How to start an email (Tips + templates)

With over 300 billion emails sent and received every day, email is an essential means of communication. Figuring out how to start a business email in a professional way – especially when you’re writing to someone you don’t know – can be a challenge for marketers, salespeople, and customer service reps alike.

In fact, how you start your email can make the difference between your recipient closing the email right away (and deleting it) or reading on. The following article provides a few tips on how to start an email along with some of the most common email greetings and email starters you can use in your business correspondence. From transition emails to networking emails, having the right template at your disposal can be a blessing. We also have you covered if you need business email ending templates.

What to include at the start of your emails

1. Salutation or greeting

Start with an appropriate greeting depending on how formal you need to be. Always include the recipient’s name (if you know it) to make the greeting more personable. Last but not least, double-check that you’ve spelled the recipient’s name correctly. Our pro tip? Copy and paste their name as seen in previous emails, email signatures, or websites to ensure you don’t make a typo.

2. Introduction and reason for writing (if necessary)

When writing to someone for the first time, introduce yourself and include a concise sentence about the goal of your email. This sentence can determine whether the recipient will read your email or ignore it, so make sure your purpose is clear and convincing.

If you have mutual friends, colleagues, or acquaintances, mention them as this can increase your chances of getting a response. For example, you could do a subtle name drop like this: “Hi [Name], I ran into our mutual friend Richard (from [Company]) over the weekend and he mentioned that you needed a new help desk tool, as your current provider just isn’t cutting it anymore…”

3. An opening phrase/ well wishes (optional)

If you haven’t written to the recipient for a long time or if you have a casual relationship with the recipient, it would be appropriate to include a quick, positive note like “I hope you’re doing well.” This can set the right tone for the rest of your email.

Alternatively, if the recipient has shared some updates on LinkedIn or other social media, feel free to congratulate them on their latest achievements (both personal and professional). You could say something like “Congratulations on your promotion” or “Congratulations, it’s exciting to see [Recipient’s Company] acquire such an important client like [Company].”

4. A thank you line (optional)

Based on the context, you can add a short ‘thank you’ line to your email correspondence. For example, if your prospect/customer has contacted you with an inquiry, “Thank you for reaching out” or “Thank you for contacting [Company]” is a must-have. However, whenever you put in a thank you note, it’s important to make it personalized, as standard thank you notes (like the ones mentioned above) are a bit too generic and can come off as cold or standoffish.

By simply adding a name before your thank you line, the message sounds warmer and inviting. Here’s an example: “Emily, thank you so much for contacting [Company] and for raising this issue. You’re absolutely right…”

Examples and templates to start an email

Professional email greetings

“Hi [Name]” is probably the most common and the most widely used email salutation in the business world. This greeting is generally recommended for semi-formal and informal communication styles. If you want to be slightly more formal, “Hi” can be replaced with “Hello.”

“Dear [Name]” is also appropriate for both formal and informal communication. For your convenience, we’ve prepared a whole list of other generic greetings that you can choose from when starting your professional email. Check them out:

General email opening phrases

Following the greeting, you can include a short opening sentence to kick-start your email. However, it’s best to avoid sentences like these if you’re writing a formal email or cold emailing a potential customer, as they can come too friendly. You should also be wary of the tone you’re using in, for example, a company apology letter. Here are some of the most common examples of email openers:

Follow up email opening phrases

If you’re not sure what to write at the beginning of your follow-up email, consider including one of the following email opening phrases that can break the ice:

Reply email opening phrases

When replying to a customer or a prospect, a short “Thank you” line is appropriate in many cases. If you’re not sure how to incorporate a “Thank you” or need some more inspiration check out some of our alternatives:

How to start a cold sales email

When writing a cold email to a prospect, the first paragraph is going to determine whether your prospect will find your message worth reading, so it’s important to impress and stand out. Here are some examples of what you can include in your introductory paragraph:

If you would like to learn more, check out cold sales email templates.

How to start a sales follow up email

Following up on a prospect, especially if they haven’t replied to your previous message(s) can be tricky. If that’s the case, try out one of these effective email opening sentences– they might be helpful!

