Email etiquette: Subjects, salutations, and signatures

What if I told you that 70% of mobile email users delete badly formatted messages in under three seconds? Translated, 7 out of 10 people would rather erase an email than suffer through the agony of reading one that's poorly formatted. It might be tempting to think that what you write in an email is more important than how it is arranged, but how you write an email and format it impacts people's decision to read and respond to you. Throughout this course, we'll explore best practices for communicating effectively and respectfully in the workplace. But remember, these are guidelines, not law. So be flexible and adapt what you learn to different situations. I also created a handout for you that includes templates, tips, and tools that we'll cover throughout the course. So let's look at etiquette for business emails and walk through key sections so you can write professionally formatted and aesthetically pleasing emails that get replies. First up is the subject line. Aim to keep subject lines brief and short. A good starting point is 6 to 10 words, so the entire subject is viewable in preview panes on any device. Here's your first pro tip: Write thoughtful subject lines. Subject lines that are clear, relevant, and that summarize the email are more likely to be opened. Use the topic of the email and add any actions that need to be taken. So instead of a subject line like meeting, write a winning subject line like this one that'll get a surefire open, "Client Meeting Update: Submit Agenda by 3/16 at 12 pm" Or like this one, "Reminder: Today's Client Meeting Rescheduled to 5 pm" And it's okay to add words like urgent or time-sensitive or response requested to the subject line, but use this sparingly and only in situations that require it. That brings us to salutations. This is the opening line of an email that addresses the recipient like, "Good morning, Mr. Singh." Capitalize the first word and add any titles and names. Use a colon for formal emails and a comma for a less formal emails. Include titles like doctor or professor when necessary or preferred to address the recipient with respect. When emailing a group or multiple people, start with an inclusive salutation like "Good Morning Team," or "Hello all," that addresses the entire group, and then break out each person or subgroup within the body of that email. If there have been multiple email exchanges on the same topic, you can omit the salutation and simply use their name, like this. Now we get to formatting the body of the email. Here you'll insert a blank line between your salutation and the first line of the body of your email. Separate ideas and thought transitions with a line break for easy reading. Then we have the closing line. "Best regards" and "Thank you" are common universal expressions. Insert a comma and leave space to sign your name underneath. Similar to the salutation, it's okay to drop the closing line and only use your name if you've exchanged multiple emails in the same thread. And lastly, we close the email with a signature. A simple signature is one where you type your name. I recommend adding an automatic signature where you can include your email address, phone numbers, website, and even your LinkedIn profile. Think of it as an extra place to reinforce your brand and do conveniently offer your contact information, so no one will have to hunt for it. People will reference your signature to determine how to address you when responding, so add any titles, suffixes, pronouns, or preferred names to your signature. Review your signature settings. Save space on email threads by opting to only include long-form automatic signatures with new emails, or shortened signatures when replying or forwarding. And here's another pro tip: Check the signature settings on your tablet or cell phone and erase any default email signatures like "Sent from mobile." Change it to a version of your primary signature to keep continuity when sending emails from any device. Taking the time to thoughtfully write and format an email allows you to communicate with professionalism and will help you strategically brand yourself when communicating with others.