How Do I Construct Professional Emails

According to McKinsey and Company, reading and crafting E-Mails takes over 25% of the average

workweek. With E-Mail being a vital form of communication for business, it is important that you and your brand appear professional and that your E-Mails get read. Proper E-Mail etiquette can create and maintain a good impression. This tutorial provides step-by-step processes to ensure you use proper etiquette.

Step 1: Use a Professional Address

If your work E-Mail is the same as your personal, be sure the address is appropriate. It should also

contain your name so the recipient can easily identify who you are. This example shows an E-Mail in the

“To” section, but the general format is a good example of a standard business E-Mail.

For example, AMI chooses to create staff E-Mail as [Staff Name]@azmicrocredit.org.

Step 2: Create a Clear Subject Line

With a multitude of E-Mails people receive daily, a clear, direct subject line will not only draw the

attention of your audience, but also give direct context of what information the E-Mail contains.

All caps or all lowercase in the subject line can make the E-Mail look unprofessional or similar to spam.

In this example, the subject line gives direct indication to its recipient of what information is in the

E-Mail. It is also clear that it contains important information, which will ensure it gets read (so that the

meeting is not missed).

Step 3: Use a Formal Greeting

Appropriate greetings include: “Hello, [Insert Name]” , “Greetings, [Insert Name]”, “Hello Everyone”

Step 4: Construct your Message

In a professional and formal conversation, you do not want to run the chance of

miscommunication, therefore, it is essential maintain a professional tone and language in the message.

First and foremost, begin with writing in full sentences as well as keeping fonts, colors, and font sizes

classic. Next, avoid using too many exclamation points and abbreviations, such as OMG, and limit

the humor included in the message as it may be mis-interpreted. Further, when communicating sensitive

information, keep private material confidential and instead opt to utilize in-person or phone

communication instead.

Step 5: Proofread your Message

Read your message out loud to ensure that sentences are fluid and all the information included is

consumable. Further, check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes throughout the

E-Mail. Since these errors are easy to miss, you can also install a program such as Grammarly for a second

pair of eyes to review your message.

Visit Grammarly.com to download the application to your device.

Step 6: Use a Formal Salutation (Send-Off)

Your send-off should maintain professional, similar to the greeting. Some examples include “Sincerely”,

“Best Regards”, and “Thank You” followed by a comma.

Step 7: Create an Automatic Signature

Set up an automatic signature through your E-Mail settings. Your signature should include your

name, phone number and other relevant contact information, and your company or organization.

This helps your recipient contact you with ease without searching for your information elsewhere.

Step 8: Add Recipients

Add the recipient(s) E-Mail address(es) last. This will prevent an accidental send without proofreading

your message first.

TO: The “To” address bar should be filled with address of who the E-Mail is formally typed to (i.e.

who is in your greeting).

Bcc: The “Bcc” address bar should be used when E-Mailing a group of contacts who do not

personally know each other. By not listing them in other recipient