To write emails correctly, keep them short, polite, and clear, give each one a subject line, check the grammar and punctuation, and make sure the email goes to the right people. The 11 tips below show you the mistakes to avoid.
Email has changed the way people communicate. Before it, most messages went by phone or by letter, and a letter took time, attention, and care to write. Today you can send a message across the world in seconds, which is fast, useful, and convenient. But an email written in a hurry can also cause problems and look unprofessional. Too many people send emails that are too abrupt, full of grammar errors, or careless in other ways. For a full guide to work emails, see how to write a business email.
1. Separate business and personal email
One of the first mistakes people make is to use the same email address for business and personal mail. It may not apply to everyone, but it is an important rule to follow. A personal address often contains a nickname or words that others may find inappropriate, and when you apply for a job, you do not want to give the wrong impression. A business address makes you look more professional. And with two separate addresses, it is much easier to keep your personal life apart from your professional one.
You should also read 6 things to avoid when writing a business email.
2. Be polite, brief, and clear
Most people receive many emails every day, and a long, unclear, or confusing one is annoying. People who get such emails may not read them to the end, or may not answer at all. Some forget about them or delete them. So keep your emails short and to the point, and make sure your message is respectful and polite. Too many people send rude emails without thinking about the person who reads them.
3. Ask yourself whether it is really necessary
Everyone knows how annoying spam is, and an inbox fills up quickly. The last thing people want is emails from friends or colleagues that are not really necessary. Before you send one, ask yourself whether there is a better way to solve the problem. Perhaps a phone call or a quick talk in person is easier.
4. Think before you forward
Forwarding is one of the most useful things about email, but it is also one of the most abused. A forwarded email often carries the whole earlier conversation, including the addresses of everyone who was part of it, and you share all of that with the new readers. Before you forward an email, delete what the new readers do not need. And when you answer an email, use "Reply all" only if everyone on the list needs your reply. No one wants emails about subjects that have nothing to do with them.
5. Check your grammar
Most email programs have a spell check, but many people ignore it, and some programs have none at all. An email with grammar errors makes you look unprofessional, especially at work. Your grammar, or the lack of it, can say a lot about you. For an important email, you can paste your text into the Spell Checker and check its spelling, grammar, and punctuation before you send it.
6. Do not send an email when you are angry
One of the biggest mistakes people make is to send an email while they are angry. Once an email is sent, you usually cannot take it back. What seemed like a good thing to say in anger may look very different later. Make sure you are calm before you reply to someone or write to them. An angry email can cost you your job or a friend.
7. Include a subject line
This is one of the most important rules of email, and yet many people ignore it. An email without a subject line can look like spam and be treated as such. An email with a clear subject line is also more likely to be opened and read, because the reader knows what to expect and what the message is about.
8. Leave space between paragraphs
Leave a blank line between paragraphs, so that your email does not look like one giant block of text. Simply pressing Enter twice makes your sentences much easier to read. Your email will also look more professional and less overwhelming.
9. Use proper punctuation
Few things are more confusing than an email without proper punctuation: capital letters, periods, and the other marks in their right places. Some people think this is trivial, but it can make a world of difference, even more so in a work email.
10. Double-check the recipients
Most email programs fill in a recipient automatically once you type the first letters of a name. The problem is that several people in your address book may have names that begin the same way. Sending an email to the wrong person is one of the worst mistakes you can make, especially when it contains personal or confidential information. Always double-check the recipients before you press Send.
What you write matters as much as who you send it to: here are 10 terms you should not use in business emails.
11. Check your signature
Email programs let you write your own email signature, and many people put their full name, phone numbers, and other details in it. Keep in mind, though, that your email may be forwarded to someone else. If your signature is goofy, playful, or unprofessional, think about who will read it before you send the email. Many email programs let you keep more than one signature, for example one for work and one for friends.