Writing a professional email is a skill that every business-savvy person should have in their toolkit. Not only is email one of the most common forms of communication, it’s often how people within a company send messages quickly and efficiently, assign tasks, file projects, update one another on important memos, and more.
But before you write your email, you need to craft a greeting that grabs your reader’s attention so they actually open, and read, your message.
If you’re wondering what the best email openers are, this article will teach you how to start an email professionally, as well as how to address someone in a business email, with additional email greeting examples—and a special Proton service that may help you draft your message.
How to write a subject line that gets your email opened
To start an email, you’ll first want to create an informative but concise subject line.
A good subject line can help ensure your email gets read. Without an attention-grabbing subject, your email may get overlooked or lost among the recipient’s other emails in their inbox.
When writing a subject line, make sure to include the topic of your email plus a brief call to action and/or a time in which you expect a response. For example, instead of “Memo,” try “Weekly Memo – Reply Requested EOD.”
Your subject line should be under 10 words but still convey a sense of urgency.
How to craft the best greetings and email openers
It’s important to greet your colleagues in a professional manner when you write an email. Having the proper balance of business etiquette and clarity will ensure you craft an email that is direct, efficient and prompts the response you desire.
1. Use the appropriate email greeting (+ 15 examples)
Open your email with a polite and professional greeting.
3 examples of formal greetings
- Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. Smith,
- Good morning/afternoon/evening [Title + last name],
- Dear Dr. Weber and Professor Sato,
7 examples of informal greetings
- Hi Jane,
- Hi Martina and Antonio,
- Hello Joe,
- Hey Anna,
- Nick,
- Hi team or Hello team,
- Hello everyone,
5 examples of greetings to avoid
Email starters that are too informal or too formal might set the wrong tone and expectations. Additionally, we advise you to not use exclamation marks, emojis, abbreviations, or slang.
- Hi Mrs. Smith! (too informal)
- Hey team :) (it’s best to avoid emojis in greetings)
- What’s up everyone? (too informal but might be appropriate depending on context)
- To whom it may concern, (outdated and impersonal)
- Dear Sir or Madam, (too formal and impersonal)
2. Introduce yourself and your objective
After you’ve written your greeting, you’ll want to include why you’re writing your email, or its purpose, right away. If you don’t know your audience, you should always introduce yourself first.
Avoid jokes and phrases that are informal or inappropriate. If your email requires a response, include your request as quickly as possible.
5 examples of engaging introductory sentences
Here are a few ways to begin your email, depending on the situation:
Introduction: My name is Jane Doe and I’d love to learn more about the [position] opening at [company].
Inquiry/Request: I have a question regarding this assignment. Could you please help me with the following?
Following up: Circling back on my previous email. Did you get a chance to review (…)?
Following up after a meeting: It was great meeting you at [event/meeting] last week. Thank you for taking the time to chat about [topic]!
Setting up a meeting: I’d love to get your opinion on [topic]. Could we set up a 30-minute call in the next few days to talk about this?
3. Double-check the spelling of names
Spelling your entire email body is important, but making sure you’ve spelled your recipient’s name correctly is a must. Misspelling your audience’s name creates a disrespectful tone and will elicit a negative reaction from your intended recipient.
To build trust and a positive correspondence, always double check the spelling of your recipient’s name before sending.
4. Be mindful of the tone of your email greeting
Do you know your recipient? Are they a superior, friend, or a colleague? The way you’ll write your email may change depending on your audience.
If you are addressing an authority figure, always keep your email professional. If addressing a colleague that you know well, you may decide to keep your writing more informal; however, you should write all emails in a respectful manner and assume that, once sent, anyone could end up reading your message.
If you wouldn’t want your boss to read your email, consider re-writing your letter.
5. Use a writing assistant for your email starter (and more)
Proton Scribe can help you craft the perfect opening for your professional email.
Scribe is a built-in writing assistant that comes with Proton Mail and can help you with all of your email writing tasks.
Check for spelling and grammatical errors, proofread for typos and ensure that the proper tone is consistent throughout your email.
Like all Proton services, Scribe is protected by Proton Mail’s end-to-end encryption, making sure no one will ever see your messages — or your drafts — besides the intended audience.
Write better emails with Proton
Writing a professional email is one thing, but choosing a secure and safe email provider is equally important.
Proton is an end-to-end encrypted email service backed by the strongest Swiss privacy laws.
When you send an email with Proton, your data and email belong to you — not anyone else.
Used by more than 100 million people and businesses around the world, Proton is committed to privacy and building a better, more transparent Internet for everyone.
