A well-written email can make a strong impression, convey your message effectively, and open the door to new opportunities. However, crafting the right email requires you to follow email etiquette, which is a balance of professionalism, clarity, and respect for the recipient’s time.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to write a professional email, with simple tips and examples for different situations. You’ll also see how Proton Mail’s secure features can improve your email communications.
Tips for how to write a professional email
Check out the following tips and examples for writing a professional email for any industry:
1. Make your subject line clear and relevant
The subject line is the first thing the recipient sees, and it determines whether your email gets opened, skimmed, or overlooked. When writing a business email, make sure the subject line is direct, clear, and relevant. For example, instead of “Project update,” try “Project X update – Phase 2 completed.”
When time-sensitive, you can add urgency by including a ‘call to action’ (CTA), such as “Requesting approval for Project X – Response by Friday.” Aim for a subject line under 10 words, making it easy to read at a glance.
2. Open with a polite greeting
Start with a polite, professional greeting, such as “Dear Ms. Taylor”, and add any title, like “Dear Dr. Taylor”. If you don’t know the recipient’s name, you can use a general greeting like “Dear Hiring Manager,” “Hello Marketing Team,” or simply “Hello.”
3. State your purpose from the start
You should introduce the purpose of your email right away. Here are some good openers based on various contexts:
- General inquiry: “I hope this message finds you well. I’m reaching out to ask about…”
- Introduction: “My name is John Smith. I’m contacting you to express my interest in…”
- Providing information: “I’m writing to give you an update on…”
- Follow-up: “I wanted to follow up regarding our previous conversation about…”
- Request assistance: “I am seeking your guidance on…”
4. Structure the email body for clarity and readability
The email body should be straightforward, delivering your message without unnecessary fluff. Respect the reader’s time by staying focused, keeping paragraphs short, and sticking to a few key points.
When discussing steps, processes, instructions, or deliverables, use bullet points to make your message clear. If there’s a lot to cover, consider putting the details in a document and attaching it to your email. Or you can use an encrypted cloud service like Proton Drive(new window) to securely share a link.
If you’re referencing previous conversations or attachments, briefly mention them to give context without lengthy explanations.
5. Use a respectful and positive tone
Tone is key when writing a professional email, especially when addressing decision-makers, potential partners, or customers. You should use formal, clear language and avoid industry jargon that may cause confusion.
When making requests or giving feedback, keep your language polite and positive, showing empathy for the recipient’s needs, priorities, or concerns. For example, you can offer reassurance with “We understand the importance of this deadline, and our team is focused on meeting it.” Or, you can use a collaborative tone to build rapport with “We believe this partnership could be mutually beneficial.”
6. Add a clear ‘call to action’
Make sure to include a CTA in your professional email by clarifying what you’re requesting, so the recipient knows precisely what to do next. Here are some examples:
- Requesting a meeting or call: “Please let me know a convenient time to discuss this further.”
- Asking for feedback or input: “I would appreciate any feedback you may have on this matter.”
- Confirming a timeline: “I look forward to your confirmation on the next steps by [deadline].”
- Asking for approval or authorization: “Please confirm if I have your approval to proceed with this approach.”
7. End on a courteous and positive note
The closing statement should courteously wrap up the message to reinforce your professionalism and create a positive connection with the recipient. It often shows appreciation or anticipation for a response. Here are some examples:
- Expressing appreciation: “Thank you for your time and your consideration.”
- Anticipating a response: “I look forward to your reply and hope we can connect soon.”
- Offering further assistance: “Please let me know if I can provide any additional details.”
- Looking forward to collaboration: “I look forward to the opportunity to work together and am excited to hear from you.”
- Encouraging next steps: “Please feel free to get back to me at your convenience to discuss this further.”
8. Select a sign-off that matches your tone
A business email should end with a professional sign-off that aligns with your relationship’s formality and brand’s tone. Here are some examples:
- Formal: “Sincerely,” “Best regards,” and “Respectfully” are suitable for new contacts, high-level executives, or formal communications.
- Professional but approachable: “Best,” “Thank you,” or “Kind regards” work well for semi-formal relationships or ongoing partnerships.
9. Provide a detailed signature for follow-up
Include your full signature at the end of a professional email with your full name, job title, company name, and contact information (e.g. phone number, LinkedIn profile) to help the recipient quickly identify you for follow-up and reference.
10. Before you hit send
Minor errors, like typos, incorrect names, or missing attachments, can impact how professional your email seems to the recipient. Even small mistakes can suggest a lack of attention to detail, which may affect your credibility. Here’s how to avoid these pitfalls:
- Proofreading: Spend a few minutes reviewing the email for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
- Double-check details: Make sure you have spelled the recipient’s name correctly and used the right title. Verify email addresses are correct, especially if sending to multiple recipients, and confirm that any attachments mentioned in the email are actually included.
- Final review for tone and flow: Read your email out loud to catch awkward phrasing or unintentional tone. Adjust any clunky wording to make the message smoother and more engaging.
Use Proton Scribe — your own writing assistant
Additionally, you can use the Proton Scribe writing assistant to help you draft and refine your messages securely when writing a professional email.
Built into Proton Mail, Scribe is a writing assistant designed to help you compose and refine emails. You can use it to adjust your tone to suit different audiences and easily shift from friendly to formal language. Scribe can also proofread your emails, catching grammatical errors, typos, or clarity issues.
Beyond making emails look and sound professional, Scribe runs entirely on a privacy-first model. You can operate it locally or via Proton’s secure servers, with all data protected by end-to-end encryption.
Securely write professional emails with Proton Mail
It’s important to know how to write a professional email, but so is choosing a secure, reliable platform to send them. Proton Mail is an encrypted email service that ensures your emails are safely sent, including any confidential information. You can even password-protect your emails and set expiry dates.
Proton Mail uses end-to-end encryption to protect your data, so only you and the recipients can see it — not even Proton has access.
Switching to Proton Mail is a simple process with our Easy Switch feature, which securely imports your emails, calendars, and contacts while keeping them encrypted and protected from trackers.
By choosing Proton Mail, you leave behind ad-based email models and gain a privacy-first platform to protect your data with zero-access and end-to-end encryption.
