a client or business associate.
Try not to use emojis either. While they give emails an air of fun (who doesn't love that poop emoji?), they're not appropriate when addressing serious professional issues in a business email.
5. Choose a unique signature for your business emails.
It's important to be professional at all times, but we're all individuals with unique personalities. So, why not showcase that with a creative signature at the bottom of your business emails?
When choosing a signature for your business emails, here are a few things to consider:
Choose an appropriate size and font - make sure it's legible.
Use an appropriate colour - try to avoid neon colours because they're hard to read against certain backgrounds and might not look professional in some contexts.
Find a picture of yourself or your company's logo and banner.
Include important information about your work role or company to (e.g. phone number, email address, business address, social media links etc.)
Here's an example of how to structure a unique business email signature:
EpicEdit
When you put these five tips together, this is what a professional business email should look like:
From: The EpicEdit Team <epicedit@outlook.com>
To: safetymanagement@goldfield.com
Subject: Query About Goldfield's Warehouse Fire Safety SOPs
Dear John,
We hope you are well.
We are currently assisting your Safety Management Department with updating Goldfield's SOPs on warehouse fire safety.
During our analysis of your company protocols, we noticed that the CO2 fire extinguishers in your warehouse are nearly 5 years old and need to be refilled soon.
Can you please tell us what Goldfield's specific policy is on refilling fire extinguishers so we can correctly update the fire safety SOPs in this regard? Not doing it often enough or not having the proper protocols in place could lead to a fire and we are ultimately concerned about the safety of your warehouse staff.
We would greatly appreciate your assistance with our inquiries. Thank you in advance, have a great day.
Kind regards,
The EpicEdit Team.
EpicEdit
And, presto - you have a business email that communicates something clearly and professionally. And with any luck, the email recipient will respond just as professionally too!
Conclusion
Congratulations! Now you know how to write a business email that not only looks professional but sounds professional too!
It's time to get typing and show everyone your business email savvy!
Final Thoughts
What did you think of our How To Write A Business Email (5 Top Tips) article? Are there any other tips on how to write a business email that you know of to help other business professionals like yourself?
Feel free to leave your feedback and insights in the comments below. Chat with us at EpicEdit via email or WhatsApp (+27 62 572 5954) if you want to know what we do or learn how to craft an EPIC business email or two. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook also for more business email insights!
We'd love to hear from you, and we'd love to help.
Have yourself an EPIC business email edit!
**This blog entry was first posted on 10 March 2022**
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