If you would like to learn more, check out sales follow-up email templates.

How to start a post-purchase/ customer welcome email

Whenever someone buys your product or signs up for your service, you should thank them, or welcome them to the ‘family’ to ensure your relationship is off to a great start. The best way to do this is by writing a welcome email that includes a thank you note, a short introduction, and any useful information.

Feel free to check more post-purchase email templates and welcome email templates.

How to start a customer service email

Almost every customer service email should start with a “Thank you” note, whether it’s replying to a simple customer service request or answering a customer complaint. Here’s how it can look like:

If you would like to learn more, check out customer service templates.

How to start a customer apology email

When responding to angry or disgruntled customers, be sure to showcase empathy and send an apologetic email on behalf of your business. Here’s how you can do it:

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Watch how to write Emails In English – Formal, Semi-Formal or Informal

Writing Emails In English - Formal, Semi-Formal or Informal? | Derek Callan - English for Professionals11:14

Derek Callan - English for ProfessionalsDecember 11, 2021

Topics

• Types of business emails
• Cultural factors in email communication
• Common email phrases

Video summary

In this business English lesson, the speaker explains the differences between three types of emails: formal, semi-formal, and informal. He provides examples of each type and emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural factors when determining which style to use. The lesson also includes common phrases for each style of email.

hi everybody and welcome back to english
for professionals i'm derek and i'm here
with another short lesson for you busy
people in this business english emails
lesson i'm going to show you the
differences between formal
semi-formal and informal emails
[Music]
before we get started if you need
english for work and you're interested
in short lessons to help you with your
business english then subscribe to my
channel now hit the red button and don't
forget to click on the little bell that
way you'll be notified every time i
upload a new lesson and now
let's get started
we're going to do three things in this
lesson
first of all we'll talk about the
different kinds of people we write
emails to and we'll categorize them into
formal semi-formal and informal after
that i'll show you example emails in
each style and at the end of the lesson
i'll show you lots of extra example
phrases in each style
let's start with formal emails we
usually use a formal style when we write
to new customers suppliers and business
partners and also to people who are in
higher positions managers bosses and
directors
we usually use a semi-formal style with
colleagues we know but not very well and
also with existing customers suppliers
and business partners
we use an informal style when we write
to friends and family and also to
colleagues or business partners we know
very well and work with on a regular
basis
the most common style to use in business
is the semi-formal style but of course
there are exceptions
for example it's quite possible that we
could use an informal style to write to
a customer or a supplier but only if we
know that person very well and if we
have a good and long relationship with
them and one more thing the style you
use also depends on the culture in your
company as well as the business culture
in the countries you work within so you
need to be aware of those factors
and now it's time to look at some
examples we'll start with the formal
style and the email we're going to look
at is a follow-up email after a formal
business meeting with a potential new
business partner
we start with a formal greeting dear
miss amir
first of all i would like to thank you
for the productive meeting on monday it
was lovely to meet you and learn more
about your business here we have formal
phrases like i would like to and it was
lovely to meet you
as discussed in the meeting i am sending
you the additional information about
that you requested i have attached a
document with all of the details and
here we have more examples of very
formal phrases as discussed in the
meeting
that you requested and so on if you
require any further information please
do not hesitate to contact me again a
typical formal style
i look forward to our next meeting on
january 10th
best regards derek callum
i look forward to and best regards our
typical phrases we use to close a formal
email
so there we have the formal style now
let's compare that one to a semi-formal
version of the same kind of email
in this case it's a follow-up email
after a less formal meeting with a
potential new business partner and as
you'll see in a moment we're already
using first names
dear nidra first of all i just wanted to
say thanks for the productive meeting on
monday it was great to meet you and find
out more about your business so here you
can already see a big difference first
of all first names so imagine that first
meeting was less formal and by the end
of the meeting we were using first names
also in that first line we don't have
the i would like to we have i just
wanted to say
and also rather than saying it was
lovely to meet you and learn more about
