How do you write a formal business email companies or organizations in a formal way? Whether we are looking for work or even in correspondence between employees and each other.
If you train yourself to write email, you will find that with time you will have the skill to write professional emails simply, without spending a lot of time writing it.
We previously wrote about writing a simple letter and writing an informal letter if you'd like to review them.
Rules when writing a formal business email
An official email usually consists of 3 main parts:
- The beginning greeting.
- The body of the message / the body text.
- The conclusion.
A formal business email is mostly written in English, or written in the language of the person you're messaging (as long as you're sure they don't speak English).
Write in the same sweet and in a manner that respects the one to whom your message is directed. Here are some rules:
1. Do not repeat the word “I” in your message too much, try to reduce it, replace it with other words and pronouns. because the language of the email is balanced. It is not overpowered by the "ego", so if you want your words to be taken seriously, for example:
- It was supposed to be in a meeting with so-and-so yesterday - instead of: I was going to meet so-and-so yesterday.
2. The symbols (such as: & - thnx - ur) are not official at all. Do not try to write them in an important email. They may be written between you and your friends, but official emails are not valid because they can convey the impression that you are a person who is not serious about your work.
See: How to Writing an Email to Book a Room in English
How do you start writing a formal business email?
When to write a formal business email It is very important that the first paragraph of your letter is appetizing and not negative. What do you mean appetizing rather than negative?
Appetizing means you start your words with a sentence that makes the reader of your message feel that he wants to complete the paragraph, express your happiness in communicating with him for the first time, or remember the reason for the correspondence.
Not negative in the sense that you send an email blaming someone for neglecting to perform a task.
Writing a formal business makes the person able to receive it and hear it, because the negative messages in the beginning of the message close the recipient’s psychology from the whole message, and because “written speech” delivers only 20% of what you want to communicate, it is possible that your words will be understood worse than what you mean!
Here are some tips to start writing a formal business email:
1. Your message begins with a general greeting.
- Dear Person, Hope all is well.
- Good Morning Mr. Person,
- Hope all is going great!
- Greetings from "Organization's name",
- It is our pleasure to reach out you today.
2. It is preferable to write the first greetings on a line, and the second on a line. There are special greetings for occasions and holidays, so try to diversify each time in the style of greeting.
- Mr. before a surname or full name to address or refer to a man without a higher or honorific or professional title.
- Mrs. before a surname or full name to address or refer to a married woman, or a woman who has been married, without a higher or honorific or professional title.
- Miss before a surname or full name to unmarried females, preferably with young females.
- Ms. before the surname or full name of any woman regardless of her marital status.
4. The greeting is either very formal (such as: Hope all is well) or somewhat formal (Hope all is going great with you) or not formal (How are you doing?).
What to write to body text?
- I did this...
- Due to these circumstances....
- Concerning this project...
- Regarding to our last meeting, this is the meeting minute's notes.
- It was supposed to call you yesterday to confirm our next meeting, but excuse me I faced...
2. Put paragraphs of a very appropriate size for your message, but more than that will be boring and difficult to find interest, (if we say that one paragraph consists of two lines to 3 lines).
How to write a formal business email conclusion?
Thank you, greetings and signature are very important in the last formal business email before you send the e-mail. The important thing is that the task that the person to whom you send the message is going to be clear.
by briefly conveying your main goal of the message, or by agreeing on a specific thing.
Here are how to write a formal business email conclusion:
1. If you want the person you are emailing to send you a file or see your CV:
- Kindly check my resume in the attachments, Thanks.
2. If you are supposed to send your opinion about a specific thing, then you will ask permission to send it to you on a specific date:
- Please, await your feedback by today, Thanks.
3. Or a place has been set for the interview, you will need to specify a date or place for the interview:
- I am looking forward to meeting you soon. This is my contacts info for further questions.
4. It is necessary in the request to use words such as: please, kindly, and preferably say the request in a literary - indirect - and short.
5. At the end of your letter, you thank him, and offer him a closing salutation:
- Greetings
- Good Luck
- Have a nice day
- See you there
- All the Best
- Best Regards
6. And proceed with your name in the next line, with your contact information (phone - email):
Kindly check my resume in the attachments, Thanks.
Best Regards
Adam Smith
Freelance Contents writer
+2043489784
adam.smith@example.com
7. Before you press the Send button to send your "professional" message, make sure of the title of your message that you write in the subject field, choose it very carefully, do not write any two words or leave it empty!
8. The "address" can make the person decide to open your message, put it off indefinitely, or not open the message.
For example, if you send your CV to a company or person. Don't just be satisfied with words like my resume or person's name CV, but you could write an elegant title like:
- Hello Mr. Adam, I am Contents writer.