Guide To Email Writing Format In English (With Tips)

Indeed Editorial Team

Updated 29 November 2022

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

Email is a popular business communication method that is fast, inexpensive, accessible and easily duplicated. The use of email can be of significant benefit to businesses since it offers an effective means of transmitting all kinds of electronic data. Not only does it allow for an immediate response, but it tracks all outbound and inbound communications and provides invaluable marketing opportunities. In this article, we learn about the email writing format in English and review some helpful tips for crafting an effective email.

Related: How To Write A Formal Email (With Steps And Example)

Learn About Email Writing Format In English

By learning the email writing format in English, you can identify your online presence and your business, streamline communication with people and maximise the return on investment. With the volume of emails people send and receive every day, it is important to understand the finer points of writing emails in a clear, concise and effective manner. Here are five elements to include in an email format:

Subject line

An email's subject line is a single line of text that your readers first view when they receive it. It is one of the important elements of your emails and can have a powerful impact on your targeted readers. An email pre-header can follow subject lines, which previews the content of your email. Here are some pointers to write the subject lines for your emails:

  • Keep your email subject short, concise and limited to 40 characters.

  • Make your subject lines personalised for specific readers.

  • Know your audience prior to drafting the email and subject line.

  • Avoid spam words in your email subject.

Examples of subject lines include:

  • Improve your SEO strategy with our customised tools.

  • Get priority access to November's premium content.

  • Happy weekend + Freebies!

Related: 20 Ways To Start An Email

Salutation

The salutation of an email depends on the content and context of the message, the relationship with the addressee and the culture of the business or service. A salutation from an official email resembles a salutation from a letter. When you write to unknown recipients, you may put To whom it may concern when applying for a job, you can address the person through Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Sir or Madam. For a formal greeting, avoid using the recipient's first name or the informal greetings Hello or Hey.

Related: Salutation Examples For Professional Letters And Emails

Body paragraphs

The body of the email is where you fully develop your reason for sending it. It is important that you structure the body to convey the message clearly and without the need for clarifications. The first sentence of the body defines and gives a direction to the information to follow. A good way to write the body is to enhance the idea in paragraphs. Here are some examples of body paragraphs you can follow:

When acknowledging someone for their work:

Hi Roshan,

Thank you so much for reaching out to me for the IP project. It has been such a pleasure working with you and I look forward to the next opportunity to work together again.

If you have any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best regards,

Shruti

When scheduling a meeting:

Dear Iti,

I hope this mail finds you well. I am writing this mail to schedule a meeting concerning the HP sales deck. If it is convenient, I would suggest a meeting at JP Hall at 7 pm, on Friday. The meeting also involves discussions about upselling campaigns, new deliverables, lead conversion and sales analytics.

Kindly confirm your availability and preference if this works for you.

Regards,

Silvee

Related: Job Application Email: Writing Tips And Examples

Closing

Email closings are important as your email involves prospects, partners and customers of your network. It is important to keep most email closures, especially business emails, short and concise. By taking into account the context of the email, you can find the right way to close it. Here are some examples of closing you can consider:

For formal business:

Regards

Best wishes

Sincerely

Cordially

With sincere appreciation

Thank you for the opportunity

For informal business:

Cheers

Best

Related: How To End An Email (With Tips, Steps And Examples)

Signature

An email signature is a personalised block of text at the end of an email, which can include contact information and personal or professional branding. An efficient email signature can make a significant difference to your readers, impacting the reading and response rates. In addition, it serves a broad range of objectives, such as:

  • Building a positive association with yourself and your company

  • Showing professional courtesy

  • Generating leads

  • Generating traffic to your website and social media

  • Increasing brand awareness

Here is an example of an email signature:

Shreya Mishra

Sales manager | IBF Marketing Solutions

Phone: 123-322-1550

Website: yourbusiness@email.com

Template for an effective email format

Here is a template to capture the important elements of an email to help you write yours:

Subject line of the email message: New event - Your name

Salutation: Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name

First paragraph:

I hope you are doing good. You are invited to [event name] on [insert date, time and location] to learn from industry experts in [provide how you can be of value here]. This is a special event for our valued customers.

Middle paragraph:

We will be discussing [describe specific aspects of the events]. Meanwhile, you can fill out the form on our website to book your seat.

Final paragraph:

I look forward to your participation in the event.

Closing:

Sincerely,

Your Name

Email signature:

FirstName LastName

Phone

Business email address

Example Of An Email

Here is an example to capture the important elements of an email to help you write yours:

Hi Roohi,

We want to take the opportunity to thank you for choosing Amri Labs as your provider of nutritional supplements. We are proud of our satisfied clientele and look forward to meeting your nutritional requirements through our quality-assured and responsibly sourced products.

You will be getting a call soon from your account representative, but if you have any questions in the meantime, you can respond to this email or call us at 555-333-999.

We have a 10% off on all our HeartHealth supplements sitewide till 26th December. Do take a look around and be sure to share with your friends through our refer-a-friend scheme.

Thank you for trusting us.

Best,

Amri Labs

Tips To Enhance The Email Writing Format

Emails are great for communicating important information and reaching out to coworkers, employers and existing and future customers. By following the right format, you can help increase customer retention and improve your online presence. Here are some tips that you can follow to enhance the email writing format:

Focus on font and font size

The choice of font represents the central idea of your business and impacts your brand presence and engagement. Most email providers support fonts like Arial, Courier New, Georgia and Helvetica for both personal and professional purposes. The same goes for font size, where you can choose the ranges: 22-28 pixels, 14-18 pixels and 1.4-1.5 for your header, body text and line-height to improve readability.

Have a call-to-action

A call-to-action (CTA) is a line of text that prompts a response from your readers. It is a good idea to add a CTA where you have communicated with multiple professional contacts in your email and it requires action such as attending an event, scheduling a demo or downloading collateral. You can also include a deadline if the response is time-sensitive.

Make use of CC and BCC fields

Using email functions like a carbon copy (CC) and blind carbon copy (BCC) while sending out emails reflects good email etiquette. Use CC when you want to include secondary contacts or add them to an email thread. You can use the BCC field while adding multiple contacts without revealing their respective email addresses to your recipients, such as sending newsletters or marketing emails.

Proofread and edit

Proofreading your emails before sending them can help remove tone inconsistencies, grammar and spelling errors, emoticons, misspelt names and improper pleasantries. Always proofread and edit to make the content of your email scannable and easy to navigate. Avoid long phrases, unwanted jargon and improper pronouns to maintain the right tone and clarity.

Choose the right colours

Most businesses have their own brand colours their readers can associate with easily. By familiarising yourself with the target readers, you can choose appropriate colours to improve text visibility, engagement and response rates. It is good to avoid bright colours such as magenta, especially for formal emails.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are associated with Indeed.

Related:

  • How To Write a Professional Email: A Complete Guide

  • Email Writing Skills: Importance And How To Improve Them

  • Proofreader Skills: Definition, Example And How To Improve

  • Dear Sir or Madam: Best Use and Alternatives

  • Job Application Email: Writing Tips And Examples

  • Best Regards and Other Alternatives To Use When Closing an Email


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