You don’t have to be an expert writer to compose an email.

However, there are many things to consider when writing emails, especiallyfor business communications.

Here are several email etiquette rules to keep in mind for your professional messages.

Woman typing an email on a laptop

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It takes only a minute to double-check the recipient’s name and email address.

This allows your recipient to see exactly what the email is about at a glance.

attempt to keepthe subject lineshort but significant.

Recipient’s email address

Make it a concise summary of what your message includes.

Related:What Do CC and BCC Mean in Emails?

Reserve the To field for those you’re directing the message to and any actions you require from them.

Email subject line

The Message Body

Obviously, the body of the email is where you include your message.

But there are a few tips to remember that can make or break that message.

Add a Greeting

Especially crucial when composing a business email is adding a greeting.

CC and BCC fields in an email

Include a Signature

Similar to eliminating a greeting,not signing your emailcan come across as unprofessional.

And with that closing, you should include the basic details your recipient would need.

Do you want to use all caps to stress a point?

Greeting in an email

Should you include a bit of sarcastic humor?

Let’s take a deeper dive.

But too much of these in a message defeats the purpose and can convey an aggressive message.

Email font settings in Outlook

have a go at avoid all caps.

You don’t want your recipient to feel as if you’re yelling at them.

And use font formatting like bold, italics, and underline sparingly and only where necessary.

Email signature

Reason being, the recipient can’t see your body language or hear your snicker.

Add Necessary Attachments

We’ve all done it at least once.

We tell the recipient we’re sending them a file and then forget to attach it.

Email with bold, italics, underline, and caps

Take a moment before hitting Send to be sure you’ve included any necessary attachments.

Additionally, some email services like Gmail and Microsoft Outlook offer features toremind you of forgotten attachments.

Eliminate unnecessary words and get straight to the point.

Email with emoji and symbols

There’s nothing worse than opening an email full of text on your mobile phone that requires continuous scrolling.

Sending an email right at the end of the workday or even at midnight simply isn’t nice.

Shorten Lengthy URLs

One final tip for being courteous is regarding links you include in your emails.

Attachment reminder in Outlook

Considerusing a URL shortenerlikeBitlyor linking to text.

Long email on iPhone

Email schedule window in Mail on Mac

Long and short URL in emails