How to Start an Email Professionally

An effective email has numerous elements that need to be perfect if you want to get the message across. The intention and interpretation of the email should be similar otherwise it can create confusion and chaos and you don’t want that especially when it is a professional email.

While writing a professional email, you need to make sure you are being careful with the words you choose, the greetings, the ending and especially the beginning of the email. It’s hard but not impossible to perfect them. You just need a little help here and there and you can perfectly know how to start an email professionally.

And that’s what this blog is about. To help you with the little things about an email like how to start an email, the closing, the right words, and everything else.

Without further ado, let’s first start with the structure of an email that can create an impact on the recipient.

Five common ways of starting an email with greetings:

• Hi (Name),
• Dear (Name),
• Greetings, or Hi there, (To be used when you don’t know the name of the recipient or when you are emailing to company email addresses like ‘[email protected]’)
• Hello (Name), [The less formal than a ‘dear’ and more formal than a ‘hi’]
• Hello Everyone, (When there are multiple recipients)

Make sure you are adding commas at the appropriate places as it can make or break the first impression of your company/brand.

You can add an opening line to the start of your email body by hinting to a common, relatable fact or point towards the purpose of your email or just share warm feelings to have a perfect start for it.

We have covered some examples and templates later in the blog for your reference.

4 email greeting lines to avoid under any circumstances

• Hi (Misspelled name), [there is nothing worse than the misspelled name in an email. There is no escaping from this.]
• Hi (Nickname), [This can work if you have exchanged emails before and have a good relationship but if you are contacting your recipient for the first time, then you are off to a bad start if you add their nickname.]
• Hey (Name)! [Adding an exclamation mark in the greeting is just wrong. Your recipient will be thinking ‘What is this guy so excited about?’]
• To whom it may concern/ Dear Sir or Madam, [This just shows that you didn’t think it was worth your time to look up the name of the recipient.]

Best examples/templates on how to start an email

1. With Managers/Leaders

Template 1.

Dear Sir,

Hope you are having a great day.

This email is about…

Template 2.

Hey Mark,

The meeting with you went really well. Thanks for being a part of it.

I wanted to…

Template 3.

Hey Sir,

I read your blog on (subject). Thanks for sharing it. I loved it.

I also wanted to let you know…

Communication is the key when you are working in a team but the bets are high when you have to send a summarized MoM, an outline of the project, or the project brief to your team keeping your boss in the CC.

Let’s see how to start an email to a boss to make a killing impression:

• Your boss probably gets hundreds of emails on a daily basis. So, make sure you are emailing them the most important information only.
• Add a summarized subject line to give them a brief idea about the contents of the email.
• Keep your email body to the point and don’t mention the obvious things.

2. With Clients

Template 1.

Hey Mark,

Hope we are serving you well.

This email is regarding…

Template 2.

Hey Candice, 

Hope you are liking our services so far. In case of any doubt or query, you can always reach out to me. 

Also, I wanted to tell you…

If you are writing a business email to your client that means you are trying to close a deal with them and get their business which makes these emails expensive and there is no room for error.

So, here are some of the best tips we have come across on how to start an email with the clients:
Come up with an interesting subject line. And if possible, personalize it.
Send in the material like a portfolio, PPT, Rate card, etc. This will give your potential client an idea that you want to make the best of their time.

If you are selling in the email , then don’t sell the product. Sell a solution. Tell them a success story about how some Y-company hired you and their profit margins increased by X%.

All these pointers will make your email a must read and will definitely help you close more deals.

And if you are in the sales department, always looking for some good sales email templates, then we have a curated a list of 10+ sales email templates that will definitely add to your sales number.

3. With Recruiter

Template 1.

Hey Ross, 

I read your LinkedIn post regarding the (position). 

I am a…

Template 2.

Hey Mike,

Hope you are having a great recruitment season going on.

I have an experience of…

Sending an email to the recruiter does not have any high bets like an email to a boss or client does. But this email can contribute to your future.

It again is the first impression that you create in front of the company that you might be working in the near future. So, you want it to be of a proactive and smart individual.

Let’s see how to start an email to a recruiter:

• Make sure the grammar and spelling are accurate in your email. Be it a fresher or an experienced. Your email should be grammatically proper and all the spellings should be perfect. Be clear about the action you want the recruiter to take. Is it to have a look at your resume? Schedule an interview? A phone call? Be clear about the end goal and write your email around it.
• Again, be very straightforward while writing an email. Recruiters also get hundreds of emails in a day. You don’t want them to look for the purpose of your email.

Best practices to follow while writing a formal email

1. Start with a proper greeting:

Starting an email in a proper way is nothing less than an art.

Always address the reader with a ‘Hey’ or ‘Hello.’ If you have a proper professional relationship with the recipient, then you can never go wrong with ‘Hello Mr. Grey’ or ‘Hello Mrs. Grey.’ Make sure that the first letter of the name is always in caps. If you have a more casual professional relationship, then go ahead and use their first name while addressing them.

2. Add a Thank You line

This line is optional and mostly depends on the situation. If you are contacting your prospect/customer for the first time, then there is no need to add such a line. But if your prospect has contacted you with an inquiry, then this line is crucial. After the greeting, add ‘Thank you for contacting XYZ company.’ Again this line will be modified according to the situation.

3. The Purpose

This part of the professional email is the most important part. The body of the email contains the message you are trying to send across. Be clear and concise with the message. Don’t beat around the bush because that would make your message blurry among so many words and won’t highlight your intent.

Follow the ‘KISS (keep it short and simple)’ method for an impactful professional email.

4. The Closing

The closing section can be divided into two parts: closing remarks and closing. The closing remarks should be something like: ‘Thank you for your time’ or ‘Thank you for your cooperation and time.’ Again this should be according to the email you just wrote and the situation.

The last part should contain a proper closing with your signature (name) and the designation. It could be anything from ‘Regards’ to ‘Cheers.’ Whatever fits in with the tone of your email.

This should be the structure of your professional email and missing out on any part of can cost you the time, efforts and a possible prospect for your business.

Now that we are done with the structure of the email, let’s go in the specifics and bifurcate the ‘how to start an email’ further into three categories according to the role of the recipient.

Read more : 55 Cold Email Templates To Generate Responses in 2023

Conclusion:

Emails are a part of our day-to-day life. Be it personal or professional life. The emails get a lot of work done. Mastering the art of emailing is not that hard.
You just need to pay attention to the small details and shoot the email. Who knows? You might land a big client, fancy job, or get a promotion. Just because your email was perfectly crafted.

The potential of a properly written is endless.

That being said, once you start an email professionally, you’ll also have to end it professionally.

Don’t worry, we got that covered for you at — how to end an email professionally.

So, go ahead and use the tips mentioned above and write that amazing email.