Email Etiquette
Impress others with your manners and ability to communicate.
From the beginning
- Subject. Use a meaningful subject that lets the recipient know what he/she will find in the email.
- Greeting. "Hey" and "Yo" are not appropriate greetings in an email. Use "Dear (recipient's name)” (for a more formal email), or “Hi (recipient's name)” for a more casual one.
In the middle
- Keep the body of your email short and to the point. Respect the time of the recipient.
- Use proper grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Don't use slang. Do proofread and spell check.
- Be mindful of your tone. Do be friendly and polite. Don't try to make jokes. They may not come across as you meant them.
At the end
- End your email properly. Use "Sincerely, (your name)" or "Best, (your name)."
- Proofread AGAIN before sending!
- Follow-up once. But just once. If you still don’t get a response, they’re not interested.
Remember: Be appropriate, be polite, be happy.
Emails are a way to communicate in many different settings. You'll use them in school, at your jobs, and in your personal lives. Be thoughtful when sending an email. Always remember the purpose of your email and who will be reading it.