Writing Business Emails

Introduction
Business emails are a pillar of modern communication.
On any given day, the average office worker receives 
over 80 emails.
That’s a lot of communication.
While we send a lot of emails, many of them are not
effective. Everyone’s inbox holds those difficult to read
or process emails, hanging around because the
recipient is unclear on how to reply or act. Don’t let
that happen to your business emails. Etiquette, style,
and format are essential to writing emails that get
results.
FOUR KEY QUESTIONS
 
1. Who is My Audience?
In all business writing, the audience is the top consideration. Who you are
writing for will determine how you write your email. The reader will
determine the tone, formality, and content of the communication.
Your email’s reader may be your colleague, client, or supervisor. Each reader
will have a different background, project knowledge, and priorities. You can
use project acronyms with a colleague who has the same deep project
knowledge as you do. Those same acronyms will be confusing to an
executive who needs an update for budget forecasting.
With your audience at the forefront, you will always write a more effective
email. The audience includes all the people included in the sender fields. This
includes the To:, CC:. and BCC: fields but main focus should be on those in
the To field. Writing for the audience also means using these fields correctly.
 The ‘To:’ field is for the direct audience who needs to reply
or take action from the email content. The ‘CC:’ field is for
readers who need to receive the email conversation for
reference or clarity, but do not need to take action nor reply.
The ‘BCC:’ field is for the audience who only needs to see
the initial email and none of the later chain of replies.
Incorrect usage of the sender fields is a common business
email mistake. It occurs when the audience and their roles
are not thoughtfully considered.
Use the Bcc field very judiciously. Often it's best to forward
an email separately, with a brief statement on why you're
sending this information.
2. What is the Purpose?

An email must have a purpose. And it must have only one
purpose.
This email practice is called the ‘one thing rule’.
Each email should cover only one specific item, task, or
request. Covering multiple actions in one email can cause
confusion and inefficiency. One email should not include both
client report revision notes and a scheduling question for the
quarterly meeting. This scenario calls for two separate emails.
By limiting emails to one thing, the email is easier for the
recipient to understand, process and act upon. This clarity
increases understanding and productivity.
CONTINUED…
In practice, we sometimes have to ask for several pieces of
information related to the same topic. In this case, use a
numbersed list to clarify for your reader that the request
has components. This will help your reader respond easily
and ensure you receive all the specifics you need.
I need you to review these three items before we release the
sketch to the production team:
Content
Design
Color choice
 
3. Is This Email Necessary?

There is a tendency to over-communicate by email.

While email is efficient and provides an electronic
paper-trail, not all communication should occur over
email.
Ask yourself: “Is this email really necessary?” Perhaps
a quick phone call or a ping on the company messenger
is more appropriate. If you’re expecting a lot of back-
and-forth on the topic, a short conversation can
eliminate a lengthy email chain.
Choose the right channel to send information. Email is
great, but it's one channel.
 4. Is Email Appropriate?
Email can be used in many scenarios but is not always appropriate.
If you are delivering bad news, do so in person or buffer the email
thoughtfully. An email is impersonal and is difficult to convey empathy or
compassion. If you must write a business apology email follow these rules.
Sensitive information sent by email runs the risk of being accidentally
shared. There are plenty of cases of email mishaps, ranging from funny to
serious. Whether the information is personal contact or personal opinion,
consider whether it’s appropriate for an email. If you wouldn’t want it
accidentally shared, be very thoughtful about how it is sent in the first
place.
If you are unsure if an email is appropriate, ask yourself if you'd be
comfortable with that email being projected in a meeting. Attending the
meeting are your boss, all your future bosses, and your mother. If it passes
this test, then send it. If not, there is likely something that is not
appropriate.
Email Style

Business emails have a very specific style. They are

professional but brief. They should be written to be
skimmed, but with enough information to allow a
complete response.
Continued…
Tone
Finding the correct tone can be the biggest headache in
drafting an email. The tone changes based on your
audience. It can range to formal to friendly but is
always professional and should always be matched to
your audience.
Wordy politeness can often be overlooked in efforts to
be brief in emails. However, please and thank you
should be included anytime it is appropriate.
Continued…..
Avoid ALL CAPS because it SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE YELLING (and could
route your email to the spam folder). If you wouldn’t shout the statement in
person, don’t shout it in an email. Instead, use italics, underlining or boldto
emphasize important points.
Example: Vacation requests must be submitted at least two weeks in advance.
Notice the harsh tone if the bold text is swapped for caps: Vacation requests must
be submitted AT LEAST TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE. One exception: Do use
all caps in email headings when writing to any organization that strips html
formatting from email. The military, military academies, and some financial
institutions with strict security protocols often strip html formatting. 
Headings are very helpful to readers. They allow a reader to skim and find
information easily. They're a business writer's best weapon against information
overload.
Avoid excessive use of punctuation or emojis. Exclamation points should be
used sparingly! Emojis continue to have a larger role in digital communication
and several style guides have approved their judicious use in business writing. I
follow the rule of only using them after the other party has sent one. They should
never be used in formal business emails.
Format

