Pro Tips for Perfect Business Emails in English

Learning how to write a formal business email in English is essential in the modern workplace. But writing such emails can be really intimidating as an English learner. As if it weren’t enough to worry about spelling and grammar mistakes, you also need to use the appropriate formal tone.

Although these concerns are valid, you don’t need to worry too much. Professional emails are all about structure, and if you have a clear idea in your mind on how to begin, get your point across and how to finish your email, you won’t have any problem at all. All you need is a professional email template that you will be able to replicate and modify over and over again.

This guide will give you plenty of email writing tips about how to start and end a professional email, how to communicate difficult or unpleasant concepts and how to make sure you have done what you need to before you hit that send button. Let’s start from the beginning.

How to open a professional email

A professional email should start even before you greet the email recipient. It’s always important to include a clear and concise subject line that explains to the reader what he or she will be dealing with. It’s important to avoid vague subject lines like ‘Quick question,’ ‘Information,’ and ‘Important.’

Subjects in all caps are considered rude (LIKE THIS ONE! PAY ATTENTION TO ME!) and it’s better also to avoid unprofessional or overly emotional subject lines like “Guess what?” or “Please don’t be upset.” Even important concepts like “This is urgent” and “You should really pay attention to this” can be communicated in a professional tone.

Let’s have a look at a few options for subject lines that you can use on a regular basis.

After your subject line is done, you want to start off on the right foot, and that means choosing a correct and appropriate professional greeting. The good thing is that, compared to many languages, a formal tone in English is still pretty informal. Common greetings for people are dear followed by either the name or the title and surname of the person. There are also a few options to choose from in case you don’t know who you are writing to, like when you apply for a job but don’t know the name of the person hiring.

It’s also normal not to jump right into things but to ease into the conversation with expressions like “I hope this email finds you well,” “I hope everything is good,” or “I hope you had a great weekend” (if you’re writing on Monday).

Getting your point across

Starting off on the right foot is great, but of course it’s not everything. To really get your point across you need to give your text a solid structure. Ideally, your work emails should be short and to the point. However, sometimes you need to communicate more than one idea and write a more complex email.

In that case, organize the body of the email by following these business email tips:

• Keep your paragraphs short.
• Use bullet points if you need to highlight steps to be taken.
• Use expressions that signal transitions, like ‘moreover,’ ‘additionally,’ and ‘in regards to.’

When it comes to the purpose of your email, it’s better to state clearly what you want with expressions like ‘I’m writing because,’ ‘I would like to request,’ or, if you’re following up a previous email, ‘Following up on our previous conversation…’

Also, you should highlight requests with expressions like ‘if possible,’ ‘could you,’ or ‘Do you think you could…’

To signal that you are willing to help, you can use expressions such as “I would be happy to,” and “Let me know if I can be of assistance.” Remember the saying – if you don’t offer a solution, you’re part of the problem. It’s always better to be proactive and signal your willingness to go above and beyond with helpful solutions.

Remember also that a well-formatted text is easier to read. Insert proper line breaks between paragraphs to improve readability, choose a size-appropriate and reader-friendly font and remember to proofread everything before you hit send.

How to close

Before you continue with your day, good manners require that you say goodbye to your reader in a polite way. Just as you wouldn’t walk off in the middle of a conversation when talking to a friend, you shouldn’t abruptly end a professional email.

Closing forms are common to thank the reader for their time and to invite further contact. Closing phrases like “Thank you for your time” or “I appreciate your attention” are especially appropriate when you are applying for a job or making a request.

Remember also the ‘be part of the solution’ concept that we discussed earlier. Remind the reader of your willingness to cooperate and have further contact with sentences like, “Please feel free to contact me” or “Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

Expressions like “Waiting for your reply” can seem a little passive-aggressive, so if you want to signal that you need a reply you can use expressions like “In order to meet the deadline I would appreciate feedback on this” or “Could you please let me know your thoughts by [date]?”

Right before your signature you can also include a common formal closure like ‘Kind regards’ or ‘Sincerely,’ or you might use a more informal one like ‘Best’ or ‘Thanks'.

Remember – sending an anonymous letter is only for criminal activities. In a professional setting you should always state who you are and where you’re from. Most companies have a company signature for all employees, but even if you are a freelancer, you should at least state your full name in every professional first contact email. Further contact can become more informal – you could sign off by just writing your first name. To end this section, let’s have a look at how a professional signature should look.

Diplomacy is always best

We’ve finished discussing the structure of an effective business email, but we still need to talk about the most important of our email writing tips. To get the job done, sometimes you need to express disagreement or unpleasant information. This is really hard to do while keeping a professional tone, but nonetheless, the job needs to be done. It’s always best to try to translate every thought in that calm, effective and neutral tone you have seen in this article.

Below is a list of translations for some bold and direct statements you might need to express in a business email. The result can sometimes be hilarious, but who said that business English couldn’t be funny?

Don’t press send just yet

One last very important thing, before you hit that send button, is to check that you have all your ducks in a row. (‘Have all your ducks in a row’ means ‘make sure everything is okay.’) It is very important to re-read everything you have written and make sure that there are no grammar or tone mistakes.

To make sure that you’re good to go, you can refer to this helpful checklist:

Business email checklist

• Make sure that you include a clear and concise subject line.
• Address your recipient with the proper greeting.
• Start the body of the email with a polite opening sentence.
• Get to the point with a clear request.
• Highlight that you are willing to participate in finding a solution.
• Always keep a professional tone, even if the topic is unpleasant.
• Use the proper closure.
• Invite further contact.
• Include your signature.
• Check your spelling and the text formatting.

Follow these easy steps and you’ll be good to go!

Wrapping up

You can successfully write clear and effective business emails by following the professional email tips we’ve covered in this article. By focusing on clear structure, carefully selecting the words you use, and using a professional tone, you can communicate effectively and confidently. Remember, professional emails don’t require perfection, just clarity, courtesy and attention to detail. In this guide we’ve outlined key steps, from creating an informative subject line to crafting a polite closing, that you can rely on as a template. Keep these in mind and you’ll be able to approach any professional email with ease and leave a positive impression with each message you send.