Knowing how to write a formal email involves knowing the rules of structure and clarity, and it is more necessary than ever in any professional environment. Today, 88% of people between 18 and 65 years old use email on a daily basis, and most of them check their inbox more than three times a day*.
A formal email with a clear subject line and well-written body conveys a professional image and offers an optimal experience to the person receiving it. In this guide, you will learn the best practices for writing a formal email step by step and five examples to help inspire you.
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*Data from Zero Bounce ‘s 2024 Email Statistics Report .
How to write a formal email step by step
First of all, before you start writing, it is crucial to clearly define the purpose of the email , which will help you structure the formal email effectively and highlight the main message. It is also important to know the context take email marketing service of each recipient , which can be helped by tools such as a universal inbox that centralizes all exchanges in one place.
Below you will find the parts that cannot be missing in a formal email .
Subject line
The subject line of a formal email should be clear and direct , accurately reflecting the purpose of the message. It should never be left blank. It is crucial for the rest of the email to be read : an estimated 47% of people open emails based on the subject line alone.
Writing an email subject can be a creative task where inspiration comes in handy. Some email marketing tools feature AI assistants, such as Brevo’s AI assistant, which can help. Based on an email subject entered by the user, the assistant generates up to three subject suggestions, which the user can use directly or adapt.
Brevo AI assistant for email subject lines. Also available in Spanish .
Persuasive subject line strategies , such as generating a sense of intrigue, are common in email marketing . In certain formal emails, they can be an option, but if you choose to use such subject lines, they must be justified and align with the overall tone of the formal email.
Formal Email Greeting
The greeting is crucial to the first 2022 e-newsletter marketing indicator report impression you want to make. It is important to match it to the level of formality you are looking for in your email. Below are greetings appropriate for a formal tone :
Including the name of the person receiving the email helps personalize the message . “Dear Maria” is better than “Dear Customer.” If you send mass emails , you can easily do so with the marketing automation offered by some email platforms.
When the greeting is written on a separate line, remember that it must be followed by a colon , not a comma . This is a spelling difference between Spanish and other languages such as English.
Body of the email
In the body of the message, it is essential to get straight to the point and clearly express the purpose of the email . The recipient should quickly understand why you are writing to them.
The following readability standards apply to all types of email, including a formal email:
- Divide your text into short paragraphs , less than 150 words each, to facilitate reading and citations in later responses. Use a legible font such as Arial or sans serif.
- You can use bullet lists to organize ideas or list key points.
- Use bold to highlight important parts of the text, but don’t overdo it. In general, you shouldn’t use more than 15-20% of the text in bold to avoid overwhelming the reader.
- Italics may be used for titles, to emphasize specific phrases, or to quote directly (as long as quotation marks are not used) .
Call to action and closing
The concept of a call to action, which is typical crawler data of email marketing , also applies to writing a formal email. After reading it, the recipient should be clear about the next action you propose in your message: answer a question, schedule an interview, close a deal, visit a page, etc. You can use bold to highlight this action and make sure it is visible.
