How to Write a Professional Email | Video Overview
Transcript
0:00 Writing a professional email is a task that most people will have to complete many times in their lives, so it’s important to know how to do it well. I’m Eva from QuillBot, and today I’ll explain the steps you should follow to write and send effective, professional emails.
0:16 Follow these steps to write a professional email.
0:18 Step 1: Write a clear subject line. Aim for 60 characters or fewer, summarize the goal of the email, and include tags that might help the reader prioritize, like “urgent.”
0:30 Step 2: Start with an appropriate greeting. Two good options are “Dear” and “Hello.” If you don’t know someone, use their full name or their title and last name. If you know them, their first name is generally fine.
0:42 Step 3: Write a focused body with context. In the body of your email, state the purpose of the email in a concise, focused way. Use short, simple sentences, avoid idioms and jargon, lead with the most important information, and add context when necessary.
0:59 Step 4: Include a “call to action,” or “CTA.” A CTA is a prompt for the recipient to take the action you want them to. The call to action should come after the body of your email and be logically connected to it.
1:13 Step 5: End with a polite closing. While “bye” and “see you soon” might be fine for emailing with friends, professional emails require more polite sign-offs. Two good examples are “sincerely” and “regards.”
1:28 Here are some other things you should do when emailing in professional contexts.
1:32 Use a professional email address. Avoid using cutesy, fan-related, or random email addresses when sending professional emails. Your company will most likely provide you one for work, but you should have a professional address for personal matters, too.
1:46 Use a professional signature. If you’re writing from a company email account, your signature will usually include your name, title, company logo, phone number, and email. If you’re writing from a personal email account, consider which information is relevant to the recipient.
2:02 Always check your recipient fields. Make sure the correct contacts appear and that they appear in the correct fields, double-checking the “to,” “cc,” and “bcc” fields.
2:12 Proofread before sending. Make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes, which can make a bad impression in professional contexts. Double-check that you’ve included any necessary attachments, too.
2:25 Consider scheduling your email. Think about the best time to send your email. Ideally, you want it to arrive to its recipient when that person is able to read and reply to it. If that’s not now, you can schedule your email to send at a later time.
