Emails, emails, emails! They’re never-ending. It seems just when you finally go through all of them, more appear. This blog post isn’t about how to get rid of emails, though the trashcan icon comes to mind; this post is about how to write a professional email.

Writing a professional email can help you get through your slushpile faster, decrease the back-and-forth of miscommunication and just make you feel a little more relaxed when you hit the “send” button.

Properly writing an email is good for any job, any profession and any person. We all end up staring at our inbox at some point, so here is how to write a professional email like a boss.

Subject Line

What is your message in regards to? Is it a client’s website? Is it some billing issue? A subject line is a condensation of the main theme of your email. If your email is about issues with your time traveling components because you got stuck in 1955, then your subject line would be: “Issues with Flux Capacitor.”

Example: <<Issues with Flux Capacitor>>

Begin with a Salutations

Begin your email with a greeting. If it’s a formal email, begin with the standard-postcard-style “Dear.” When addressing a sir, address them as “Mr.” When addressing a Ma’am, address them as “Ms,” unless you know they are married, then you can address whomever as “Mrs.” Speaking of whomever, if you don’t know to “whom” it is you are addressing “To whom it may concern” will suffice. However, doing some research to see exactly who it is you’re addressing it to is ideal.

When writing to a client, a simple polite “Hi,” followed by their name will serve its purpose.

Beginning your email properly will make you come off as polite and sincere.

For example, an email to your friend in regards to your recent time travel issues would begin as such:

Dear Dr. Emmett Brown,

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Thank the Recipient

Thanking the recipient is more like small talk. The simplest way to do this is to say, “I hope all has been well.” Then you can get into the crux of the conversation.

Example: I hope all has been well.

Easy enough, right?

The Message

You want to keep your email direct and to the point. The more concise you are, the harder it will be for the person on the other end (who you are sending the email to) to misunderstand what you are trying to say.

You want to state your purpose in as few as words as possible without being redundant. You want to state your purpose in as few as words as possible without being redundant.

Example: Due to issues with the DeLorean, I am currently stuck in the year 1955. I believe there may be issues with the Flux Capacitor. When you get the chance, please send help.

Say Your Partings

You can end your email with a simple, “Thanks,” or “Regards,” or “Thank you.” This is totally up to you.

Example: Regards,

Marty McFly

In all, your email should read:

Subject: <<Issues with Flux Capacitor>>

Dear Dr. Emmett Brown,

I hope that you’ve been doing well.

Due to issues with the DeLorean, I am currently stuck in the year 1955. I believe there may be issues with the Flux Capacitor. When you get the chance, please send help.

Thanks for your time.

Regards,

Marty McFly

In conclusion, the question “how to write a professional email,” like writing an email, does not have to have an overly complicated answer. Writing a concise, easy to read email will help you overall in whatever field you’re in, or scenario you get yourself into. Whether you’re writing a work-related email to a client or trying to sort out issues with your time machine, writing a good, snazzy email can be easy breezy… much easier than sorting out issues with your time machine, anyway.

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