How to write a business email

Writing the subject line.

Prefix your email by stating what type of email it is and/or what action is needed by the reader, where applicable. Then place a very short description of what the email is regarding. Be sure to keep it as short as possible and packed with detail. Usually if a date is important I like to put that at the end of the subject line.

List of common prefixes:

• ACTION REQUIRED:
• RESPONSE REQUESTED:
• IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
• URGENT INFORMATION:
• INFORMATION:

And of course you can make up your own as long as they make sense.

Examples:

• RESPONSE REQUIRED: Need shift coverage 12/25/08.
• URGENT INFORMATION: Inspection 1/15/09.
• INFORMATION: Directions to team outing.
• STATUS UPDATE: System Outage Resolved.

Things to remember:
-Be clear on what the email is concerning.
-Be clear on what the user needs to do with the email, whether they need to perform an action, reply, or no action is required.

Writing the body of the email.

Addressing the recipient:

I like to use a simple, “Joe,” or “All,”. If you want to be a little less formal you can use, “Hello Joe,” or, “Hi Joe,”. You don’t want to be too formal as if you were writing a letter.

Steps to writing the body:

• Write freely.

You want to write freely and go back and edit the email later. Don’t worry about punctuation and spelling. This is the creative part of the writing, if try and edit while writing you may lose track of why you’re sending the email.

• Proofread and edit.

This is where you correct any spelling and punctuation in your email.

• Verify the point.

This is where you ensure the point of the email comes across clearly and to the point. Put yourself in the shoes of the reader. If you need additional details, place them in a separate section close to the bottom of the email. Be sure the main point of the email is in the first sentence or two. Make sure there is only one objective per email. If there are multiple responses needed or points, then put them in a separate email.

• Anticipate Q&A.

When you put yourself in the shoes of your recipient, think about any questions they may ask and put a section in your email to cover these questions in your additional details.

• Wrapping up.

I like to wrap up with a simple thank you, my name, title, and contact information.

• Wait a few minutes before sending.

Sometimes we get involved in the email, when you go back and read it; it may not completely make sense. Sometimes you’ve added emotion to the email and some may find it offensive. After you’ve cleared the thought track from your head you will be able to recognize these things.

Things to remember:

-Different people require a different level of detail about a subject. It’s a simple concept; your manager doesn’t usually want to know the gritty details, and your technicians probably want every detail under the sun. I’ve formulated this way of sending an email cover most types of people.
-If you have a list, use bullets, this will save a lot of space and make it easier to read.
-Think about who you’re sending the email too and put yourself in their shoes when reading the email.
-Keep the email short and to the point.
-Remove emotion from the email.
-Try to reduce any sense of blame by removing prepositions (I, me, you, we, your and so on).