Email

A Basic Guide to Writing a Professional E-mail

E-mail has generally been used as an informal means of communication. However, as it becomes increasingly popular as a method of professional communication, people need to take time to think through the content of their e-mail and address the message that they might be sending to others. An e-mail to someone important should never just say "see attached." The receiver may not even open the attachment.

If you follow these few basic rules when writing or responding to emails, you have a much greater chance of being taken seriously, and will often be given more credibility. Common mistakes are:

using emoticons e.g., :o)
being too informal,
misspellings and poor grammar,
no capitalization, and
spelling words the way they sound.

As e-mail has become a mainstream form of communication, you may not easily switch from casual and conversational e-mail to professional e-mail. Some examples of this kind of writing would be if it was full of emoticons and phonetic spellings; using " ur " for "you're or your" or "i" for "I" (there is a long list of many other common e-mail exchanges).

Don't forget!!

You can access examples on writing different types of emails by using the Letter Writing section of our 'Guides for Making Contact' - just remember that you don't need to include the address information at the top because you are using electronic mail and the address will be automatically attached.

Some things to remember when writing an email are:

Here are some rules to consider when writing an e-mail in which you are self-advocating around an important issue:

Always introduce yourself the same way you would in a written letter;
Don't just make it up as you go along. Plan ahead.
Treat your e-mail as if you were writing a professional cover or thank-you letter on paper, but be brief;
In the subject line, make it obvious why you are writing;
Make sure you change the contact name and content according to the person/company to whom you are sending the message;
If you are responding to an e-mail, include the original message in the reply, so the receiver can put your e-mail into the correct context. Also, respond within two business days if possible;
Always spell words correctly! Don't just use spell check as it won't catch words that are spelled correctly, but are misused within the context of the sentence;
Never use all capital letters. People may think that you are screaming. It is also difficult to read.
Read your message carefully before you click the send button. The tone of an e-mail can often be misinterpreted;
Have someone else proofread your message before you send it. It may be easier to find errors if you print and review your e-mail;
Scan any documents or data for viruses before you attach it to your e-mail;
Name your document succinctly e.g., "your name, title, date". Some professionals can receive hundreds of e-mails a day. If you follow-up by asking person in question if they received your e-mail, they won't have to look through 300 attachments to find yours;
If you are attaching a document, ask the receiver if they would prefer that you send it in a different format, i.e., Word Perfect, rich text format (RTF), or as a PDF;
Don't just rely on e-mail. E-mail can be lost. Follow-ups can often be done via the telephone or regular mail;
You should also put a blank line between paragraphs. This makes it easier to read;
Finally, if you do email, don't make your email any less formal than you would a letter. A casual email of only a couple of lines is easy to ignore or dismiss.