Emails are meant to be skimmed, so they should have plenty

of white-space to assist the reader. Use shorter paragraphs,
lists and bullet points to streamline the information. And, use
headings to break up concepts and allow a reader to skim.
In addition, awkward formatting copied from other
documents or emails can be distracting. To have seamless
formatting for your email, strip the text formatting of the
new content by using your email client’s Remove or
Formatting function.
Here are the most common formatting features and how to
use them.
Font: The font is the typeface that you should choose for your
email. It is best to choose a sans serif (a typeface without
decorative strokes at the end) as they are more modern and
simple and easy to read onscreen. They are also easier to read at
a small size. Gmail uses Sans Serif as the default. You could
also use Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Terbuchet MS, or Verdana.
Text Size: You should try to keep your email in the normal size.
This is between 10–12pt.
Bold: You can use bold for headings and to emphasise important
text. Bold text catches the eye of readers as they scan the email.
Italics: Italics are a softer way to draw attention to an area of text.
They are used to bring emphasis to an area of a sentence. They
do not make words stand out when the user is scanning a page
the way bold text does. Italics should also be used for 
titles of full works.
Text Color: You should avoid using multiple text colors in an email as it draws the eye in to
multiple locations and looks unprofessional. It is likely that your email program makes
your hyperlinks blue. 
Alignment: Business writing uses text that is fully aligned left. Academic writing indents the
first sentence of a paragraph five spaces. In business email, you will never need to indent
the start of a paragraph. 
Numbers: Using a numbered list can help organize content where the sequence is important.
For example if you were describing steps you would want to use a numbered list.
Bullet Points: Bullet points are a great way to create white space on your page and draw
attention to related items. Bullet points work best for unordered lists. 
Indent More: In business emails you should not indent the first sentence of a new
paragraph. A line break represents the start of a new paragraph. The indent more button
allows you to add an indent to text. This is useful on rare occasions when you want to
indicate that some information is a subset of what preceeded it. It creates a visual
indication that the indented information is less important.
Indent Less: This allows you to move your content to the left
Quote Text: If you are referring to quoted text you should use the quote text function. It
provides a slight indent to your content and a grey vertical line to the left. This shows
readers that you are quoting text.
Remove Formatting: If you are pasting text into your email it is vital you use the
remove formatting function. Otherwise you will paste the text styles and it will be
obvious to your reader that you copy and pasted that text. To use this function select
the text you want to remove formatting. Then click the remove formatting button.

Email Overview
Let's dissect each section of a business email to highlight best practices for you to
implement in your writing.

Subject Line
The subject line is the mini-summary of your email. It provides the biggest
opportunity to ensure your email gets read. The goal of a subject line is to get your
reader to open the email without tricking them. It is also the place where mistakes are
most commonly made.
Think of it as your email’s headline. It should be a 3- to 8-word overview of the
content.
Subject lines that are too brief or too lengthy cause confusion. If it makes the email
seem difficult or confusing to reply to, the recipient may not open it immediately or
at all.
 Greeting
 Your greeting should be professional and concise. It is always preferable to address the
recipient using their name, but it may not always be possible.
 Good afternoon,
 Greetings,
 Dear Ms. Jones:
 Hi Jeff, (salutation format)
 Hi, Jeff. (sentence format)
 Brief Pleasantry
 If you’re emailing someone for the first time, your opening line could be a short pleasantry
connecting you and the recipient. One sentence should be enough. Indicate how you connected.
This reminder will give the reader context for the following information.
 “It was great to meet you at last night’s networking event.”
 If you’ve received something from the recipient, offer your thanks. It could be a thank you for
an offer of assistance, for an interesting piece of content they shared or even for simply reading
the email.
 “Thank you for sharing your article on management strategies. The findings are valuable.’
 ‘I appreciate you taking the time to help me with this project.’
 If you want to keep it general, warm well-wishes will do.
 ‘I hope you’re well!’
 Omit a pleasant greeting if you’ve recently or frequently communicated with each other.
Purpose
As previously noted, each email should address just one thing, one purpose.
This task, request or information should be presented clearly and directly
after the pleasantry. This is the B.L.O.T— bottom line on top.
Be concise and direct. Don’t hide your request or it can easily be overlooked
or ignored.
‘Please provide your feedback on the budget.’
‘Can you participate in the project kick-off meeting next Thursday?
‘Did you have any revisions to the final report?’
Remember the acronym B.L.O.T. — Bottom Line On Top
Additional Information
Some business emails may require additional information for the reader. It
could be clarification on the task, a link to resources or examples, or other
helpful information. This information should be included thoughtfully. Only
directly relevant content should be added.
Call to Action 
Near the end of the email, include a specific call to action. The email is being sent to
accomplish one task. The call to action should leave no confusion as to your request.
Do not assume the reader understands the desired result from prior information.
Emails can easily be misinterpreted if there is any grey area.
This statement should include the specific action and the timeline. If you are sending
the email to multiple people, clarify task responsibility by directly naming the
intended person.
Clarification of tasks and expectations allows for the recipient to respond more
effectively.
Bad examples: “Can you take care of this?”
“Let me know what you think.”
Good examples: “Sarah: can you forward the survey to all staff by Friday at noon,
please?”
“I’d appreciate your feedback on the draft agenda. If you have any edits, please send
them by tomorrow, Tuesday, at 10 AM.”
If you would like a confirmation, you can phrase the call to action as a question. If
the call to action is a notification that does not necessarily require a reply, you can
structure the call to action as a statement.
 Closing Message 
The closing message simply indicates that the email is complete. While it is not a
requirement in modern email writing, a brief, polite phrase will nicely round out
your email.
‘Thank you for your time,’
‘I look forward to your response,’
‘Kind regards,’
Sign-off & Signature
The end of the email includes a sign-off of your name. The phrasing should
match the formality of the email.
Most formal: Dr. John Smith
Dr. Smith
John Smith
Least formal and most common: John
Your email signature is a type of electronic business card that is appended to
your email. It should include the most important context and contact details for
your reader.
Review
Once your email is composed, do not click send. Yet.
Take a moment to review your email. Check for
grammatical or spelling errors (Grammarly has a
helpful free tool). Typos suggest carelessness and can
even convey incorrect information.
Double-check dates, times, names, links, attachments
and other specific details. 
Triple-check that the correct recipients are in the
sender fields.
THANK YOU