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PracUp Team

With the rising digitization around us, business emails have become even more common for employees to stay updated. Learning tips for writing business emails will help you make an impact on your work ethic, especially how successfully you communicate.

Some emails are far too long, with paragraph after paragraph together, while others are far too blunt, while others are far too official, or far too informal, and still, others may even put the organization at legal risk.

There's a feeling of formality about emailing that you don't often get from other modes of communication. Now that is a task that can be pretty intimidating, especially when you are a non-native English speaker.  

Given our reliance on writing business emails, every email we send should be well written, fulfil the stated function of passing on information, and not be boring. Effective emails not only provide information in a clear and condensed manner, but they also save time and effort for both the reader and the recipient, which influences the bottom line in the long term.

Format of writing business Emails 

Writing a good email does not account just for the content, but for the tone of the email as well. Here are some basic pointers which account for a business email’s format: 

A Catchy Subject Line

The subject line should be brief and should cover the purpose of sending the Business emails. Also, it helps the receiver identify your email easily in the inbox. 

The greeting is made of two parts which include the salutation and the beginning statement.

The Starting Line

the situation with the suitable salutation is determined. Ideally, you must include the receiver’s name in the greeting line if you know them.

While writing professional emails for business - such as to a bank or government agency can use “Dear [X].” An email to a friend or co-worker in a casual setting, can start with “Hi [Name]” or “Hello [Name].” When you're sending an email to a group email and aren't sure who will receive it, there's also “To Whom It May Concern” or simply “Sir/Madam.” 

Most importantly, regardless of the gender of the receiver, include a semicolon at the end of the greetings line.

It is important to provide some background in the email’s opening line so that the reader understands what is going on. Begin with the "why" with a coworker. Nobody has the time (or patience) to try to figure out what an email relates to. The sooner you respond to the "why," the sooner you'll have their attention.

Core Body of Business Emails

Create a descriptive, yet concise message that communicates your goal. It is vital to consider how much time your reader will need to comprehend the meaning of the email.

You should make your email as easy to read and scan as possible. This will seem as follows:

  • Paragraphs should be kept brief.
  • Including bullet points.
  • Making use of images to divide up the text.

Add the details which cover just the main highlights from your Business emails. Is there a particular response you want from the receiver? If yes, then be sure to state that clearly. Draft your email on the same lines. Keep in mind that every line of the email should help you add value to the content; if it doesn’t, it is best to remove it. 

Closing Line

In most cases, the concluding line is where you can make a call to movement or notify the recipient of the following actions. Consider strategies to avoid pushing people to reply to you, and write in a manner that they are motivated to act. Some examples can be: If you can update me on this, it would be really helpful Please let me know if you would like to connect on a call and discuss it. 

End with a Signature

A closing line to has to be straightforward. You do not have to make it challenging or flamboyant; a brief, the proven line is a good choice for the end of your email. 

Some of them can be: 

  • Sincerely
  • Best
  • Warm regards
  • Thank you
  • Take care

After this, the ending should consist of a signature as the final element of your formal email. It provides a feeling of authority and competency. It often includes your current professional details, such as your name, job title, company name, phone number, and possibly another email address for you.

 

Writing Formal Business Emails

Think about your message before you write it. Don’t send the email in a hurry. Neither should you write and send it in a bad mood. 

Before starting to write, jot down the purpose and needs of your email. Now, think about who is going to read the mail, aka your audience, the receiver/s. Then, see what you may need for your content of the mail to create an impact on your receiver and whether will it motivate them to take any action in favour of what you want or not. 

To improve your message, you can note down pointers of what you want to add in the email, what information is to be conveyed, what questions are to be asked and what should be the result of the communication.

Consider the tone of your message. Gestures, voice phrases, or other indicators in an email. so, your words are not backed. This makes it easy for someone to misinterpret your tone. Furthermore, be aware of how you approach your reader.

In your writing, strive for clear and to-the-point communication. Miscommunication can occur when a message is vague, disorganised, or simply too long and complex for readers to understand.

To emphasise valuable information, such as deadlines, use boldface text or capital characters. However, avoid typing your entire message in the upper case or boldface—your recipient may interpret this as "shouting," which is very unpleasant or overwhelming.

Most importantly, especially while wanting to write a good email, proofread your content. We shall talk about this further ahead. 

 

Basic Etiquettes of Business Emails  

  • Keep a formal tone consistent throughout your email. An informal tone is alright, however, most business emails are better off with a formal tone. 
  • It's acceptable to address the receiver with their first name if you know them well enough. In the case of senior executives, managers, and other professionals you haven't met, using their last names is preferable.
  • Your email should be as organized as possible. Don't get too carried away with the information you wish to convey. Allow space between paragraphs and avoid writing paragraphs that are longer than two lines.
  • Even if you're preoccupied and can't immediately perform what's required of you, always answer on time. If you can't respond right away, at least offer them an approximation of when you'll be able to respond.

 

After Writing Business Emails

Once you are done writing your Business Emails, proofread. It is highly recommended because we don’t want our perfect email to be ignored because of grammatical errors. A message that is devoid of misspellings problems is easier for anyone else to read and understand, which increases your chances of receiving a response. You can copy-paste your draft into a Word Document and check grammar and spelling in the content.

Aside from grammatical accuracy, your Business Emails must have good readability, which means that the reader can understand what you are saying.

Check your professional Emails tone of voice again. Maintain a neutral tone that allows the reader to concentrate and craft the response you wish to receive. Also, read the message aloud to ensure that the phrases aren't overly long, clunky, or robotic. You want your message copy to sound like it came from a person.

All of these suggestions assist the reader in focusing on your message rather than the other parts of your email.

 

Tips for Writing Business Emails

  1. Do not forget subject lines; be sure to write a brief and meaningful subject when you start the email. 
  2. Bullet points assist the reader in identifying the key contents of the email. Highlighting the call to action if the recipient is anticipated after receiving the information.
  3. Keep it short, concise and to the point. There is no need to add meaningless details and bore the recipient. 
  4. Limit each email to one topic section. It is redundant to include something about a separate topic to a coworker in the same mail - it just adds to useless content and confusion. 
  5. Be courteous. Always open (and close) your professional email pleasantly. 
  6. Consider your tone - it is tough to determine, but the reader will often assign a tone, so be mindful not to construct the message with tone but mind the punctuation and vocabulary you use.
  7. Avoid quotes that could be offensive to someone (such as religious quotes) which may offend someone and their beliefs. 
  8. Always proofread your professional emails! 
  9. NEVER include anything in a message which might jeopardise your or the company's legal or professional standing. This includes hurtful remarks, harassment, accusing somebody of a crime or wrongdoing, making a trade, and proposing something that cannot be done.

 

When people have different expectations about the messages they transmit and receive, it is easy for miscommunication to arise. A professional email can be used for a variety of purposes, and the emails you send will vary in formality, intended recipient, and intended results. However, if you keep the tips above in mind, it is simple to take a step toward writing a good professional email. PracUp can help you develop great communication skills which will lead to writing well. Sign up for the demo session on PracUp and upskill yourself. 

 

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