For most of us, email is the most common form of business communication so it’s important to get it right. Although emails usually aren’t as formal as letters, they still need to be professional to present a good image of you and your company.
How to write a formal email
Follow these five simple steps to make sure your English emails are perfectly professional.
- Begin with a greeting
- Thank the recipient
- State your purpose
- Add your closing remarks
- End with a closing
Begin with a greeting
Always open your email with a greeting, such as “Dear Lillian”. If your relationship with the reader is formal, use their family name (eg. “Dear Mrs. Price”). If the relationship is more casual, you can simply say, “Hi Kelly”. If you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, use: “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”.
Thank the recipient
If you are replying to a client’s inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks. For example, if someone has a question about your company, you can say, “Thank you for contacting ABC Company”. If someone has replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, “Thank you for your prompt reply” or “Thanks for getting back to me”. Thanking the reader puts him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more polite.
State your purpose
If you are starting the email communication, it may be impossible to include a line of thanks. Instead, begin by stating your purpose. For example, “I am writing to enquire about …” or “I am writing in reference to …”.
Make your purpose clear early on in the email, and then move into the main text of your email. Remember, people want to read emails quickly, so keep your sentences short and clear. You’ll also need to pay careful attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation so that you present a professional image of yourself and your company.
Add your closing remarks
Before you end your email, it’s polite to thank your reader one more time and add some polite closing remarks. You might start with “Thank you for your patience and cooperation” or “Thank you for your consideration” and then follow up with, “If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know” and “I look forward to hearing from you”.
End with a closing
The last step is to include an appropriate closing with your name. “Best regards”, “Sincerely”, and “Thank you” are all professional. Avoid closings such as “Best wishes” or “Cheers” unless you are good friends with the reader. Finally, before you hit the send button, review and spell check your email one more time to make sure it’s truly perfect!
Aren’t you an EF English Live student yet? See the general and business English course in action by requesting a one month for only one dollar* trial. Find more information about essential professional English tips here.
157 comments
Dear Will,
Thank you for sharing some information about writing a standard email. My name is Rasa nezhad. I’m from Iran. I’m an English teacher. In your profile, you mentioned you speak four languages and you are looking for another one to start learning. I recommend Persian. It’s not easy to learn but it helps you to enter a unique culture, literature and community. I can honorably teach you. So , if you’re interested, don’t hesitate to let me know.
Best wishes
Hello Mr Rasa,
From which part of Iran do you belong. I am also from Iran but my Persian is weak as I have lived on foreign land my entire life.
It would be really great if you could help me in learning Persian, and bring me closer to my culture.
best Regards,
Fatima
Dear sir /madam
I am really thankfull to you for helping me by giving me some tips for responding to a mail.
Yours faithfully
Anisa
Anisa
Dear Will,
Thank you for sharing some information about writing a standard email. My name is Ziaur Rehman Zia . I’m from Afghanistan . I’m an English teacher. In your profile, you mentioned you speak four languages and you are looking for another one to start learning. I recommend Pashto. It’s not easy to learn but it helps you to enter a unique culture, literature and community. I can honorably teach you. So , if you’re interested, don’t hesitate to let me know.
Best wishes
Dear Zia,
Thank you for your prompt reply,
Thank you for your cooperation ,yes I am very interested.
Can you let me know when and where are conveyable for you.
Waiting your reply.
Best Regards,
Mai
yo be safe out there
Dear Rasa
My name is Tim form the united states of america I’m a teacher of spanish in hight school of jefersson I want to now how to now the synonym of maybe
Best wishes
Mr tim Hoyer
what is paashto
you can use
perhaps, possibly
hi dear tim
please can you help me
Hi Tim,
This Is Muhammad Qasim from Pakistan, may I tell you the about your question?
No such laguage as Persion – they speak Farsi.
hi Tim Hoyer
am from Sri lanka.
can u able to get me to United state of America. it’s will be big help
Hi tom, do you want to know the synonym of maybe in spanish?, or rather, the snonym of “quizás”?
HELLO DEAR,
HOW ARE you there. what about the situation there, please stay home and be safe, we, all pray for you all.
Raju from Srilanka
I’m interested please
Hi Kareem,
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Cheers!
am interested
Hi Kazeem,
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Dear Sir/Mada,
Thanks you very much for sharing, My name is Olvy from cambodia .I’m an employee in logistics company. I’ll improve our email writing from now on.
we deeply appreciate for your all support and teach me to be well a writer.
please contact in +91 94266 39958
can you help me to learn me english plz
please try to speak in English as much as you can, and read a newspaper or anything you like, write something on dealy basis, you can watch English movies.
if i want than .?
Dear Sir
Thank you for sharing some information about writing a standart email.My name is Zahra Asadova.Now i am working in a big company and this information i believe that will be help me a lot.
Best wishes
Hi dear sir can you help me taht how i can sand email?
