The way you compose your emails can have a huge effect on the way your colleagues and clients perceive you, so knowing how to fine-tune your business email writing format can transform your professional image.
Since office workers can spend up to 8.8 hours per week on their emails, getting to grips with the basics and being able to follow the layout of a professional business email will mean that writing quality emails will become second nature.
In this article, we will discuss some of the psychological impacts of different email behaviours and ways you can use these to improve your own business emails. We’ll then provide you with our very own professional business email format template which you can try out for yourself.
The Psychology Behind a Successful Business Email Format
Since an email relies solely on written language, the business email writing format you choose has a big impact. Unlike the body language that comes alongside physical conversations or the tone of voice that sets the mood of a phone call, email communication makes it easier for people to misinterpret messages or read an email as abrupt or rude when it was not intended to be.
Credibility is another big factor that subconsciously contributes to the reader’s opinion. If your email is sent from a reputable business email address that shows your tie to the company, it instantly appears more professional than an email address that uses a generic domain or a random assortment of numbers. Having a professional domain makes recipients much more likely to trust in you and acknowledge what you have to say.
Once the reader clicks on the email, the level of personalisation you have included will impact the type of response you receive. If you have made an effort to greet the recipient by name and include details that are specific to their role, they will psychologically feel more compelled to spend more time addressing the email. This is why sending out mass emails with more generic messaging tends to be less effective.
Another key factor in the psychology of a business email format is the way criticisms are managed. If you were to start off an email with negativity and personal comments, the recipient is bound to feel uncomfortable or defensive, and this can harm your working relationships. Instead, approaching the message in a more constructive manner can lead to a better result.
How to Improve Your Business Email Writing Format
Once you get the hang of writing quality emails, your professional image can improve the way recipients receive and respond to your emails.
There are a few basic strategies that can be implemented to instantly improve your writing based on psychological behaviours. Let’s discuss some of the main ones.
- Know your numbers.The subject line you choose to use will be the first thing the recipient sees, so it needs to have an impact. To ensure it doesn’t get cut off at the edge of the screen in a user’s inbox, keep it within 50 characters. It is also a good practice to make sure the main message is visible within the first 33 characters, as this tends to be the cut-off for those checking their emails from a mobile device.
- Match the recipient’s style. Before you start writing up your email, ask yourself what they are going to want to see. If you know that your client tends to reply in a chatty tone, then you can adopt a more casual approach, or if you know that the colleague you are reaching out to is tough to get hold of, keep it concise and make it clear what you need.
- Get straight to the main point. Many people fall into the trap of feeling like professional emails have to include plenty of polite niceties and unnecessary information, but this can have the opposite effect. An email that is too long can appear more complex than it actually is and result in the reader either putting it off until a later date or overlooking necessary action points.
- Use positive language. One of the best psychological tricks is to approach emails with positivity. Instead of telling the recipient that they’re holding up the project or that the results are weaker than expected, use more positive language to explain how valuable their help will be or detail what learnings can be taken to do better next time.
- Keep to one request per email. Removing excessive choices is an effective way to get a higher quality response as it is a much less overwhelming approach. By focusing on one task at a time and making it super clear what is needed from your recipient, you can reduce the need for as much back-and-forth and avoid unnecessary complexity.
The Ultimate Professional Business Email Format Template
Knowing the psychology behind formal emails is one thing, but putting it into practice is another.
To help you get started, we’ve pulled together a professional business email format template that can be used as a guide when you are drafting an email of your own.
Subject line
Summarise the email in a few words that show the reader what they can expect. It should also be easy to find if they need to revisit the email chain at a later stage.
For example:
Follow-up notes from this morning’s project meeting
March invoice attached
We have a new draft for you to review
Greeting
Open up the email with a greeting that best suits the relationship between you and the recipient, considering the level of formality that is needed.
For example:
Dear Sir/Madam,
Hello [name],
Hi Team/All,
Intro (if needed)
If you have not met the recipient and are reaching out for the first time, it is good practice to start the email with a short introduction of who you are.
For example:
I’m [name], the [job title] here at [company name].
I’m reaching out as a colleague of [colleague's name] to help with [project description].
In practice, this could look like:
I’m Ian Lawson, the founder of Slickplan - a platform used to plan and structure website projects and workflows.
Email summary
To ensure the main purpose of your email doesn’t get lost or misinterpreted by those who are in a rush and quickly skimming through their emails, make sure it is immediately obvious what the nature of the email is.
For example:
I wanted to give you a quick update on the project status.
The next design is now ready for your review.
Payment is now required for the period [date] to [date].
Key information
At this point, you can add the main body of text and provide all of the necessary information. If there is a lot to cover, it is a good idea to use bullet points or highlight key details in bold.
Action points
To ensure the recipient knows what is needed for them, it is a good idea to wrap up the email with a short summary of the action that is needed.
For example:
Please can you confirm your availability for the week commencing [date]?
I look forward to receiving your feedback on this.
Could you please get back to me with an update on the project’s progress?
Sign off
There are various ways that you can choose to finish your email, and like the greeting, it will depend on the level of formality your email needs to include.
For example:
Kind regards,
Many thanks,
Speak soon!
Email signature
Setting up a signature which automatically sits at the bottom of your emails will create a professional appearance and provide instant access to your contact information.
For example:
[Full name]
[Job title, company name]
Phone number: [phone number and country code]
Email: [email address]
Address: [business address]
[Relevant hyperlinked social media icons]
Getting Started With Your New Business Email Format
Using a professional writing style when sending emails can have more impact than you may have initially realised.
Since so many business conversations happen through email nowadays, the tone of voice you use is a big contributor towards people’s first impression of you.
By putting more thought into your business email format and considering how your message could be perceived from behind the screen, you can strengthen your working relationships and help facilitate more productive conversations.