How To Write A Professional Email
Email is the main form of communication for businesses today. According to Radicati statistics the average number of emails sent/received per day is now a whopping 125. With such a huge influx of mail, how can you be sure that yours has been paid attention to? Keeping it clear and concise will help avoid any confusion or offence. Here are some top tips for writing a professional email that you should learn:
- Keep it Short and Sweet. Be careful not to ramble on for paragraphs and paragraphs. This is a sure way to lose the reader’s attention and for your point to be lost within the ramblings. Ask yourself before you start writing the message what it is exactly that you want to get across. Even quickly jotting down a few bullet points will help to keep you on track.
- Don’t Try to Show Off Your Range of Vocabulary. Keeping sentences, paragraphs and even words short is a must. A clear, to the point, simply worded email will be easy to understand and will get your point across. Your reader will have more respect for you if you can convey your message concisely, rather than taking a superior tone and using big words.
- Be Personable. An email isn’t a formal letter...it’s ok to come across friendly and a human being. This being said, it is still a professional context and so text talk is most definitely not appropriate here. Emoticons and abbreviations are best saved for Whatsapp or Facebook status updates.
- Don’t Talk About Yourself Too Much. If introductions are necessary then keep it to a minimum. A sentence or two is enough. Even if you already know the person it is good to just give them a quick reminder of who you are and what your connection to them is. E.g “It was really good to talk to you at the convention the other day.”
- Manners Are Important! Just like in real life. Don’t be abrupt, sharp, or rude with people. “Please” and “thank you” really do go a long way. Of course it is necessary to get to the point but don’t forget a pleasantry or compliment. It will make the reader a lot more willing to comply with you.
- Be Clear About What You Want. Be careful not to get too caught up in all the pleasantries. Make sure that the reader isn’t left guessing what to do next. Spell it out to them in a polite way: “Could you check this over for me?” That way you are giving them a call to action, instead of an order or demand.
- Include a Signature. A signature rounds off an email in a professional way and ensures they will remember you. Make sure to include your name, job title, and a link to your website/social media.
- Proofread! A crucial step that many forget. Writing in a hurry can leave you with spelling and grammatical errors that you didn’t see before. A quick read over will ensure that you don’t have mistakes and give you the chance to see if you really were clear and to the point. Try eAngel...a quick and fuss free way to get someone else to check your emails for you!
Have a look at our next article about common grammar mistakes.