Let’s play a game of trivia. What’s the number one online activity? If you guessed “search”, you’re wrong. “Social media?”, wrong again. The correct answer is “to check emails”. In a 2020 survey, 86% of respondents answered that checking their email was the number one activity they did on the Internet.
The result of the survey wasn’t surprising because email is an efficient method of communication. Email is delivered fast, presents more detail than text, can be sent out to groups, files can be attached, and it’s free.
For these reasons, email has become the preferred medium of communication in business. But your email – the way it’s structured and composed – can make or break a business deal.
If you think email is just as simple as writing a letter for regular mail, then the way you’re composing emails today could be putting off business opportunities in the future.
In this article, we’ll teach you how to write an email that will deliver the desired result. Our approach is simple but effective!
Why Writing A Good Email Matters For Your Business
Writing a good email is good for your business because it can articulate and establish clear communication that could reduce the risk of making mistakes due to a misunderstanding.
In most cases, email is your first point of contact with a prospective client. You want to make a strong first impression on the prospect. Sending out a well-structured and effectively written email is a great starting point.
Think about the time you received a poorly-written email from someone who wanted to offer his services to your company.
You couldn’t make heads or tails about its message because the ideas were disorganized, the content lacked detail, the grammar was atrocious, and you were put off by the errors in spelling.
What would be your first impression of the sender? You might offer the courtesy of a response but the chances of exploring the proposal would be slim.
On the other hand, if you received a well-crafted email from a competing service provider that created a favorable impression, you’d be more enticed to learn about the proposal.
The clients you’re pursuing to close opportunities for your business are likely to think the same way. If the email doesn’t create a good impression, it might cause you to lose the opportunity to a competitor.
You might be thinking, “Is writing a good email really such a big deal?”
Our point is – don’t take chances. And yes, writing a good email IS a big deal.
When going after business opportunities, don’t get sloppy. Cover all the bases and give your best effort in showing the prospect that you want the business. That includes sending a good, well-written, and properly structured email.
The 6 Key Sections Of An Email
There are 347 billion emails sent out every day. In 2025, this number is projected to increase to 376 billion. With such a high volume of communication flowing in and out of inboxes, it’s important to send an email that will capture the attention of the recipient.
In your inbox, you probably receive more than 5 emails per day. Do you read all of them? Like most busy people, you want to remain productive and spend as little time as possible going through email.
You’ll only click emails from people you know or if the subject and preheader pique your interest.
The “people you know” is the Sender. It’s the first key section of an email. The Subject and the Preheader are an email’s next 2 important sections. The last 3 key sections are the Salutations, the Body, and the Call-to-Action (CTA).
Let’s describe each of the 6 sections briefly.
1. Sender – The name of the sender appears first in your inbox so you’ll know right away if the person is someone you’re familiar with.
When customizing your email settings, make sure you state the name of your company as the sender of emails. In this day and age of phishing expeditions, you want the recipient to be at ease when he comes across your email.
2. Subject Line – It may come in second among an email’s key sections, but it might well be the most important. If your subject line isn’t interesting or compelling, the recipient, even if he knows you, might not open your email right away.
3. Preheader – The preheader is a sentence or statement that describes what your email is all about and is often described as the companion of the subject line.
If you’re using Gmail, the subject line appears in boldface and the preheader that follows after isn’t.
4. Salutations – The salutation is your greeting and sets the tone of your email. Although email is primarily used for business, keep in mind that you want to establish a relationship with the recipient. Salutations that are too formal might come across as serious or impersonal.
5. The Body – The body provides the details of the email. If your email has gotten this far, its content will become the deal-maker or deal-breaker. This is where several email senders make costly mistakes.
If the body doesn’t have value for the recipient, he won’t explore your content further.
6. Call-to-Action – Many email writers forget to include a CTA. What do you want the recipient to do next? Do you want him to click on the link? Do you want him to view the attachments and get back to you in 24 hours? Your CTA must be strong and stern but concise.
For your email to deliver the intended result, these key sections must come together and produce a sense of “flow” whereby the content of one section seamlessly connects to the next one.
