Many of us encounter writing emails on a daily basis. What is the correct procedure for writing emails? How to end such an email originally to avoid worn-out phrases? We will also reveal when an informal email sign-off is appropriate and how simply not to be boring.
How to write an email
Let us start nicely from the beginning, what structure should such an email have?
- Greeting, it depends on whether we know the person we are writing the email to or not.
- Salutation, an essential part of emails that we sometimes forget (note: it gives the email personality, we can address someone by name, surname, or Dear Madam/Sir).
- In the first sentences, we explain what we need (briefly and clearly).
- In subsequent paragraphs, we can optionally break things down into bullet points or just sentences within a paragraph, this depends on the specific style of the email and the request we have. In general, an email should be clear and well-organised.
- Thank you, wishing a nice day, or another suitable sign-off.
- Signature (the signature should not look like your company’s advertising space).
Golden rules that we should always keep in mind when writing an email.
- Email subject, it should never be empty and should be as descriptive as possible.
- Word order, grammatical errors (these should never appear in an email).
- Enter the recipient as the very last thing, as it could easily happen that you send an incomplete email or an email without an attachment.
- Avoid exclamation marks, they look rude.
- We should also avoid smileys, especially if we are writing a formal email, whereas if it is an informal email, it is not such a transgression.
- CAPS LOCK does not belong in an email either.
Final greeting in an email
As we promised in the introduction, we will reveal the best final greetings you can use in an email.
- Have a nice day and best regards
- Yours faithfully
- Thank you and I look forward to your reply
- Thanks for the cooperation / I am looking forward to our future cooperation
- It was a pleasure working with you
- Warm regards
- I look forward to seeing you soon
Informal sign-off in an email
If you are writing to someone you know well or to a colleague on a first-name basis from a neighbouring department, you can use phrases such as:
- Take care
- Thanks and see you at the (tomorrow’s) meeting
- Thanks again for the quick cooperation
- Have a nice and smiling day
- I always enjoy working with you
Let us watch out for senseless thanking in an email where it is not appropriate. For example, when applying for a job or in a work conversation if we are sending, for example, a business offer. The final greeting should always match the overall context of the specific email.
Are you tired of writing emails or of your current job? Take a look at re-qualification courses and try to find what you would enjoy.
