How to Start an Email - Greetings and Opening Lines Examples

According to EarthWeb, an average person receives between 100-120 emails per day. Sure, a lot of it is spam but nevertheless there’s a lot of noise to cut through if you want to make sure your recipient opens and reads your message. Whether you're writing a professional email, a business inquiry, or a friendly message, it's crucial to begin with an appropriate greeting and engaging opening line.

Table of Contents

• The Importance of a Strong Email Start
• Professional Email Greetings
• Email Opening Lines
• 3 Tips for Writing Professional Emails
• FAQs

The Importance of a Strong Email Start
 

The way you start an email impacts the recipient's perception of your message and your level of professionalism. A strong email start can:

• Grab attention: Engaging greetings and opening lines can capture the recipient's interest and encourage them to read the rest of your email.
• Establish rapport: Appropriate and friendly greetings create a positive tone and help build a connection with the recipient.
• Convey professionalism: Well-crafted openings demonstrate your professionalism and attention to detail.
• Clarify the purpose: The opening lines should clearly convey the reason for your email and set the expectations for the rest of the message.

Professional Email Greetings
 

The choice of greeting depends on the level of formality and the relationship you have with the recipient. Here are some examples of professional email greetings:

Formal Greetings

Use when you are writing to someone in a senior position, a client, or someone you have not met personally.

• Dear Mr. [Last Name]
• Dear Ms. [Last Name]
• Dear Dr. [Last Name]
• Dear Professor [Last Name]

Semi-Formal Greetings 

They strike a good balance between formality and familiarity. They are suitable for professional acquaintances or colleagues.

• Dear [First Name] [Last Name]
• Dear [Job Title] [Last Name]
• Dear [First Name]
• Hello [First Name]

Informal Greetings

Best for friendly or casual communication with coworkers, clients you have a good relationship with, or personal acquaintances

• Hi / Hello / Hey [First Name]

Email Opening Lines

Once you've chosen an appropriate greeting, it's time to focus on crafting an engaging opening line. We have compiled a list of effective email opening lines to be polite, build a rapport, or quickly communicate what you need from them.

Ways To Say Thank You In An Email

• Thank you for your prompt response to my previous email.
• Thank you for [action performed].
• I appreciate the opportunity to connect with you and discuss [topic].
• I wanted to take a moment to thank you for [specific reason].
• I am deeply grateful for [specific favor/action].
• wanted to start this email by saying thank you for [specific reason or gesture].

Openings For Follow-Up Emails

• It was a pleasure meeting you at the [event name] last week.
• Following up on our conversation during the [meeting or conference], I wanted to discuss [topic].
• I wanted to reach out and see if you had any further thoughts or updates regarding [project or opportunity] that we discussed during our meeting.
• It was a pleasure speaking with you last week about [topic]. I wanted to follow up and see if you had any additional questions or if there's anything else I can assist you with.
• I wanted to touch base and see if you had a chance to review the materials we sent over.

Ways To Introduce Yourself In An Email

• Allow me to introduce myself. My name is [Your Name], and I'm reaching out to discuss [subject].
• I'm writing to inquire about [specific information or opportunity].
• I wanted to introduce myself as your new colleague in the [department/team].
• I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I am reaching out to you regarding [purpose of the email].
• Allow me to introduce myself. I am [Your Name], a [your professional background] with a keen interest in [specific field or industry]. I recently came across your profile and wanted to connect with you to discuss potential opportunities for collaboration.

Openings For Emails Requesting Something

• I'm writing to seek your advice on [specific topic or challenge].
• Could you please provide more information about [subject]?
• I have a question regarding [specific aspect or procedure].
• I wanted to reach out and ask if you would be open to [specific request].
• I hope you're doing well. I have a question about [specific topic or area] and was hoping you could provide some information to help me better understand it."

Personal Email Opening Lines

• I read your recent article on [topic] and found it incredibly insightful.
• It's been a while since we connected, and I wanted to check in on you.
• I noticed that we share a mutual connection with [name] and thought it would be great to connect.
• Your work on [project] has been an inspiration to me, and I wanted to reach out to express my admiration.

3 Tips for Writing Professional Emails
 

1. It’s good to tailor your greetings and opening lines to specific situations and the nature of your relationship with the recipient. If you're contacting someone for the first time, take a moment to research their background, current workplace, interests etc.
2. To avoid a big faux pas when you confuse your recipient with someone else you have been emailing - keep your inbox organized. Use Baxter’s custom labels to categorize all emails related to your professional projects, certain customers or specific companies:
   1. Go to you Baxter dashboard
   2. Click on Labels and Add  New Label
   3. Specify the email addresses or whole domains you want to nest under the new label
   4. Voila! Never again mention that meeting which, in fact, you had taken with someone else than your recipient.
3. Always proof-read before sending. Like, always.

Starting an email with the right greetings and opening lines is essential for effective communication. The next time you sit down to write an email, keep these guidelines in mind and make your openings count. Happy emailing!