Email is one of the most widely used forms of communication both in and out of the workplace and that’s because of its speed and efficiency. Research shows that the average person sends and receives 125 emails every day. So, you should also know to write a perfect email.
Since we heavily rely on emails, every email we receive and especially send should get attention and that depends on the way we compose an email. Otherwise, you might as well not be sending any emails at all. So, the best way to write a perfect email that others want to read is to put yourself in their shoes.
Every email you write has the same basic structure: Subject Line, Greeting, Email Body, and Closing. But to write a perfect email, you need to know 2 things;
- Common Mistakes To Avoid, and
- Next-Level Strategies & Standards To Follow
So, here’s how to write a perfect email yet maintaining the standard:
Informative Subject Line
The subject lines are like the header of an email that conveys the main point about what that email is about. So, it must be informative and related to the content of an email.
Nothing is worse than a carelessly written subject line that tells nothing about the content of the message and also the worst-case scenario when the reader deletes that email just because it looks like a spam or automated mass email. So, to avoid this worst-case scenario, you should remember to mention the action, the topic, or the deadline in your subject line.
For example:
“Response needed: Meeting Schedule for tomorrow by the EOD.”, this gives your reader the information that they need to prioritize my email.
As in all, the subject line of your email needs to entice people to open the email as well as set expectations about what’s enclosed.
Know Your Recipient / Your Audience
Before composing any email, knowing your recipient or audience is a good manner plus it will drastically increase the odds that your email is read. You can ask the following questions and answer in your head:
Q.1) Is this email important to the recipient?
Q.2) What kind of assumptions does your mail reader hold?
Q.3) What are your reader’s expectations from this email?
Now that you answer all the above questions in your head, write an email considering all those answers putting yourself in their shoes.
Openers
Openers are the greetings you give to your readers. You cannot just start your email without the openers. Some of the appropriate greetings are ‘Dear’, ‘Hi’, ‘Hello’. So, give some thought to whom you’re writing to and address it appropriately.
In some cases like:
When you don’t know the reader well, you can go for the traditional greeting using their last name like “Dear, Mr. Deuja” and also make sure to spell it correctly.
When you don’t know the reader at all, you can address the message to their position titles like “Dear, General Manager” or use something generic like “To whom it may concern”.
When addressing a group of people you don’t know well, go formal like “Dear Members Of Gentleman Planet”, and a casual greeting will work in case of close co-workers like “Hello Everyone”.
Body
The body of an email is the meat of your message, and it must be clear and concise. It’s good to write your emails starting with the punchline so that you get the most important part of your message out there first, as early as possible. This practically guarantees that your message gets across.
Also, research shows that shorter emails result in quicker response time, which yields higher productivity. So, use clear and concise language and remember to avoid inundating your reader with unnecessary data because they can always ask for details later. That way, your reader will be more inclined to read it rather than skimming it and risking missing critical information.
Usually, emails are now read exclusively on mobile devices so your message should fit in the first 2-3 lines of a mobile phone.
Now that you have a clear and concise message, you can personalize your email if you’re sending it to an individual like recounting details of a person’s life. Adding a personal touch to your email helps to grab your reader’s full focus on your message. But remember, do not muddle the content of your message. Always stick to the content and your message.
Proofread Your Email
Sending an email with wrong typos, misspelled words, incorrect grammar is highly unacceptable. For this, you can use the extension provided by Grammarly which is very user-friendly and helps you from looking bad.
Also, watch out for your tone. Just be careful not to craft your email with tone by watching the use of exclamation marks, using emojis, and inflammatory words that delivers bad expressions to your reader.
So, always take the extra minute to proofread your email before hitting the send button.
Closings
Just as you start your email with the greetings, you now need to part well. Closings generally are sign-offs that may be friendly or the genuine ones that tailor to the relationship between you and your mail reader ensuring an appropriate level of professionalism.
Somethings brief yet friendly is best closings like “Thank you”, “Best regards”. In case of very formal emails, you can use the closings like “Sincerely”, “Respectfully yours”.
After completion of writing an email, you remember to double-check these elements:
Your signature
Your signature does not have to be fancy. It should include your name, your position title (if any), and your address or contact information.
Attachments
Usually, attachments are avoided as readers may be wary to open them as they could contain viruses or they don’t have compatible programs installed to open up the document. But if you need to send an attachment, better you convert that your document to PDF format so that your reader can easily open the attachment on his or her phone without any compatible software.
Also a better idea, you can use online sharing programs like Google Drive or Dropbox which is also helpful with large documents.
Addressing Email
Just check the addressing email before hitting the send button. It may be useful when you deal with two persons with the same name so that you don’t send your email to the wrong person. In any case, it is a good habit to double-check your addressing email.
Use Prudence
When sending an email to more than one person, always remember to use prudence like:
- CC (Carbon Copy)
- BCC (Blind Carbon Copy)