10 Tips On How To Write An Email That Delivers Results
The next email you send could potentially change the course of your business – for better or worse. That’s why you need to take your time when composing an email. Once you send an email out, you won’t be able to get it back.
Here are some valuable tips that you should keep in mind before writing an email.
1. Get in the Right Frame of Mind
If the email has game-changing implications, it could make you nervous, anxious, excited, or all of the above. Your emotions might get the best of you and overcome rational thought.
How can you filter out the emotions so you can keep your mind clear?
- Have a Cup of Coffee. A cup of freshly brewed coffee has enough caffeine to improve concentration, increase alertness, moderate depression, enhance a positive mindset, and put you in a relaxed state.
- Exercise. Sweat out your stress and get your blood circulating throughout your body. Exercise releases mood-enhancing endorphins, wakes you up and improves cognition.
- Sleep On It. If you’re not ready to write the email because you’re stressed out and tired, pack it in and go to sleep. You’ll wake up feeling more refreshed and clear-headed. Have that cup of coffee and you’re good to go!
We’ve heard it before. Time is money. Time is opportunity. Someone might beat you to the punch while you’re nursing a cup of coffee, running on a treadmill, or sleeping.
Yes, that’s possible. But what’s certain is that if you’re not in the right frame of mind before writing an email, you won’t be sending one that will deliver your desired result.
2. Confirm the Details of the Email Address
It’s possible that the email address of your intended recipient has changed. Perhaps the person you communicated with before is no longer connected with the company.
Take some time to confirm the details of the email address. These details include:
- Official company email address
- Complete name
- Proper designation/company position
You can confirm the email address through various channels.
- Send an initial email with the subject line “Confirming email address of company contact person”.
- Call the office of the recipient. If you don’t want to preempt the email with a preliminary email, call up the office of the recipient and confirm the official email address of the company’s designated representative.
- Use Live Chat. If the recipient has a live chat feature on his website or the company has Messenger, post a message. You might get an immediate response from a chat support agent.
In business, try to mitigate as many risk factors as you can. Assumptions can lead to costly mistakes. Don’t take unnecessary chances and confirm the details of the email’s recipient.
3. Compose a Clear and Concise Subject Line
Your recipient’s inbox must be loaded with unopened messages. He doesn’t like perusing through messages because it’s not productive time. Like you, he’ll notice emails from people he knows but will prioritize the ones that seem urgent.
The subject line must answer the question, “why should I read your email?” The answer must be presented as a clear and concise subject line. Don’t beat around the bush. Be direct. What’s the email about?
Here are examples of effective subject lines:
- Quotation for Landscaping Services
- Interested in Buying Office Equipment
- Prospective Buyer For Your Property
- Applying for Technical Writer Position
- Available Open Dates for Your Stay
When you read these subject lines, you know right away what the email will be about. The subject lines are descriptive but kept short and direct to the point.
4. Write a Compelling Preheader
Now that you’ve hooked the recipient’s attention with your subject line, it’s time to reel him in with a compelling preheader.
Using the subject line examples above, their preheaders should read as follows:
- Quotation for Landscaping Services – 20 years experience and very competitive rates
- Interested in Buying Office Equipment – Secured US$250k funding for a startup company
- Prospective Buyer For Your Property – Strong inquiry on your 440 sqm property in Hillsborough
- Applying for Technical Writer Position – Credentialed in Dow Theory and Fibonacci Ratios with 10 years experience in the equities market
- Available Open Dates for Your Stay – Immediate response required as rooms are booked within 24 hours
If your email carrier has a feature that allows you to create a preheader, use it. As you’ve read, a good preheader can compel the recipient to act right away.
5. Begin with an Appropriate Salutation
It’s important that you give the appropriate salutation because it sets the tone for the rest of the email.
