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In essence, email is not as formal as writing a paper letter. However, there are times when you need to be more formal in your email writing. Think about who the recipient is, and then choose the appropriate greeting for the situation. Once you have that information, you can proceed to the format of the salutation and how to write the opening sentence.
Steps
Consider the recipient
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Determine how formal you need to be. Whether you are writing a “formal” email, the level of formality of the email will depend on the recipient of it. For example, you won’t use the same level of formality when writing to a professor than when writing a cover letter.
- When you’re contacting someone for the first time, it’s always better to be more formal than usual just to be safe. [1] X Research Source
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Find the recipient’s name. You should do some research to find out the person’s name if you don’t already know it. Knowing the recipient’s name makes the greeting more personal, even if you’re using professional email writing methods. [2] X Research Source
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Do it the way the recipient does. If the person has already emailed you, it’s a good idea to copy their greeting. For example, if they write “Hi” and your name, you can reply in the same style, using “Hi” and the person’s name when sending an email. [3] X Research Sources
Choose greetings
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Use “Dear”. “Dear” (followed by the recipient’s name) is the classic greeting. It’s formal without being offensive, and because it’s used so often it’s often the default, which is a good thing. You don’t want your greeting to sound weird because it’s inappropriate. [4] X Research Sources
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Try using “Hello”, if you don’t know the recipient’s name. “Hello” is a rather formal greeting you can use in business emails, especially if you don’t know the recipient’s name. However, it’s always better to find out the recipient’s name if possible. [5] X Research Sources
- You can also use “For those interested” if the email is particularly formal and you don’t know the recipient’s name. However, this greeting may not please some people.
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Consider “Hello” (“Hi” or “Hello”) in less formal emails.Emails tend to be less formal than general correspondence, so you can write “Hi” in an email that doesn’t need to be. For example, if you’re emailing a professor, especially someone you’re in constant contact with, a “Hi” or “Hello” greeting would be appropriate. [6] X Research Source
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Don’t use the word “this”. Although the word “Hi” is acceptable in a fairly formal email, greeting with the word “Hey” will not be appropriate. It’s a very casual greeting, even in spoken language, so you should avoid using it in any kind of formal email. For example, even if you’re close to your boss, it’s best to avoid using the word “Hey” when writing emails to them. [7] X Research Sources
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Use titles instead of names when necessary. Sometimes, you write to someone you only know their title in the company or organization. In that case, you can use the person’s title instead of the name, such as “Dear Head of Human Resources”, “Dear Human Resources”, or “Dear Professor”. [8] X Research Sources
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Add the person’s honorifics to make the email more formal. When possible, add “Mr”, “Mrs”, “Doctor”, or “Professor” before the recipient’s name for a more formal look. Besides, you can use the recipient’s last name or full name to be more professional, instead of just first name. [9] X Research Source
Format and start email
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Write greetings in the first line. Write your chosen greeting on the top line, followed by the recipient’s name. You can use the person’s honorific if possible, such as Mr, Mrs, or Doctor, followed by the full name. [10] X Research Source
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Use commas. In general, you will use a comma after the greeting. In a formal letter, you can use a colon, but this is often too formal for an email, even a professional one. Commas are appropriate in all situations, although you can use a colon if you’re writing an email cover letter.
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Move to the next line. The greeting is on the top line, so when you’re done, press the newline button to go to the next line. If you’re using line breaks instead of indentation to create a paragraph, you’ll need to leave a blank line between the salutation and the first paragraph. [11] X Research Source
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Introduce yourself in the opening sentence if necessary. If you are writing to someone for the first time, you should provide an introduction, even if you know them in real life. Giving recipients a hint about who you are will encourage them to keep reading.
- For example, you could write “I am Nguyen Van Nam, and I am the Marketing Manager of XYZ company”. You should also state why you know the recipient: “I’m Nguyen Manh Hung, and I take a marketing class (Marketing 101 takes lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays)”.
- If you know the recipient and have written to them before, you can use the first sentence as a greeting. For example, you could say “Thank you for your early response”, or “I hope you are well”.
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Straight to the topic. Most formal emails need to get straight to the point quickly. That means the first or second sentence should state why you’re writing to them. Remember to be as concise as possible when describing your purpose. [12] X Research Source
- For example, you could write, “I’m writing to ask you to help with a marketing problem,” or “I’m writing to you because I’m having a hard time in class, and I hope you can introduce yourself.” recommend additional material that would be helpful for me to read more”.
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This article is co-authored by a team of editors and trained researchers who confirm the accuracy and completeness of the article.
The wikiHow Content Management team carefully monitors the work of editors to ensure that every article is up to a high standard of quality.
This article has been viewed 5,006 times.
In essence, email is not as formal as writing a paper letter. However, there are times when you need to be more formal in your email writing. Think about who the recipient is, and then choose the appropriate greeting for the situation. Once you have that information, you can proceed to the format of the salutation and how to write the opening sentence.
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