Knowing how to start an email is important because when you send an email, the success of your communication depends on how well you start it.
The first impression that you make is extremely important. If your recipient doesn’t like what they see when they open your email, they are likely to delete it without reading further.
If you can get them to open it, then you have a chance to persuade them to take action, whether that’s buying a product or clicking on a link.
When you send an email, the first thing the recipient sees is the subject line. This is your opportunity to make a great first impression and convince the person to open your email. If you make a good first impression, you’re more likely to get your message across effectively. But if you don’t take the time to craft a great opening, your email may never be read.
Let’s take a look at eight tips for how to start an email so that you can make the best possible impression.
How To Start An Email
Email is a widely used form of communication with more than 4 billion daily users. It’s also one of the most profitable marketing channels for businesses, with an average return on investment (ROI) of £30 for every £1 spent.
But how often do we stop to think about how we start our emails? The opening of your email can make a big difference in whether or not your message gets read.
Making sure your email starts off on the right foot can be the difference between getting your point across and having your email ignored. So how do you make sure you’re making a great first impression?
It’s important to remember that how you start an email will set the tone for the rest of your communication. If you want to come across as friendly, make sure your opening is warm and inviting. If you need to be more formal, make sure your opening reflects that.
Here are eight tips for how to start an email:
1. Make It Personalised
Your email should be addressed to the specific person you’re trying to reach. If you’re unsure of their name, a simple “Hi” will suffice if it’s a casual email. However, if you’re emailing someone for business purposes, it’s important to take the time to find out their name and use it in your opening.
To keep your email more formal you should use “Dear” or “Good Afternoon/Morning” followed by their name.
2. Get To The Point
Your email should have a clear purpose. Once you know what your purpose is, make sure it’s reflected in your opening. Your recipient should be able to tell from your opening what the rest of the email is going to be about.
If you’re not sure how to get to the point, try using active voice and strong verbs.
3. Keep It Short
Your opening should be short and to the point. It’s important to remember that people are busy and they don’t have time to read a long, drawn-out email.
The goal is to make your opening so compelling that the person reading it can’t help but want to know more. A good rule of thumb is to keep your opening under 50 characters. This may seem like a challenge, but it’s important to remember that less is often more when it comes to email.
4. Be Polite
When in doubt, err on the side of politeness. You can never go wrong by starting your email with a simple “I hope your week is going well” or “I hope you’re doing well.”
It’s important to remember that how you start an email will set the tone for the rest of communication. You don’t want to come across as rude or impatient, so make sure you don’t start your email with something impolite.
5. Offer Something In Return
If you have something to offer, make sure you mention it in your opening. Whether it’s a free ebook, a custom offer or a discount on your product or service, people are more likely to pay attention to an email that offers them something of value.
Make sure what you’re offering is relevant to the person you’re emailing. If it’s not, they’re likely to see it as a waste of their time and they’ll be less likely to read the rest of your email.
6. Use Powerful Verbs
Your email opening should be actionable. That means it should include a call to action or it should prompt the recipient to do something. Using a strong verb in your opening will make it more likely that the person reading your email will take the desired action.
A powerful call to action could be something like “Discover how to improve your productivity” or “Find out how to make money from home.”
7. Be Specific
When you’re specific, it shows that you know what you’re talking about. It also helps to build trust with the person reading your email.
If you can be specific about what you’re offering and how it will benefit the recipient, they’ll be more likely to want to read more. For example, “Get our free guide to increasing your blog’s traffic by 50% in 30 days.”
8. Make Sure To Proofread
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to make sure your email is free of spelling and grammatical errors. Nothing makes you look more unprofessional than an email full of mistakes.
Take the time to proofread your email before you hit send. If you’re not confident in your ability to spot errors, you can always run it through a spell checker or have someone else take a look.
These are general tips on how to start an email, however, it’s important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. You should segment your email list and tailor your opening to the specific audience you’re trying to reach.
If you take the time to personalise your emails and make them relevant to the person you’re emailing, you’ll be more likely to get a response. And that’s what it’s all about. But the best way to find out what works for you is to experiment and see what gets the best results.
Don’t be afraid to test out different opening lines and see how people respond. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at crafting emails that make a great first impression.
It’s also important to consider who you’re emailing and what the context is. The way you start an email to a potential customer will be different than the way you start an email to a friend.