your business we have the less formal it
was great to meet you and find out more
about your business
i've attached a document with the extra
information about
that you asked for here we see more
examples of a less formal style instead
of i have attached we use the short form
i've attached we don't use words like
additional information or that you
requested we use less formal style extra
information
that you asked for
and now let's look at the last part of
the email please let me know if you need
any more information looking forward to
our next meeting on january 10th regards
derek so again much less formal
please let me know instead of the very
formal please do not hesitate to contact
me if you need any more information
instead of if you require any further
information and also in the closing part
looking forward to instead of i look
forward to
and then we have regards which is
slightly less formal than best regards
so there we can see the differences
between the very formal and the
semi-formal
and as i said before the semi-formal is
the one we use most often in business
correspondence but of course as i said
earlier it always depends on who you're
writing to company culture the business
culture those are things you need to be
aware of
now let's take a look at the comparison
between the semi-formal and the informal
style
this time we have another follow-up
email but it's after a very informal
meeting with a colleague you know very
well
hi tom just a quick mail to say thanks
for the meeting on monday and to send on
that extra info you asked for
see attachment
the first difference we can see here is
in the greeting hi tom hi is less formal
than
deer and then also in the start of that
first sentence just a quick mail to say
this is a typical way to start an
informal email
when you're giving someone information
and then we also have phrases like to
send on that extra info very informal
let's continue if you need anything else
just get in touch so again very formal
expression here just get in touch
see you at the next meeting cheers derek
so typical way to end an informal email
see you at the next meeting
cheers cheers can mean goodbye it can
also mean thank you this is just one
possibility if you want to see more ways
to end an informal email check out my
other lesson
17 ways to end an email
now it's time for the last part of the
lesson where i show you more examples of
typical email phrases for formal
semi-formal and informal emails
let's start with friendly openings it's
often a good idea to use one of these
after you're greeting and before you say
why you are writing
i hope everything is going well
semi-formal
i hope all's well
and in the informal version
hope all's well or nothing we don't
always need to include a friendly
opening especially to people who we are
writing to on a daily basis or who we
write to
very often
and now an example for saying why you
are writing
i am writing to update you on
semi-formal i just wanted to update you
on
and in the informal version
just wanted to keep you in the loop on
keep you in the loop is a very informal
phrase which means to keep somebody
informed about the latest information
about something
requests
formal style
would it be possible too
semi-formal
is there any chance you can
and the informal can you
making arrangements
i was wondering if you would be
available for a meeting next
semi-formal would you be available for a
meeting next
and informal
can we meet next
confirming arrangements i would like to
confirm our meeting
just want to confirm our meeting
i'll be there
giving information i am afraid i will
not be able to
i'm afraid i won't be able to
and sorry but i won't make it to
and one more example closing line
referring to next contact
i look forward to hearing from you soon
looking forward to hearing from you soon
and
talk to you soon
so that brings us to the end of another
short lesson i hope you liked it and i
hope you found it helpful don't forget
to check out all of my other email
lessons here on youtube
i'll leave a link in the description if
you did like the lesson hit the like
button and share with your friends and
colleagues subscribe to my channel if
you haven't done that and don't forget
to join my email list every two weeks i
send out my free vocabulary email with
additional business english words in the
news and everyday english for you to
learn the link is also in the
description below thanks a lot for
watching and talk to you soon

Summary

The start of your business email (the greeting, the opening line, and the first sentence) is the first thing the recipient sees when they open your email. By starting your email in a professional way, you are more likely to create a positive impression on them. The greeting you use and the first few sentences you choose for the start of your professional business emails will depend on your audience and the context of your communication. Use the email greetings and email opening phrases mentioned above as prompts whenever you’re not sure how to start your next email to a customer or a cold prospect.

Remember to double-check your emails for any spelling or grammatical errors, and make sure you always spell the recipient’s name correctly. Our last tip is to keep it short and sweet, as nobody wants to be reading long emails. Get to the point quickly using the right tone of voice, and you’re golden.

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