Today, the possibilities for business letters are expanded, so more and more people dont follow strict writing principles when writing them. A business letters main purpose is to inform your addressee in a clear and concise form about an important matter. It could be a business correspondence between job applicant and HR, manager and subordinates, or even student and teacher. Many students benefit from using special online writing services with guides and samples on how to create business letters. In our article, we present seven basic rules to follow while writing a business email.
1. Set a goal
Think about business letter content based on what you want to get from your recipient. Let your reader understand the purpose of your message and support it with proper delivery. For instance, you can ask an addressee for feedback concerning the product or some issue, review the attached document, or clarify some details on the deadline.
The goal is the overall idea of your business letter. Keeping it in mind will help you write text effortlessly and deliver your message to the readers mind and heart.
2. Define your addressee
Having a sense of the audience is essential while preparing an email in business format. Rely on the readers interest and communicate to engage them in your emails idea. At the same time, try to reflect all necessary facts discreetly no matter who your audience is.
3. Remember about etiquette
Even if a business email is a dry sort of text, it doesnt mean it should be rude and unfavorable. Try to be polite and friendly with your recipient so you can succeed in your aim. Avoid sending emails on business while the recipient is on vacation, sick leave, or during after-hours.
4. Take care of brevity
Keeping emails concise is vital for every sender to gain the readers attention. Increase the effectiveness of the email using only simple phrases and expressions. Try to avoid including many topics together in one email. Sticking to one subject in your message is crucial otherwise, youre risking to lose addressee engagement and go without a reply.
Rewrite overwhelming sentences into short constructions, as you should keep a low word limit in your text while typing. Use only words known to a broad audience, and avoid jargon, which we will examine in the next step.
5. Revise before sending
Check your email for slang, which is inappropriate for business letters. To create a polished email for business needs, you need to keep a temperate style. Plan your time for editing and proofreading the text of your business email before you tap the Send button.
6. Follow up for the response
If you see there is no reader reaction, you can send a follow-up message. Set a time limit of two working days to get a reply. Otherwise, remind your audience about your letter due to a large number of incoming messages in the email box, they can miss yours.
7. Consider business letter formatting
Subject
This is the line in the email form where you include the main point for the following text. Basically, it acts as a topic for your email, like a topic in any academic essay. This lets your reader understand what your letter is going to tell them. Also, think to make it catchy but close to the emails context. For example:
Request for Book Review
Greetings
Start the text of your email with a salutation. To follow business style, let it be simple:
Hi, Mrs. Scarlett Griffiths
Body
This is the core message of the entire business email, so try to be precise here. Include any request in which you need to get recipient feedback. For instance:
Thank you for attending the new book presentation this week. Ive attached a text file of the full book so you can share your opinion with us. Please keep me updated if you have any questions.
Ending
Often it is a challenging task to close a business email correctly. Write the last sentence of your business email with a positive attitude and repeat the main request if needed. For example:
As I said earlier, I would be glad to receive feedback on the attached book. Thanks!
Signature
This part is stable for any email. You can set a customized signature formatting, but usually, it starts with sincerely or another similar word. Then it is obligatory to include your full name, job title, contact details, and company where you work if needed. Visually it looks like this:
Best Regards,
John Smith
CEO Book Publishing Company, Inc.
Wrapping Up
Knowing these seven lucky principles will help you write a business email efficiently. Dont be afraid of showing your personality through examples, various literary tools, and attachments. Let your reader believe in the importance of what you say, so practice several times on drafts to sound convincing. And remember, any email you send to your audience is an unforgettable call that could change someones life, so dont ignore it and believe in the email to get great results!