Tips for Professional Email Writing: Do’s and Don’t

 

Email serves as a gateway to getting what we want. We don’t write negligently knowing that it will go a long way in determining whether we get the result we want. Are you asking for a job offer, you want to make a conversion, get a contract? You need an update from your colleague on a team project, make an inquiry, or complain. You need to draft an email that will succinctly send home your point and nothing more.

Poorly written email is not excusable, it will not only make you get ignored but you will come off as an unserious and a lazy person. If you are not taking your emails seriously, this is your sign to do better and I’ll share tips to help you achieve that.

Have a Definite Subject Line

Your subject line will be the reason the recipient ends up reading the email or not. Most times we all have emails that have not been read (I’m guilty of this) and we get to open them based on priority. Ensure your recipient knows what your email is about from a glance. If you’re applying for a job and you were given directions on how to write your subject line make sure you follow suit. Most times the employer wants you to include the position title.

Do Use Appropriate Salutation

use a Hi or Hello but to be more formal you can use ‘Dear’ and insert their name. You don’t need to use casual language even if you know them personally.

Use An Introduction

Where you don’t know the recipient, an introduction is expected. This will give him/her a sense of the context of your message. You could use Dear Chris, My name is Ijeoma Olamide, Sales Manager for Clean n Clear Laundry Services. I got your contact information from… or where you are replying to a job offer: Dear Hiring Manager, My name is Gabriel Agada, a Digital marketer expert. I found your job ad on the company's official Instagram page. You should do this for emails to employers, and potential clients.

Keep Your Language Formal

When handling an email you need to be professional with the language. Avoid the use of slang, and casual or inappropriate words. You should avoid abbreviations like U for you, IDK for I don’t know, ICYMI for in case you missed it, and so on. These examples are okay when chatting but you should be cautious enough not to use them when writing an email, especially to strangers or your Superior at work. Always maintain a professional tune in your spellings, words, fonts, etc. This will form an image of who you are and how professional you are.

Do Verify Your Email and Attachment: After writing your email, resist the urge to send it off immediately. Even when in a hurry, take extra time to cross-check your email. Your sentences construct, punctuation and the entire email should be in order. When there is a file attached to the email, you should make the file was completely uploaded and it’s the right file. You should also notify your recipient about the attached file with: ‘kindly find attached’.

Now that you know some of the things you should avoid when writing email as a professional, let’s dive into the don’ts.

Don’t Imagine That Your Recipient Knows The Purpose of The Email: Your email should be written independently and make references to the previous email or conversations. Let the recipient know what the email is for. This will help the recipient recognize what the email is for. Most persons receive tons of emails every day and would need a reference to the previous conversation to remember the context of the email.

Don’t Hit “Reply All”

Unless your email is meant for everyone there is no need to “reply All” I found it embarrassing or awkward when I receive an email sharing information that I don’t need to know because the sender hit reply all. If you need to reply or send an acknowledgment that is not meant for everyone in the organization you should send it directly to the sender.

Don’t be critical

Don’t use your email as an avenue to pour out your anger, use abusive words, or make a derogative statement. This is not to say that you shouldn’t express yourself however you feel it or not speak up on an issue bothering you. But you should use appropriate words. You can keep off sending the email until you are calm to avoid using rude words.

Don’t Use Capital Letters: Writing on the web using capital letters is understood as shouting. This is applicable in email as well. You can use other formats to create emphasis like italics, bold or colored but never capital letters. You don’t want your recipient to think you are shouting at him.

Don’t Use Email For Sensitive Information: Emails are not completely private, you might need to check the nature of the information you are sharing with a colleague before hitting the send button. The company email is out of your control and the information shared using the email can be accessed by another person. If you must have a private conversation you should try other means.

In whatever pursuit you find yourself in, using emails as a means of communication will always remain relevant and you need to do it right to get good results.