How to start an email (with examples)
How to start an email (formal & informal), and the dos and don'ts of email greetings.
How to start an email: quick summary
When starting an email the first step is to choose a greeting. The email greeting can be formal or casual depending on who the recipient is and the purpose of the email. After the greeting, you will need to write an opening line.
- Choose a greeting
- Safe and Formal: Dear name,
- Casual and friendly: Hello name, or Hi name,
- Choose an opening line
- Most used and professional: I hope this email finds you well
- To the point: I’m reaching out to you because…
- To express gratitude: Thanks for…
Extra Tip: Avoid gender-specific pronouns if you uncertain how the receiving party will react: Hey Guys, Dear Ladies.
Detailed guide
As email writing continues to become an integrated part of our daily life and one of the most common forms of written communication, starting your message with an appropriate email greeting and opening line is vital. The beginning of the email sets the tone, shows professionalism, and encourages the recipient to continue reading. Maybe you are wondering how to start an email to a teacher, how to start an email to a professor, or maybe you’re looking for the most common professional email greetings. In this detailed guide, we look at how to start the email, greeting and opening line examples, and what to avoid when starting an email.
What to consider before you start writing an email
Before you dive into writing the email, you should always consider who you’re emailing, and what their preferred pronoun is.
- The audience matters
Your email greeting should be chosen according to your audience. If you’re sending an email to a colleague you’ve known for a long time, you could use a more relaxed greeting. This is different from an email for a job application or to a professor where you would want the greeting to be professional and formal.
Remember, the greeting changes depending on whether you’re greeting a single person, a few, or a group of people.
Also check Tuta’s guide to writing professional emails.
- Check names and pronouns
When addressing the recipient it’s important to spell their name correctly. In addition to getting their name right, it’s just as important to use the appropriate gender pronouns. When it comes to formal email writing, we usually use “Mr.” “Ms.” or “Mrs.” together with their last name – but only if you know their preferred pronouns.
If you don’t know the recipient’s gender pronouns, it is best to address them using their full name. For example: Dear Lora Huges. This avoids any unnecessary mistakes, shows respect, and attention to detail.
How to start an email
The start of every email should always have a greeting followed by an opening line.
The greeting / salutation
The email greeting opening should be the very first line of the email. The email greeting is dependent on who you’re writing to, your relationship with them, and the reason for writing to them. Continue reading to see our email greeting lines – we’ve put together a list of the most common, and safe email greetings for different scenarios.
Email greetings when writing to one or two recipients
- Dear name,
If you’d like to start off your email professionally, a safe option is to use “Dear” as the greeting. It’s a well-recognized email salutation, that’s used around the world when you want to sound professional and formal. “Dear” is a safe email greeting for a cover letter, a business letter, or any situation requiring professionalism.
• Dear Mr. Hutter,
• Dear Ashley Whyte,
- Hello name, or Hi name,
“Hello” and “Hi” are two common email greetings that vary in formality. Greeting a recipient with “Hi” is informal and widely used between colleagues or people who know each other. “Hello” on the other hand, is a bit more formal. While “Hello” isn’t extremely formal, it’s considered to be a widely accepted email greeting that is friendly and straightforward. If you’re wondering how to start an email to a teacher or a professor, a friendly and straightforward “Hello,” along with their name would be appropriate.
• Hi Ms. Brown,
• Hello Prof. Huges,
Recommended for further reading: Our guide on how to end an email.
When choosing the email greeting, a safe formal greeting is “Dear Name / Team / Colleagues” or you can go for a more casual “Hello” or “Hi”.
Email greetings for addressing a team or group of more than two recipients
- Hi Team, Hello Everyone, Dear Colleagues,
When starting an email intended for more than two people, a team, or a group, there are a few email greetings that are informal, but widely used and accepted for emails with multiple recipients. A friendly “Hi” or “Hello” followed by “team”, “everyone” or using the department name will pass. If you want to be more formal when addressing your work colleagues, a simple “Dear Colleagues,” is appropriate.
• Dear Colleagues / Team,
• Hi Team / Everyone,
• Hello Team / Everyone,
Tip: When you address a group of people you don’t know well, avoid gender-specific addresses like Ladies, Guys, or Gentlemen.
The opening line
After you’ve chosen the appropriate greeting, you need to write your opening line. This is also referred to as the opening phrase or opening sentence. The opening line sets the tone and should also catch the recipient’s attention. Like the greeting, when choosing the best opening line, you must consider who the recipient is, your relationship with them, and the intent of the email.
Now that you have the perfect email greeting, take a look at the email opening sentence examples below.
Examples of email opening sentences
- I hope this email finds you well
This is possibly the most used opening line when sending formal emails. This is an old-fashioned, formal opening line that’s widely used – you could play it safe and use this if you want to be formal and professional.
Other professional and polite opening lines include:
• I hope your week is going well / smoothly.
• I hope you are doing well.
- I’m reaching out to you because…
The opening line is direct and to the point. Starting the email with “I’m reaching out to you because” is direct, and it clarifies the purpose of your email. When you state your intent in the opening line, you avoid confusion by telling the recipient the purpose of the mail.
Other direct opening lines include:
• I’m reaching out about / to let you know…
• I’m writing to let you know / inform you that…
• I’m emailing you to…
- Thank you for…
Another great opening line is to express gratitude. If you’re writing an email in response to the recipient’s actions or deeds, starting the email with a polite, “thank you” always goes a long way.
Other common ways to express gratitude in opening lines include:
• Thanks for…
• I appreciate your help / the update.
• Thank you for the quick response.
”I hope this email finds you well” is one of the most common email opening lines but to be more direct and to the point, there are better opening lines. For example, “I’m reaching out about…” or “I’m emailing you to let you know…”.
What to avoid when starting an email
Now that you’ve covered how to start an email, looked at appropriate greetings and opening lines, it’s important to be aware of what you should avoid when starting an email.
Greetings to avoid
• To Whom It May Concern
• Dear Sir or Madam
• No greeting at all
We recommend avoiding the use of “To Whom It May Concern” and “Dear Sir or Madam”. These are two examples of overly impersonal greetings, that show the recipient you’re not sure who you’re contacting. If you can’t find the recipient’s name, always do some research and at least try to get their job title. For example, “Dear Head of Marketing” would be better than “Dear Mister”.
Opening lines you should avoid
The opening line should be effective, catch the recipient’s attention, and encourage them to continue reading. The opening sentence also sets the tone for the rest of the email, so it’s super important to choose one that’s appropriate and relevant to the intent of the email.
List of opening lines you should avoid:
• I know you’re busy but…
• Let me introduce myself…
• Please could you do me a favor?
The greeting and opening line are the first thing the recipient reads as they open the email. We recommend avoiding using the greeting, “To Whom it May Concern” which is overused and impersonal, or annoying opening lines like, “I know you’re busy but…”.
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