The most common greetings are:
- Dear Sir
- Dear Ma’am
- To Whom It May Concern
- Hi
- Hello
- Hello All
- Good morning
- Good afternoon
While these greetings are generally acceptable, it would be a better idea to go the personalized route:
- Dear Mr. Randell
- Dear Ms. Thompson
- Dear Dr. Charleston
- Hi Eng. Hartfield
- Hello Arch. Young
- Hello to the Sales team of Bradford Retailers
- Good afternoon Messrs. Winston and Taylor
The recipient will appreciate it more if the greeting was addressed to him directly because it won’t come across as generic. Likewise, if you’re addressing a professional or credentialed person, it’s only appropriate to greet him with the right title.
6. Get to the Point in the First Paragraph
More people are likely to skim emails than to read them word for word. According to Statista, in 2021, people only spent 10 seconds reading an email compared to 13.4 seconds in 2018.
10 seconds isn’t a lot of time. You have to get the job done in the first paragraph by following our 3 rules:
- Use the first sentence to get to the point. Let’s use one of the examples above:
Subject Line: Prospective Buyer For Your Property
strong inquiry on your 440sqm property at Hillsborough
Dear Eng. Hartfield,
I have a qualified buyer who’s interested in purchasing your Hillsborough property at your indicated price of US$1.5M.
- The second sentence should provide more details:
Dear Eng. Hartfield,
I have a qualified buyer who’s interested in purchasing your Hillsborough property at your indicated price of US$1.5M. His name is Charles Robbins, he owns the Robbins Retail chain of department stores.
- The third sentence can indicate a CTA:
Dear Eng. Hartfield,
I have a qualified buyer who’s interested in purchasing your Hillsborough property at your indicated price of US$1.5M. His name is Charles Robbins, he owns the Robbins Retail chain of department stores. Mr. Robbins wants to meet with you at the property on September 27 at 10:00 am.
The first paragraph is short but the 3 sentences tell everything the recipient needs to know to consider the email important.
7. Trim Off the Fat from the Body
The body of the email must summarize the key points of your email. Again, being concise is important. You can keep the body lean and mean by organizing the details in bullet point format.
Dear Eng. Hartfield,
I have a qualified buyer who’s interested in purchasing your Hillsborough property at your indicated price of US$1.5M. His name is Charles Robbins, he owns the Robbins Retail chain of department stores. Mr. Robbins wants to meet with you at the property on 27 September, 10:00 am.
Mr. Robbins will bring a Letter of Intent. Please prepare the following:
- Contract to Sell
- Floor Plans
- Broker’s Authority to Sell
A body that appears like a long-winded speech at Congress will discourage the recipient from reading it. He might miss important details when he skims through your email.
8. Keep Your Conclusion Simple
Lastly, keep your conclusion simple. You can also add another CTA:
Dear Eng. Hartfield,
I have a qualified buyer who’s interested in purchasing your Hillsborough property at your indicated price of US$1.5M. His name is Charles Robbins, he owns the Robbins Retail chain of department stores. Mr. Robbins wants to meet with you at the property on 27 September, 10:00 am.
Mr. Robbins will bring a Letter of Intent. Please prepare the following:
- Contract to Sell
- Floor Plans
- Broker’s Authority to Sell
Kindly respond to this email within 24 hours. Mr. Robbins hopes to acquire your property within 2 weeks. Please call me if you have any questions.
Thank you and see you on the 27th,
9. Run a QA Check on Your Email
Before sending out your email, review it for spelling and grammatical errors. Then, run it through a spelling and grammar-checking software such as Grammarly to be sure.
Now it’s ready to be sent!
Conclusion
An email is an important form of business communication. It could be your first point of contact with a potential client or investor and you want to make a good first impression with a well-written and professionally structured email.
Your email could relay important instructions to your team members. Thus, all details must be properly articulated and organized to avoid misunderstandings. If you’re submitting a formal proposal via email, you have to be 100% certain it contains all of the required information and attachments.
An effective email has complete information but isn’t necessarily long. Focus on how to keep your emails concise and to the point.
If you’re planning on starting an email marketing campaign, give us a call or drop us an email using the tips we’ve shared in this article.
And if you enjoyed our content, feel free to share it with your community.
