8 Tips for Writing a Professional Email

There are times you’ll have to email someone who you think of as an authority figure—whether this is a teacher or someone you are contacting about a summer internship or a job. It’s taken time and practice for me to develop my own voice and to feel confident in my ability to communicate with people I look up to. Here are a few strategies I’ve learned through experience.

These tips work great for emails but can also be useful for in-person conversations and even texting!

1.

To begin your message, “Hi!” is almost always a safe bet. This can be especially helpful if you don’t know the person’s title or which pronouns they prefer. “Dear” followed by the recipient’s title and last name (or just the first name if you know the recipient well) is a more formal option.

2.

Refresh their memory. If you’re reaching out to someone who may not immediately recognize your name,

3.

Share some relevant information about yourself to help make your message memorable and unique.

4.

It’s okay to let your personality shine through in writing—in fact, I recommend it! If I’m having a hard time thinking of how to phrase something, I imagine myself saying the sentences aloud with a smile on my face. It helps me remember that there’s an actual person on the other end reading what I write.

5.

Consider including your phone number at the end of an email. Some people prefer calling or texting and may want to reply that way.

6.

Be thankful and gracious. With any form of communication, it’s always a good idea to be kind! I usually end my emails with a “thank you” before signing my name, but it’s great to throw in a more specific thank you somewhere earlier in the message as well.

7.

Proofread your message. Edit your message to correct any spelling or grammar mistakes. At this stage, I usually change some words or phrases slightly to make my writing sound more polished. Just as you want your personality to be conveyed in the message, you also want to demonstrate your intelligence and professionalism! The mistake I personally make often is using too many exclamation points, so when I edit my messages, I typically take a few out and replace them with periods.

8.

Sleep on it. I usually don’t send the message immediately, even if it feels finished. I leave it unsent overnight and reread it the next day to make sure I’m still happy with the way it sounds. As a final check, it can be helpful to ask yourself: Would I be proud to show this to other people?

Try some of these strategies and let us know how they work for you! As always, you can find us at @GeauxGirlMag on Twitter or @GeauxGirlMagazine on Instagram.

Madeline Janney is a speech-language pathologist working primarily with adults who have had strokes or traumatic brain injuries. On the rare occasions she isn’t talking (because of both her job and her personality), she enjoys thrift shopping, listening to live music, reading books for her book clubs, and obsessing over everything New Orleans. She is a graduate of Archbishop Chapelle High School, Loyola University New Orleans, and Southeastern Louisiana University.