Let's Break Down Email Etiquette
Tips and tricks to make sure you are sending professional emails
Before we Begin
I have written three previous articles breaking down the most important things that connect to this topic. Check them out here before continuing on to this one:
How to Network on LinkedIn…. And Hopefully Land a Job:
https://inbetweennewsletter.substack.com/p/how-to-network-on-linkedin-and-hopefully
LinkedIn 101: Everything You Should Be Doing on LinkedIn to Grow Your Personal Brand:
https://inbetweennewsletter.substack.com/p/linkedin-101-everything-you-should
How to Work from Home Effectively:
https://inbetweennewsletter.substack.com/p/how-to-work-from-home-effectively
Emails
This article is great for people with all levels of emailing experience. Whether you have never sent an email in your life, or you send 50 emails every day, this article will give you great insight on the “dos” and “don’ts” of writing the perfect email.
Email etiquette has changed throughout the years, but the key principles have stayed the same. The biggest principle to remember is that emails are not social media. Yes, it might be an app on your phone just like the others, but it holds more weight than sending a tweet or a Snapchat.
Let us all dive into the best principles I have learned throughout the years of sending emails!
Professionalism
If you are on the younger side or just have not updated your personal email address, now is the time. You do not want to be sending resumes and report documents to your boss from doggiesRcute8989@yahoo.com. Trust me, you don’t. If you are able to change your existing email address, do it. If not, start a new email account and make the address short, clear, and concise. Here is an idea, maybe just make it your name!
The best emails I have seen keep it plain and simple with the recipient’s name. Here are a few examples:
You can add whatever symbol or even a number to help give it a little personality, but overall if this is going to be used for professional emailing, I would keep it as simple as possible.
The great thing to is if you work for a company, there is a good chance you will get a basic email address already set up with the company: name@company.com
Email Signatures Are Key
So, you think you have a great email address now, eh? Now time to set up a great signature!
The email signature is what will appear at the bottom of the email acting as your closure and contact. This space is where you can set up a short bio about yourself. They are usually not more than three lines and can be personalized with a different font than the rest of the email, maybe a small logo, and possibly colored text. For most businesspeople I would keep it very simple. Three lines is all you need breaking down these three items:
1. Name (different font, larger text, etc.)
2. Job Title/Position/Major in School
3. Company/Organization/School
Below is an example of an adequate email signature if you are in school:
Griffin Prock
Communications Major
Washington State University
Below is an example of an adequate email signature if you have a job:
Griffin Prock
eCommerce Coordinator
The Stable
Subject Lines
Remember in high school when our teachers would tell us our writing needed to be clearer and more concise? Well, get ready, because you are actually about to apply something that you learned in high school to a real-world situation. An email subject line is crucial and sets the tone of the email. Think of the subject line as the one statement summary of what you are trying to communicate with the person you are emailing. Do not make it a long sentence, but instead focus on what the recipient needs to know. If you formulate an email subject line correctly, the recipient should not even have to open the email to know what the contents will be.
Examples are: “Meeting Summary Notes” or, “Griffin Prock Application Resume 3/20/21.”
Things to Stay Away From
This list is things you need to cautious of when writing a professional email. It can be easy to forget that this is a professional form of communication. You don’t want to become so comfortable when emailing that you start becoming more causal.
Exclamation Marks
When using exclamation marks you want to make sure you have a clear understanding of what your working relationship is with the person being emailed. If you are sending an email to your work BFF, sure maybe throw one in there. If you are emailing your boss, I promise he/she will not read it the way you intended. Just don’t do it.
Your tone will change depending on who you are emailing, so just test out the field before ending every single sentence with an exclamation mark! See, that was weird, wasn’t it?
Humor
Everyone loves a good joke. But not in an email.
Humor can be very hard to read sometimes, especially in a professional setting. It can be misinterpreted or come across as rude. So, just keep it simple, and stay away from humor.
Now don’t get me wrong, in an in-person setting, humor is a great tool you can use when having a face-to-face conversation because it will be easier to pick up on the joke. Email is just not the place for it. As much as you might want to, don’t bring texting language into an email as a way of incorporating humor. That means stay away from “lol” and “haha.” Plain and simple, it makes you look immature and unprofessional.
Hi, Hey, Hello, Yo
When starting the email, of course you want to begin with a form of greeting. The most common greeting is hi or hello. Those two options are the agreed upon forms of saying hello in a professional scenario. Using “hey” can be causal. Only use this if you have developed a long-term, probably personal, relationship with this coworker. Similar to exclamation marks, get a read on how the person uses these things before you use them.
Lastly, and most importantly, stay far away from “Yo.” I should not have to even explain why that is not going to fly in a professional setting.
All in All
Emails are a part of everyone’s lives at some point. Use this guide as a great place to start. A place where you can start with the basics and grow from there.
If I could give one more pearl of wisdom that encompasses all of my tips and tricks, it would be this: Watch how the other person emails you and mirror your email style to theirs. That way you will always know that your emails are coming across in a way they find professional.
Thank you all for reading, I am so appreciative and blown away by the reactions of my readers. Thank you for the support and space to write about what I love. Now, go edit that email sitting in your drafts so it doesn’t sound like you are DMing your friend on Instagram.
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Great article! I would also add, do not write an email like you would write a text. Avoid using text shorthand/abbreviations in emails. Full sentences and proper punctuation are key.
You can absolutely get by with a Hey, It’s Falan from Google in the subject line of a professional email on the first go. Doing this I’ve gotten a 73% reply rate. Especially since most automated emails sounds robotic.