How to Write and Properly Format Business Email Messages

Updated 31 July 2023

In this age of information technology innovations and inter-business messengers, email correspondence has emerged as a popular communication method for professionals and the business community. Whether you are a young professional, a seasoned manager, or simply trying to shine at your current job, it is important to know how to write and deliver professional email messages. Casual emails can be written and delivered in any way, but business emails follow a certain format that is easy to read and understand.

In this article, we will discuss business email formats and how to create them with some samples.

What Is A Business Email?

A business email is a method of communication for business, to establish relationships with partners, colleagues and sponsors. Unlike informal emails, business emails have a professional tone and will have your company name instead of the generic Yahoo or Gmail account. They are typically sent via your professional or company account. As anyone can create a generic email account, customers and other businesses find it difficult to trust generic addresses as legitimate business email accounts.

Components Of Business Email

While writing business emails, certain etiquettes need to be followed. Your email should contain these sections to make a great impression on the recipient.

1. Subject line

The subject line is one of the most important parts of the email, particularly in the case of cold emails and for establishing professional relationships, as it entices people to open the message by indicating what is included. The subject line should be short, simple, specific, and to the point. It should precisely convey your purpose for writing the email.

Some examples of good subject lines are as follows:

Sales Data for August 2020
Marketing Budget, September 2020
List of New Recruits
Advertisement for the Post of Sales Manager
Resignation Letter
Meeting on Marketing Budget at 5 PM
Contract Agreement - ABC Assignment

2. Salutation/greeting

Start your email with a greeting. If you know the name of the person, include it. For people, you are unfamiliar with or do not know the names, use 'Dear Sir/Madam' or 'To Whom It May Concern'.

For senior officials, mention their designation or follow it with their name, for example, 'To the General Manager', 'Dear Dr. Ahmed', or 'Dear Ms. Chawla'.

In the case of colleagues, you can simply precede the name with a 'Hi'.

Always be respectful even if you are writing a very short email, do not omit the salutation. Do not use surnames, nicknames or first names in a business email.

3. Body of your email

The body of your business email is the main part since it contains your message. The opening paragraph should define the reason for your email. If the recipient is unknown, introduce yourself and explain why you are writing to them.

For example, you can start with 'My name is Sanjay. This is concerning the finance budget as discussed in the meeting.'

Explain your point, concern, or response as broadly as possible. Your communication should be in an easy-to-understand way, at the same time be precise and say only what is required.

4. Closing of your email

Just as you started the email on a high note with greetings, end it on a friendly note.

Conclude your email with a call to action, a friendly and professional closing remark and your email signature. The call to action can be a question or a simple statement such as 'Please respond' or “Please let me know if you have any further questions and thank you for considering…”. Use an email signature containing your contact information, website, or any other information you would like the recipient to know. For recipients, you know very well, you may just put your first name. To make your signature more effective, you may design an attractive template.

5. Revise and send

Every email is an opportunity for professional growth, so revision is a must to avoid unintentional mistakes. It will make it more precise and error-free. Send your email to all the concerned parties. If the email has multiple recipients and is private, use the BCC address line.

Email Format Editing Tips

While editing your email check the following things:

Spelling and grammar are correct.
The email is not extremely long and/or vague.
The email recipient's address is correct.
There is no repetition.
All necessary documents you mentioned are attached.
No robotic language
Emoticons are not there in a professional/business email
The subject line is short, precise, and conveys the message of the email.
The purpose and expectations are communicated in the body of the email.

Ensure that your message is complete. Double-check to make sure that the subject line of your email is filled in, you are sending the message to the right contact person and you have included a signature.

Email Format Template

You can use this template for your business email.

Subject: Meet at [place or event name], requested reports

Salutation: [Greeting + recipient name],

[intro] Give your introduction or remind the recipient how you met. Thereafter, include (purpose), i.e. the reason for your writing in 2 to 3 sentences. [Call to action] Conclude with a request to the recipient for action, i.e. ask for a meeting or respond to a question.

[closing],

[email signature]

[Name]

[business]

[business address]

[preferred phone]

[website or other contacts]

Business Email Sample

Here are a few examples of business/professional email letters.

Email sample 1: Resignation

Subject Line: Resignation – Sanjay Singh

Dear Mr. Mazumdar,

I am writing to submit my resignation from my position as a sales manager at Fair Deals, effective August 10, 2020.

I am grateful for all your support and cooperation over the past six years. Working here has been an enriching experience in teamwork, sales management and getting the job done. I will miss working with you all and hope we will be in touch.

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance during the transition.

Sincerely,

Sanjay Singh

Sanjaysingh@email.com

Phone Number: 9424117321 (M)

Tips: Do not express displeasure or criticise the company for leaving the job

Email sample 2: A response to a query/complaint

Subject Line: Response to a query/complaint

Dear Ramesh Singh,

I would like to apologise on behalf of Ahuja Motors for the disappointment caused to you. We are sorry to know that the replaced auto parts were of substandard quality. I must admit that our quality teams should have examined the parts before the replacement. We have forwarded your complaint to the concerned department and action is being taken to remedy the situation.

Our technical team will contact you soon to ensure that the replacement parts are of high quality and meet your expectations. We hope you will accept our gesture of apology.

I want to clarify that customer satisfaction is our top priority and we want to assure you that this type of issue will not happen again. We cherish your business relationship with us and we want to carry our professional relationship forward.

If you have any queries, please contact me directly or any member of our Customer Service team.

Yours Sincerely,

Manoj Pathak

Phone Number: 7982117634 (M)

General Manager, Ahuja Motors

Tip: While dealing with complaints and grievances, always keep your tone friendly and reassuring to win the loyalty of the customer. In your email, do not counter-question the sender.

Email sample 3: A complaint

Subject: Gender Discrimination Complaint in the Office

Dear Mrs./Mr. Singh,

This is to bring to your attention an instance of gender discrimination in the office. I was due for a meeting with officials of the sales department this month and to my astonishment, I found that my name was dropped from the list at the last minute. In a conversation with Mr. Sanjay Singh on 7th August about it, I was told that the decision was taken because they thought being a woman I might have a soft corner for the client which is a women's formal wear company and that “it was best that negotiations be left to the men”.

I have worked diligently at Madhuri Fabrics for the last 10 years. Given the reputation of Madhuri Fabrics as a female-friendly and discrimination-free workplace, I am shocked at being treated in this manner.

I have raised this issue privately with Mr. Sanjay Singh in the past but failed to receive an explanation or satisfactory response. I wish to pursue this discrimination issue with an official complaint about an appropriate resolution with the help of Human Resources and other members of management.

Hoping to see a resolution to this matter at the earliest.

Amita Bhattacharya

Phone Number: 7952310456 (M)

Madhuri Fabrics

Tip: Formal complaints can be strongly worded within the parameters of professionalism. While expressing your grievances, make sure your email does not look dramatic or improper. It is important to express your displeasure as clearly as possible, in a short and decent manner.