A well-written email can make a strong impression, convey your A well-written professional email can make a strong impression, convey your message effectively, and open the door to new opportunities.
If you’re wondering how to write a professional email, you’re in the right place. Crafting the right email requires you to follow professional email etiquette, which includes clarity and respect for the recipient’s time.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to write a professional email, with tips, templates, and examples that you can use in any industry. You’ll also learn how Proton Mail’s secure features can improve your email communications.
Whether you’re networking, reaching out to a potential client, or responding to a partner, a polished message helps you stand out and drive action.
10 essential tips for writing a professional email
Check out the following tips and examples for writing a professional email in any industry:
1. Craft a clear and relevant subject line
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.
Use keywords that reflect the purpose of your message, and keep it under 10 words for easy reading at a glance. When your message is time-sensitive, you can add urgency by including a call to action (CTA).
Subject line examples:
- “Q2 Report Ready for Review – Action Needed”
- “Meeting Request: Monday, June 17 at 3 PM”
- “Requesting approval for Project X – Response needed by Friday”
2. Open with a polite greeting
Start your professional email with a polite greeting and use the recipient’s name and title, if possible. If you don’t know the recipient’s name, you can use a general greeting, or simply a “hello.”
Greeting examples:
- “Dear Ms. Taylor”
- “Dear Dr. Taylor”
- “Dear Hiring Manager”
- “Hello Marketing Team”
3. State your purpose from the start
You should introduce the intent of your email immediately in the first opening lines.
Below are five opener examples for different scenarios in a professional email:
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 on our previous conversation about…”
Request assistance: “I am seeking your guidance on…”
4. Structure your 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.
Remember that busy professionals appreciate concise professional emails that get to the point quickly. If there’s a lot to cover, consider putting the details in a document and attaching it to your email. You can also use an encrypted cloud service like Proton Drive to securely share files.
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.
Keep your language polite and positive. Remember that a successful professional email stays courteous, especially when giving feedback or making requests.
Example phrases:
- “We understand the urgency and are prioritizing your request accordingly.”
- “I understand the importance of this deadline, our team is focused on meeting it.”
- “This seems like an opportunity that could benefit both teams.”
6. Add a clear call to action (CTA)
Make sure to include a CTA in your professional email by clarifying what you’re asking for, so the recipient knows precisely what to do next. Without a clear CTA, your email’s purpose may be lost.
CTA examples:
- Requesting a meeting or call: “Please let me know a convenient time to discuss this further,” or “Can you confirm your availability this week?”
- Asking for feedback or input: “I’d appreciate your feedback,” or “Please approve the attached proposal by Friday.”
- 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 with a courteous and positive note
Your closing statement should politely wrap up your message to reinforce a professional tone and create a positive connection with the recipient. It often shows appreciation or anticipation for a response.
Closing statement 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. Use a professional sign-off
Your sign-off should reflect your relationship and business tone. It can be formal or friendly, but no matter the tone, it should stay professional.
Professional sign-off examples:
- Formal: “Sincerely,” “Best regards,” and “Respectfully” are suitable for new contacts, high-level executives, or formal communications.
- Friendly: “Best,” “Thank you,” or “Kind regards” work well for semi-formal relationships or ongoing partnerships.
For more tips and examples, check out our article on the best professional sign-offs for any situation.
9. Include an email signature for follow-ups
A complete email signature reinforces professionalism and provides quick and easy access to your credentials and contact details. At the end of any professional email, include your full name, job title, company name, and contact information (e.g. phone number, professional email address, LinkedIn profile) to help the recipient quickly identify you for follow-up and reference.
10. Proofread before you hit send
Before you send your email, remember to:
- Do a spell-check: 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. Take a few moments to ensure you’ve attached all of your files and have embedded links correctly.
- Do a 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. Remember, when writing a professional email, mistakes can make you seem careless, or even cost you business.
Use a professional email address (and a writing assistant)
Using a professional email address is essential for maintaining your credibility in any industry. Sending messages from personal accounts can look unprofessional and even spammy, especially in business environments.
A custom domain email address like yourname@yourcustomdomain.com signals that you’re serious, trustworthy, and aligned with your brand.
How to set up a professional email address
- Buy a custom domain from a provider.
- Use a secure email host, like Proton Mail for Business.
- Set up custom business emails for your employees and teams. Here are some templates you could use:
- firstname.lastname@yourcustomdomain.com
- firstname@yourcustomdomain.com
- firstinitial.lastname@yourcustomdomain.com
- title@yourcustomdomain.com
Examples for different business needs:
- Freelancer or consultant: Boost your personal brand while keeping communication professional.
hello@yourcustomdomain.com or firstname.lastname@yourcustomdomain.com - Startup founder or executive: Build trust when communicating with investors or partners.
ceo@finlaunch.io or firstname.lastname@yourcustomdomain.com - Customer support or sales teams: Offer a consistent and reliable point of contact.
support@yourcustomdomain.com, contact@yourcustomdomain.com, or sales@yourcustomdomain.com
Use Proton Scribe — your own writing assistant
Still not sure how to write a business email? 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 simplify professional communication. 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.
Write and send professional emails securely 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 from. 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 for Business 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.
