TAILOR-MADE COURSE

HOW TO WRITE BUSINESS EMAILS

Email has become the main way that many business professionals communicate. Most of us send out more business
emails than any other form of business communication. Every day you have email going out to your boss, your clients,
your vendors, and your professional contacts.

A good email can lead to business success. While a bad email can harm a professional relationship, side-track your
project, or cause damage to your reputation. Despite its importance, email formatting is often ignored. Proper
formatting improves the chances that a recipient will read, respond, and react positively to your email.

Here are some tips on using the correct words and formatting your email properly:

1. Find Your Business Email Audience

Not all email audiences are the same. For that reason, not all business email should be formatted and written in the
same way. Some business email should be structured in a more formal style. But, if you're more familiar with your
recipient, it's okay to structure your email in a less formal style.

The email style you choose determines your email opening and closing. It can also determine the language you use
and the tone of the email.

Use a formal email style:

 if it is required in your organization

 if the recipients are not well known to you
 when sending an email to someone who is above you in authority such as your boss or a teacher

Use an informal email style:

 if it is encouraged in your organization (your boss and others use an informal style)
 for a business colleague who is well-known to you and/or on friendly terms
 for personal emails that may contain both business and non-business topics

2. Know the Structure of a Business Email

How you format your business email makes a difference. A good business email structure helps communicate your
message clearly. A badly formatted email can leave a poor impression.

All good business emails should have at least these parts:

 Subject Line. The subject line is the first part of the email your reader sees. It can determine whether your
reader opens the email. Most experts agree that subject lines should be short (six to ten words) and
specific.
 Salutation. The salutation is how you greet the reader. It's important that you understand whether you
are addressing a formal or informal audience.
 Body Text. The body text conveys the main message of the email. It should also include an introduction
and conclusion. It should be written in short paragraphs of one to two sentences. Where it will add clarity,
use bulleted or numbered lists.
 Signature. Your signature can be formal or informal, depending on your audience. A good email signature
template helps your reader find all the information about you that they need.
Salutation
The salutation of an email is who the email is addressed to. In more formal emails, it is often preceded by the word
“Dear.”

Some example openings of formal business emails include:

 Dear Sir
 Dear Madam
 Dear Mr. Brown
 Dear Ms. Lopez
 To Whom It May Concern
 Dear Dr. Smith

"Dear Sir" and "Dear Madam" used alone could be offensive if you do not know whether you are writing to a man or a
woman. Try “Dear Sir or Madam” if you want to use this greeting.

"Hello," while less formal, is also less likely to offend and is a good way to start an email when you do not know the
name of the recipient.

When writing to someone who is either in a position of authority or older than yourself start the email with "Dear Mr.
Jones," "Dear Ms. Lopez," or "Dear Dr. Smith." For example, "Dear Dr. Smith" would be a respectful way for a student
to start an email to a college professor. Avoid using “Miss” or “Mrs.” Since marital status is not usually relevant.

When using a person’s first or last name, always double-check the spelling of the name. A misspelled name leaves a
bad impression.

If the organization encourages less formal emails, it could be appropriate to start an email with a simple “Hi.” If you
know the person’s first name, include it. For example, “Hi John.”

Be careful, though. While informal greetings are perceived as being friendlier, you can be too casual. If you are
uncertain, it is better to be slightly too formal with your email salutation.

There is such a thing as being too informal with a business email. Most experts agree that text messaging
abbreviations are not ever a good way to start or end a business email. Here are some examples of text messaging
greetings you should not use in a professional business email:

 Hey
 Yo
 Sup or Whassup
 ? (Opening an email with a question mark)

First Sentence
The first sentence of an email determines whether the recipient will continue reading. A good first sentence is how
to start a professional email. Here are some examples of bad opening lines and how to fix them:

"You don’t know me, but..." Pointing out that I don’t know you is unnecessary. Get to the point instead. “I’m writing
to you today to invite you to the annual company meeting on July 5."

"My name is Lisa Lopez and I’m a…" Starting an email off this way makes the email about you. Try asking a question
of interest to the reader instead. “Did you know that 50% of all Americans don’t have any retirement savings?”
Introduce yourself after you’ve gotten the reader’s attention.
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When writing to someone you don’t know but have a connection with, refer to that connection. For example, you
could say “I enjoyed your presentation on usability at last month’s [organization name] meeting” or “I read your
recent article on [subject] in XYZ publication.”

Caution, don’t pretend there’s a connection when there isn’t. If you didn’t attend the recipient’s presentation or didn’t
read their article, it will be easy for them to discover. As a writer, I often get emails from people who claim to have
read my article, but further discussion with them makes it obvious that they only looked at the headline.

How to End an Email

Here are the elements of the right way to close an email:

Closing words. Your final words to your reader are important. If they are too familiar or informal, you may make the
reader uncomfortable. “Best” or “Best Wishes” is generally considered a safe closing statement for a business email.

Signature. Unless you are well known to the recipient, use your first and last name. If the recipient is well known and
the business email is an informal one, it is okay to use just your first name.

Title and company (if applicable). In a formal business email that you write on the company’s behalf include your title
and the name of the organization you work for.

Contact information. Include not only your email address but also other means of contacting you such as your social
media contact information or phone number. If this is a job inquiry, include your LinkedIn information.

Link to your business website (if applicable). If you have a business website, a link to it in your email signature could
be important.

Photo (optional). It’s acceptable to include a photo with your signature but never replace the text of your name with
an image. Some email systems won’t display images. In those email systems, if you don’t include text your recipient
won’t know who the email is from.

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HOMEWORK

BEC Vantage Writing Task - an email

Dear Mr Markham,

Late payment

I regret to say that we have not yet received payment for the goods that we delivered to you in march,
although the agreement was that you would pay in 30 days. This is causing us severe cashflow
problems, and unless you pay us immediately, we will have to stop supplying you with the goods you
require.
However, I would also like to warn you that if you do not pay promptly, we will be unable to offer you
our usual discounts in the future.
I look forward to receiving your payment shortly.

Yours sincerely,

Georgina Chandler
Accounts manager

BEC Vantage Writing Question

You received the above letter this morning.

Write an email to your assistant telling him to:
Investigate the cause of the problem
Pay the invoice
Apologize and explain to Ms Chandler

You should write about 40-50 words.

USEFUL SITES

https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/synonym

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pt/