Whether you’re sending a one-time email or you need to start an email thread for frequent communication, choosing how to start an email can be daunting. The greeting and the opening lines set the tone for the entire message, so the way you begin your email makes all the difference on how it is received and responded to.
There are a few key strategies that can help you craft an attention-grabbing greeting or opening that will encourage the recipient to read on and respond to your message. In this article, we’ll explore the kinds of greetings and openings you might include in your email, based on the tone, recipient, and purpose of the message.
Email Greetings vs. Email Openings
In an email, the greeting and opening are two different parts of the message, but they are closely related. Before writing your email, it’s important to understand the difference between the two, as they are both considered to be the “start of the email.”
- Email greetings: The initial line or phrase used to address the recipient of the email. They typically include the recipient’s name or title.
- Email openings: The first sentences or first paragraph of the email, written after the greeting. The opening is where the sender introduces themselves or explains the purpose of the email.
While the greeting and opening are distinct parts of the email, they work together to create a cohesive and effective message. The greeting sets the tone and establishes the relationship between the sender and recipient, while the opening provides the context and purpose for the message. Together, they form the foundation of a successful email communication.
What to Consider Before Starting Your Email
When choosing how to start an email, the best approach is to think about what you want to achieve with it. Do you want to be professional? Concise? Persuasive? Regardless of your aim, you need to consider the following before picking the right approach:
Tone
Email tone refers to the mood the overall message has. Some common email tones are casual, friendly, formal, and professional. A single email can even be a mix of different tones, but generally, you should stick with a single tone to ensure the email remains consistent.
The email tone is conveyed through the language you use. For example, if you need to send a business email to a client, then you should use formal language and be respectful. If you are sending a casual email to a friend, then it’s alright to use language that displays sarcasm, makes jokes, and uses slang.
Recipient
Considering who the recipient is will help you address them appropriately. You wouldn’t address your teacher the same way you would address your colleague in an email, so it’s important to consider how formal you need to be when addressing the person in question.
This isn’t just important for the greeting, but also for the opening. If you are emailing your boss and you know that they are busy, you may want to keep the opening short and get straight to the point. When emailing peers, you have more room to be friendly and catch up before you get to the point of the email.
Purpose
The purpose of the email refers to the reason you are sending the message. It’s important to consider the purpose, because it can help you establish the appropriate language and level of formality. For example, if you are emailing someone to ask for a favor, you should aim to be polite. When emailing someone to sell them something, you need to use convincing language. By taking the necessary time to consider the purpose – and choosing an appropriate greeting and opening – you can increase the odds of your message achieving its intended goal.
8 Professional Greetings To Use in Your Emails
Let’s examine the most common professional greetings you can leverage in your emails. These greetings can be used in nearly any kind of email, because they are professional without sounding overly formal or stilted.
- Dear [Name]: This is a classic greeting regularly used in professional emails. It’s simple, formal, and can set the right tone for nearly any kind of message, no matter the purpose or recipient.
- Good morning/afternoon/evening [Name]: This greeting is appropriate when you are sending an email at a specific time of day, and it adds a personal touch. However, you should be careful sending this email greeting to somebody in a different time zone. You don’t want to incorrectly assume the time of day in which the recipient reads the email. Because the intent of the greeting is to personalize the message for the recipient (not for you), only use it when you are sure that the recipient will read the email during the mentioned time.
- Hello [Name]: This is a simple and neutral greeting that can be used in a variety of professional or casual emails.
- Greetings [Name]: This is a formal greeting that is appropriate for business or formal correspondence.
- Hi [Name]: This greeting is friendlier and casual, and it can be used in more informal professional settings.
- Dear Sir/Madam: This is a formal greeting that is often used in business correspondence when you don’t know the recipient’s name.
- To Whom It May Concern: This is a formal greeting that is often used in more formal or official emails, when you don’t know the recipient’s name or who will read the email.
- Good day [Name]: This is a polite and formal greeting that can be used in a professional setting.
10 Professional Opening Lines To Start Your Emails
Classic, simple, and effective, here are the 10 best opening lines for a professional email:
- I hope this email finds you well.
- Thank you for your response to my previous email.
- It was a pleasure speaking with you earlier.
- I am writing to follow up on our recent conversation/meeting.
- I am writing to request information on [subject].
- I would like to express my appreciation for [specific action].
- I am writing to introduce myself and [purpose of email].
- I am writing to confirm details of [previous agreement or discussion].
- I wanted to reach out regarding [specific topic or project].
- I hope you are having a great/productive week.
How to Start an Email - Best Tips
Now it’s time to start your email. Here are the best tips for composing it:
- Address the recipient by name when you can: Whenever possible, address the recipient by name in the greeting. This helps you establish a personal connection and shows that you have taken the time to identify the recipient. This is especially important if you need to impress the recipient by showing that you made the effort to find out their name, like when you email hiring managers for a job position.
- Keep it brief: The greeting and opening line should be brief and to the point. Avoid rambling or including unnecessary information, especially if you know the recipient is a busy person.
- Be professional: Even if the email is informal, it’s important to maintain a professional tone in the greeting and opening line. This is especially important if you are communicating using the company’s internal platform. Even if you and the recipient are equal peers and refer to each other casually outside of work, you don’t want to leave informal language or slang on the company’s internal platform that higher-ups can see.
- Show appreciation: If appropriate, show appreciation or acknowledge previous correspondence or interactions in the opening line. This helps establish a positive tone and build a relationship with the recipient.