Hi Rasa,
Can you help me to develop my English language?
regards
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Hello Mr.wil
Thank you for sharing some information about the writing, i am a student one of the best and good university in Afghanistan can you help me and would you mind if i have a whats up and viber please. because i have a lot of problem in the English language. I can not to speaking very will but i can to solve my problem,
what is the way when i want to speak fluently and good
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I would like to study of English . I need to grammar and listen .
can I practice with you
instagram: lensking Noor
can I practice with you ?
Dear Rasa,
I am very grateful for your opinion and your consideration.Maybe I may try it and I send my regards to you
can you please upload an email regarding one subject like marketing.to sell products.or any other subject
Dear Will;
Thank you for sharing these very important tips on how to be professional in writing emails. Greatly appreciated.
Thank you;
Sia’a Alama, Samoan language and Culture teacher, American Samoa.
Hello, I’m interested to learn that language, it sounds great the fact that you highlighted above entering into a new culture and literature community. If it is possible to contact me it would be great.
Best,
Thank you for your recommendations about how to write a professional mail.
It’s really useful and I promise to put in my attention.
I’m intrested if give any good information.
Dear Mr. Miniex I am requesting to get off work in 3 weeks and wanted to know if you had anyone else to fill the spot of my absence i have to go to my friends wedding and cant miss it because i am in it but thank you for taking the time to read this.
I learned a lot to read this Article .
Thanks! This was helpful. I was dreading sending an email and found this very useful.
so helpful
which ysin you are
I need to take a course in business writing and speaking
very nice…..
Very nice article. Really useful.
i want to learn more about mails detailly,kindly update me about how to send a mail and how to end mail everything,
Ride my first book true story about our life
Thank you sir for this 5 step.
Thank you, it helped me a lot
Cool
Hi Will ,
İ want to learn english.İ know but i need to process it.
İ want to write email with you Daily.
summarily; i need your help
This helped me a lot!! Thank you.
hello my name is mayara
i’am 16 years old i’am tunisia
i’am fan with you i love you so mush
Dear SONA,
THANKS FOR GETTING BACK TOO ME.
I was advised in university that when composing a professional, formal email, that it was a ‘faux pas’ to use “I am writing”, as it is obvious that one is, well, writing/typing?
The explanation my tutor gave, was that it was historically used, and considered a formal means of starting a letter, but is now redundant due to how obvious the context of the situation is?
this is great
Thank you very much Sir, this brief text has been very helpful to me.
I truly wish to become an effective writer one day, despite that I’m it takes me time to be satisfied with my results…
Hi
i want to learn English
Thanks
hi ,
this was really very to me. but the thing is can give an written example mail ah so that i cn get an idea of it.
Hey!
Great job!!! I liked your post I think this post is more useful for all.
It is very important to write an email with brief relevant content using simple words and phrases. There are a few rules that need to be followed to make it a perfect email. So this article is going to be very helpful for writing perfect emails for professional purposes.
Thank you for the update ,can I send you sample email to ferify my stuts
hello,
i want to learn more how to write email and more good in grammar.
Hi Dayanara,
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thanks for wonderful steps for learning
ok
hi
am Devesh here
Hi,
Thanks so much, it was very useful.
Thanks
appreciated!
This post is very important to me because you provide the best instruction which is very helpful to me. And it is really nice and great.
Great post!
it is very usefull
Thanks a lot, really this useful for me.
So nice, it was helpful
Anyone can learn typing by themselves but without proper guidance he might develop a bad habit such as typing using the wrong finger instead of the supposedly assigned finger to a key. Having the correct tutorials is the proper way to learn typing in a safe way. You can learn to efficiently and as fast as you like to be.
I enjoyed going to your webiste. I leave comments rarely, but
you definately up deserve a thumbs!
Thank you so much , it was very helpful
how improve English conversation
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Thanks
At this moment I am going away to do my breakfast, once having
my breakfast coming yet again to read additional
news.
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I love this site, thank you!
Thank you very much,
It was great information about E-mail writing, I have learned more things from your information….
Hi Inzer,
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it is very useful but you did not add some kind of emails
Hi Qudratullah,
Thanks for your positive feedback, you can find more examples here: https://bit.ly/2pRzjAO
Enjoy!
Awesome blog.Thanks for sharing this blog with us. This is so important blog and so helpful blog also to students.
I cant fully adress the meaningfull points regarding the subject am talking about
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Thanks
Awesome blog.it really helped me a lot.
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Thanks
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hello sir,
I teaching your English message. it is very heled me and I first time visited for this site so I decided to teach every knowledge for English message type. when you free please call me
regards,
Santosh
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i want to learn offical comuncation
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Dear Madam/Sir
Will due respected that there is a simple writing for a mail so you are requested that kindly practice the mail conversation with your friend then you will gain in writing mail.
it was really very helpful for me thank you and best regards shakur malik
Very helpful information
It was really helpful to me. Thank you.
thanks,this was very useful
thank you its really helpful to me
Dear Wil;
Thanks for helping as to flow your prilyant skills about emailing which is main part of our Busniss communication.
