Today, email is the best way to communicate with ease, speed and efficiency. For professional exchanges, it is the most commonly used way.

To write a professional mailwe must respect certain criteria, tips and rules, which we will try to explain to you throughout the article.

Example of a writing plan for a professional email 

Sometimes the mail can be complicated to manage in a professional context. The plan to follow to write a professional email must put at the disposal of the recipient all the necessary elements being brief and precise.

To write a professional email, you can adopt the following plan:

  • A clear and explicit object
  • An appeal formula
  • A beginning which must situate the context of communication
  • A courtesy formula to conclude
  • A signature

Choose the subject of a professional email

It is estimated that a professional can receive an average of 100 emails per day. You must therefore choose the subject of your email to encourage them to open it. To do this, there are rules to follow:

1-Write a short object

In order to increase the open rate of your email, experts recommend ideally using a subject of 50 characters maximum.

You only have a limited space to write your object, so you must choose a specific object, while using action verbs related to the content of your email.

Generally, long objects are poorly read on smartphones, which are becoming more and more used by professionals to check their emails.

2-Customize the subject of your email

If possible, you must mention the name and first name of your contacts at the object level. It is an element that can increase the opening rate.

By putting the details of your recipient at the level of the subject of the email, he will feel valued and recognized, which will encourage him to open and read your email.

The body of a professional email 

To write a professional email, it is advisable to write clearly the body of your email without departing from the subject and all based on certain standards of style and presentation.

Take care to write a short email, with short and precise sentences that will give more comfort to your recipient.

Here are a few things to remember: 

1-Use a Classic Font

Most email services allow the user to choose the font and style of the text. When it comes to a business email, choose a classic font such as "Times New Roman" or "Arial".

It is not recommended to use a decorative font.

We also recommend:

  • Adopt a readable font size
  • Avoid italics, highlighting, or colors
  • Not to write all the text in capital letters

2-Writing a good call formula

For a professional email, it is preferable as above to address the addressee by name, while including the title of civility of the person followed by his last name.

3-Introduce yourself in the first paragraph

If you are writing to someone for the first time (a new client for example), it is very important to introduce yourself and briefly explain the purpose of your message.

You can devote to this little presentation one or two sentences.

4-The most important information in priority

After your presentation, we go to the most important point.

It is very interesting to quote the most important information at the beginning of your email. You will save your recipient time by clarifying your intentions.

You have to grab the attention of your correspondent and get straight to the point.

5-Use a formal vocabulary

Since you are writing a professional email, you have to make a good impression.

We advise you to write complete sentences in a polite style.

It is not recommended to use:

  • Slang words;
  • Useless abbreviations;
  • Emoticons or emojis;
  • Jokes ;
  • Rude words;

6-Make an appropriate conclusion

To finish an email, we must think about the signature to use, the tone to adopt, and the politeness formula to choose.

We must bear in mind that professional communication remains a highly codified language. It is very important to know the rules and choose the right formula to use at the end of the email.

The formula used must be adapted to the quality of its recipient and the context of the exchange.

For example, if you are talking to a supervisor or a client, you can use “best regards”, which is the most appropriate phrase. While if it is a colleague, we can end our email with the expression "Good end of the day!" "

Regarding the signature, you can set your email software to automatically insert a personalized signature at the end of our emails.

To be effective, the signature must be short:

  • No more than 4 lines;
  • No more than 70 characters per line;
  • Enter your first and last name, your function, the name of the company, your website address, your telephone and fax number, and possibly a link to your LinkedIn or Viadeo profile;

Example :

Robert Holliday

Representative of the company Y

http: /www.votresite.com

Phone. : 06 00 00 00 00 / Fax: 06 00 00 00 00

Mobile: 06 00 00 00 00

Some polite expressions:

  • Cordially ;
  • Best regards ;
  • Best regards;
  • Respectfully ;
  • Cordial greetings ;
  • Best regards ;
  • Yours,
  • It's a pleasure to see you again ;
  • Warm greetings …

For people we know particularly well, we can use cordial formulas such as "hi", "friendships", "see you" ...

