The right greeting in business mail depends on who you are writing to and why. Open with "Dear" and the person's title and last name when you don't know them well, use their first name when you do, end the greeting with a colon in formal business letters and with a comma in social ones, and keep "Hi" for informal emails.
Choosing a greeting can be harder than it looks. It is easy to sound rude or disrespectful, but sounding too polite can send the wrong message as well. Here are some tips on choosing the correct greeting for all kinds of business letters and emails. (For the rest of the message, see 6 things to avoid when writing a business email.)
Different greetings
There are several kinds of greetings, and you have to choose the one that fits the occasion:
- Dear Paul
- Dear Mr. Wood
- Dear Mr. and Mrs. Wood
- Dear Sir or Madam
- Hi Paul
- Paul
It is fairly obvious which of these are more formal than others, but some of the differences are subtle. Then there is the question of which punctuation mark ends the greeting. Do you need a colon, or is a comma enough? (A semicolon is never right after a greeting.)
Comma or colon
Business letters and emails that serve a business purpose, such as offers and proposals, should use a colon after the greeting:
- Dear Mr. Lee:
- Dear Brenda:
Business correspondence with a more social purpose, such as congratulations, condolences, and thank-you notes, usually uses a comma:
- Dear Mr. Lee,
- Dear Brenda,
This is the American convention. In British English, a comma or no punctuation at all is usual, even in formal letters.
Familiarity
If you don't know the reader of your letter or email, or if the tone of the letter is formal, use your addressee's last name and title:
- Dear Mr. Espinoza
- Dear Professor Harthorne
Otherwise, it is perfectly fine to use the first name:
- Dear Alice
If you are unsure of the person's gender, the safest choice is to use their full name:
- Dear Toni Cook
- Dear J.D. Paige
When you write to two people, make sure to name both of them in your greeting:
- Dear Toni and Magda
- Dear Mr. West and Mrs. Trojano
If you don't know the name of the person you are writing to at all, use their job title or a general greeting instead of the cliché "To whom it may concern":
- Dear Recruiter
- Dear Sir or Madam
If you are writing to a company, you can also use the company's name:
- Dear Acme Support Team
Forms of address and titles
The standard way to open a business letter, whether it is formal or social, and however well you know the person you are writing to, is with Dear:
- Dear Mr. Fujita
- Dear Carol
You can always use Mr. for a male business partner or colleague, but it is harder to choose for a female colleague or client. Unless you know that she prefers Miss or Mrs., use the neutral Ms.:
- Dear Ms. Hanson
Mr., Ms., Mrs., and Dr. are never spelled out in a greeting. Titles like Professor, Reverend, and Admiral, however, should be spelled out:
- Dear Dr. Chang
- Dear Reverend Neville
Emails
All of the rules above apply to business emails as well. Informal emails, however, don't need such a careful greeting. In those, it is perfectly fine to write:
- Dear Evan
- Hi Sandy
- Pete
- Hello Cassie
- Good morning, Allan
For more examples, read how to write professional business letter greetings.