Best Regards;
Ali.
very well explained. keep it up.
thank you for your good advice.
you welcome
Dear Sir , Thanks for English Live Course , it is really Useful,
Best
Regards,
Abdul Majeed from Afghanistant
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am Arjun from Punjab.
I am really thankful to you for helping me by giving me some tips for Written a professional Mail and respond to someone on mail.
Yours faithfully
Arjun Singh
Hi Arjun,
Thanks for your positive feedback.
Please, feel free to sign up today and get a free 7-day trial: https://bit.ly/2LMDsTz
Cheers!
Dear EF English Live
I am from Bangladesh giving you lots of thanks for sharing your thought to write a professional mail.At this time,I am a BBA student and also a service provider in a Mapping organization in Bangladesh.For doing job in here have to maintain mailing everyday with my senior and colleagus also.In that time,I take help from different types of website to express them in very perfect way.
Thanks
Mahede Hasan
Dear Sir/Madam
My self Mujahid Saleem. i am from India . these five simple steps very helping steps.
Thank you so much
very good and easy thx
thanks for useful notes
Dear Will,
Im pleasure that you shared very important information about e-mail rules.
Best Regards
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I am Devesh.I am from Pakistan.
dear wil,
thanks for sharing of your very helpful information and looking forwards for more of it.
Thank you very much for your comment! If you want to know more about our courses please check our site: https://bit.ly/2BFCNj3
thanks for nice information you shared with us
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Dear Mr. Wil
what a simple and easy way you explain.
i really appreciate your job.
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this was great man nice work my quy! I LOVE IT
Dear Will
Thank you for sharing the information on email writing. I am Idah from Kenya i wish to advance my English language and learn professional email writing. I look forward for your hearing.
Best Regards.
Thank you very much for your comment! If you want to know more about our courses please check our site: https://bit.ly/2BFCNj3
Dear Wil
I would like to thank you for sharing with us the tips on how to write formal emails. My name is Elisia from Namibia and I would like to become a professional writer. This has been so far the best site for me.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for your comment! If you want to know more about our courses please check our site: https://bit.ly/2BFCNj3
Hi,
Can you please advise if the below email communication style is correct.
Dear XYZ,
Good afternoon. Body of the email…………………
Kind regards,
ABC
Dear sir/madam
thank you for your article.
if u can include a sample mail it will be
useful for us.
Dear Sir
Thank you for sharing such an useful information for professional Email.I have learned a lot of tips from this site.Still i am getting tips and information from your site.Its very heplfull to everyone to study and then write a good email without fear .
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Dear Sir/Madam my name is’s that I am Garone Kichorayaki. I is froms Japan.
I thank You from my bottom hart that these very simpel 5 stets will help me wright emeil in futur. Plz get back to me soon as You can as I request the helping froms yous.
I thank You again for helping Garone with emeil. Thank yous
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Dear Wil,
English is my first language, but alas, when writing to a company formally, unconfidence becomes such an immeasurable force that I questioned my own proficiency. With your article, I have regained my confidence in my language and sent my email.
I would like to study in English .I alway make to write grammar .Please,you can help with me .
Thank you very much for your comment! If you want to know more about our courses please check our site: https://bit.ly/2BFCNj3
I am from Bangladesh giving you lots of thanks for sharing your thought to write a professional mail.At this time,I am a Msc student and also a service provider in a Renaissance Group in Bangladesh.For doing job in here have to maintain mailing everyday with my senior and colleagues also.In that time,I take help from different types of website to express them in very perfect way.
Thanks
Badsha
You guys really help me out . I really need this information.
I really have fun reading the conversation with each of anyone here. I’ve accidentally clicked this page. I need to learn proper etiquette for writing emails and I’ve enjoy a lot of guys. It helps a lot.
Dear Will and all readers.
Thanks for being a part of this shared post which I can name it a useful post of all time. I will never regret visiting here and I am proud being a part of readers of this particular post.
Thanks once again for being here.
Hey very nihe blog!
It’s so perfect and so professional. I love it!. Thank you so much! I have learnt something from you.
Thank goodness for your website. Great information!
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging
on websites I stumbleupon every day. It’s always useful to read articles from other authors and use something from other websites.
thank you very much for five steps is useful to learn
Hmm it appears like your site ate my first comment (it was super long)
so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything.
Do you have any helpful hints for beginner blog writers?
I’d really appreciate it.
Dear friend
it was an interesting lesson for me. i have gained some latest information.
thanks
Raju
Can yyou tell us more about this? I’d love to find out some additional information.
i wana learn speak in english and write proper mails
Thank youu Wil <3 !
It’s quite informative points you have covered on the above subject. I will be looking forward to have some more relevant subjects.