Other examples of classic formulas:

  • Please accept, Sir / Madam, the expression of my distinguished feelings;
  • Please accept, Sir / Madam, the expression of my cordial greetings;
  • Please receive, Sir / Madam, my best regards;
  • Please receive, Sir / Madam, my respectful and devoted feelings;
  • Please accept, Sir / Madam, my sincere greetings;
  • Please accept, Sir / Madam, the expression of my highest consideration;
  • By asking you to accept my best regards;
  • Thanking you for your attention to my request;
  • Deign to accept, Sir / Madam, the homage of my deep respect;
  • While waiting to read from you, please accept, Sir / Madam, the assurance of my highest consideration;
  • With my thanks, I beg you to find here, Sir / Madam, the expression of my distinguished feelings;

7-Include attachments

Regarding attachments, do not forget to inform the recipient by mentioning them in the body of your email with courtesy.

It is very interesting to mention the size and number of attachments sent to the recipient.

Focus: The inverted pyramid

With regard to the so-called reverse pyramid method, it consists of starting the text of your professional email with the main information of your message and then continuing with the other information in descending order of importance.

But why adopt this method?

Usually the first sentence reads better than the rest of the message. It must be attractive. By adopting the inverted pyramid method, we can easily capture the reader's attention and make him want to read the email to the end.

As far as writing is concerned, it is advisable to use a maximum of four paragraphs, from 3 to 4 lines each, while focusing on a specific idea per paragraph.

If you want to adopt this method, we advise you to use:

  • relatively short sentences;
  • linking words to link the sentences together;
  • a current and professional language.

 

                                                    MEMENTO 

 

As you have understood, a professional email has nothing to do with one sent to a friend. There are rules that must be followed to the letter.

1-Carefully treat the subject

As we have clearly specified, you must correctly write the subject field (or subject) of your professional email. It should be concise and explicit. Your recipient must immediately understand the content of your email. He can therefore decide whether to open it immediately or read it later.

2-To be courteous

As you have well understood, it is necessary to use the formulas of greeting and politeness in context.

The formulas should be brief and very well chosen.

3-Correct spelling errors

First of all, you have to re-read your email and make sure you have not forgotten any necessary information, and why not have someone else read it. It is very interesting to have the opinion of another person.

To correct spelling and grammar mistakes, we advise you to copy and paste your e-mail on a word processor and do an automatic check. Even if this software does not correct all the faults, it can help you. Alternatively, you can also invest in professional correction software.

4-Sign your email

It is very important to add a signature to your professional email. You must follow the rules listed above to write a professional signature.

By mentioning the various information relating to your function, your company ... your recipient will quickly understand who he is dealing with.

5-Customize your email

If it is general, the mail is less likely to be read. You must make the recipient feel that the mail is addressed to him only. So you have to customize the object, and choose the formula to adopt to start your email.

If it is a group email, it is important to create different lists according to the characteristics of your recipients, their preferences, their interests and their location. The segmentation of your recipients allows you to increase the opening rate of your emails.

6-Give want to open the mail

When writing a professional email, you must always make the recipient want to open it. Generally, the object is the first element that pushes a correspondent to open your email and read it. So you have to give more importance to your object, heal it and make it as attractive as possible.

In the same sense, the first two sentences of your email should make the recipient want to continue reading. It is recommended to quote the most important information at the beginning of your email and to trigger the curiosity of your correspondent.

7-Avoid deceptive objects

You should never use a misleading object to increase the opening rate of your emails.

You should know that your email conveys your image (or that of your company). So, it is very important to avoid provocative and misleading objects. The object must conform to the content of your email.

8-Put yourself in the reader's place

Empathy is a very important element to take into account. You have to put yourself in the place of your recipient in order to properly write the subject of your email and make it attractive. You have to put yourself in your correspondent's shoes and list a series of questions that he can ask himself. It is from the responses that you can adapt the title of your email.

9-Use a professional email address

Personal addresses such lovelygirl @ ... or gentleman @ ... are absolutely to proscribe. In the context of professional relations, we never speak to an interlocutor using this type of e-mail addresses.

It is recommended to use a professional e-mail address, or at least a personal address with your name and surname.

The professional email requires a very good communication, a precise vocabulary, a concise text, a clear request and an irreproachable spelling. By adopting the rules, tips and advice we just quoted, you can write an attractive email, which will immediately interest your recipient and arouse his interest.