writing emails is an art and to do it well requires knowledge and practice. but you don’t have to make all the mistakes yourself to write professional emails.
We put together for you the essential tips for creating highly effective formal emails with a deep dive into formal email formats, structure, and best practices. We’ve also collected some real-life examples and templates that you can use right out of the box with a few tweaks.
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aesthetics of a formal email
Before you get started on your email content, you want to make sure the aesthetic is appealing and not too out of the ordinary. Of course, you want to grab your recipient’s attention, but you also want to look professional, so keep the comic sans font out of the equation. What kind of aesthetic should you pay attention to in a formal email? let’s take a look.
font choice
Don’t start reinventing the wheel here. it’s better to play it safe rather than creative when selecting a font. choose a font that is easy to read and skim over, because if you’re sending a longer email, your recipient may just skim through your content. so you want the font to be clear and the letters spaced far enough apart. we suggest using fonts like georgia, verdana, arial or times new roman
font size
You don’t want your recipient to have to squint to read your email, but your text shouldn’t appear as if they’re yelling, either. Depending on the font you choose, you may need to adjust the size a bit, but in general, font size 12 is what you should use. you can also use size 10 or 11, just make sure it doesn’t look too small before sending your email.
how do i improve my email writing skills?
There are several ways to make your emails shine, and you don’t need to be a professional writer to do it. in fact, there are a few small areas that you can focus on to make your emails clearer and better received. Here are some things to keep in mind when composing an email.
1. practice optimizing your subject lines
Your subject line is the first thing a recipient sees when they receive your email. therefore, it is important that it is optimized as much as possible. Keep these tips in mind when creating your subject line:
- keep it short, no more than 40 characters is ideal
- make it personal, use the recipient’s name if you have one
- use a call to action, like ” let’s set up a meeting today”
- create a sense of urgency, such as “offer expiring soon”
2. practice summarizing your main point for your email opens
Once you get your recipient to open your email, you don’t want to immediately bore them. you have to keep things interesting, relevant and straight to the point. That’s why it’s crucial to put your main point somewhere in the first sentence, or at least the first paragraph.
While your opening line can be something general like “thank you for taking the time to meet with me,” your next line should be something more powerful. Whether you’re asking for the results of a meeting, making a proposal, or starting a follow-up meeting, this first sentence sets the tone for the rest of the email so the reader knows exactly what the topic is and what to expect from the rest. of your message.
3. research the correct email etiquette to use for your most common scenarios
When sending emails, especially formal or professional emails for work, it’s important to maintain email etiquette. Since many of us answer our emails on our phones while on the go, it’s tempting to reply to emails like you would a text, but that’s not a good practice.
4. correct grammar
Lastly, before you click send, always check your email. Make sure your email is type-free, your punctuation makes sense (avoid using too many exclamation marks), and your syntax is correct.
don’t always rely on spell checkers, you want to read your email before you send it, especially if it’s an important message to a superior or client, as emails with grammatical errors can have a negative impact.
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There are countless reasons to send an email, and even if we don’t cover every scenario here, you should at least have a better idea of what constitutes a good email. With our tips and examples, you’ll be able to write better emails that get you the results you want.