When you send an email, you have a responsibility to write it in a way that leaves a good impression. Email is a personal as well as a professional way to communicate and you need to make it seem like you are being authentic and making an effort to connect with the reader.
Professional email etiquette is something that can make a big difference in how you’re perceived. A professional email is one that follows the email etiquette standards of the target audience. A determined subject, salutation, and opening sentence are most important to ensure your email attracts the recipient’s attention.
Without any further delay, let’s get started with the structure of email that can capture recipients and convert your email like you intended to!
Common Ways to Start an Email with Salutation
Below are a few of the popular ways to start an email with a greeting!
- Hi (Name),
- Hello (Name),
- Dear (Name),
- Greetings, or Hello there, (used when you don’t know the recipient’s name or you are sending an email to a company address like ‘admin@company.com’)
- Hello Everyone, (for multiple recipients)
Adding commas in required places is important and can help readers understand your email better. The first opening line of the email body should hint toward the purpose of your email. This helps readers make the decision to either further read your email or not. Here are some common examples that can capture first impressions from the recipient whether it’s a manager, client, or job recruiter.
How to Start an Email in a Professional Way?
For a Manager
A manager or head of the department probably gets tons of emails every day. It’s very important to be precise with how you start your email. Include only important information, a summarized subject, and a brief idea of the email. For example –
Hi Tom,
The meeting with you was very helpful. Thank you for taking your time off to be a part of it.
I wanted to…
Dear Sir,
Hope you are having a great day.
I wanted to…
For a Client
Looking to close a deal with a client? Be careful with how you write your words with absolutely no errors. Don’t look desperate otherwise, you will concern the client. Come up with a purposeful and interesting subject line, and include any required documents with the email. If it’s a sales email, try getting their attention with price and profit figures. Here are a few examples of how to start an email for a client:
Hi Tom,
Hope we are serving you well so far. In case of any query, you can always reach out to me.
Also, I wanted to ask…
Hi Tom,
Hope you are doing well.
This email is regarding…
For a Job Recruiter
If you are sending an email to a job recruiter, it’s concerned with your future. Getting a good first impression is very important in this regard. How you write your email determines your authenticity, capability, and how actively you take things. First thing, you need to make sure your email is grammatically correct. Recruiters get tons of emails every day so keep your email precise and up to the point that interests the recipients.
Here are a few examples of how you can start an email for a job recruiter:
Hi Tom,
I came across your job post regarding the (position)
I am a…
Hi Tom,
I Read about your recruitment for (Position)
I have X years of experience in…
Things to Avoid While Starting an Email
Above we mentioned what to include while starting a professional email. Below we explain the things to avoid while writing an email:
- Hi (Misspelled name), [A misspelled name gives a very bad impression and the recipient might actually get angry over it.]
- Hi (Nickname), [Nickname is acceptable if you know the recipient in person or if you have exchanged emails before. But if you don’t have a good relationship, avoid using nicknames.]
- Hey (Name)! [Avoid adding exclamation marks in the greeting. A comma (,) is a more professional way to greet.
- To whom it may concern/ Dear Sir or Madam, [Try using the recipients’ exact name. Use this sentence if there is no email name available or if you are sending an email to the company address.]
