UpWork or Fiverr? Where should you hire your lead generation experts? To answer this question simply and fast: NEITHER. We will tell you why. 

UpWork and Fiverr are two of the most popular freelance platforms where you can hire freelancers for various services, including lead generation. 

These marketplaces offer an excellent avenue for locating top-tier freelancers, regardless of your location. Usually, finding the appropriate marketplace for a business hinges on a multitude of elements such as project requirements, financial resources, work style preferences, etc.

But before we discuss those, we need to get clear on what you should look for in a lead generation expert. 

When you are hiring for lead generation, it means that you somehow want to grow your business and thus want HOT leads to fill your pipeline for your sales team to sell to. 

Because of this, when you hire in the name of lead generation, you want:

• Experts who actually understand what lead generation is (inside out) and actually have the creative skills to make it happen. 
• Not just list builders; you want experts who understand what it takes and have proven systems and strategies to research prospects and generate leads.
• A team of professionals who have specialized knowledge and experience in different areas of lead generation, such as cold email marketing, sales copywriting, cold outreach campaign, email marketing, lead research, data enrichment, and more.
• Dependable experts with resources at their disposal, including the latest tools and software, databases, and technologies to generate leads effectively.
• Lead generation professionals who can devise a reliable strategy to attract and acquire leads continuously: That’s basically the expertise you’re lacking and part of the reasons you’re here. So, the agency needs to demonstrate a proven, systematic method for generating leads that will work consistently for your business. 
• Professionals who can do the work and deliver sales-ready leads fast. If you are looking to hire a lead generation agency, it means that you are not growing at the rate you wish, so you want to fill your sales pipeline and grow fast. Because of that, you want an agency that can deliver quality leads promptly. You don’t have months to wait and can’t afford it.
• Last but not least, the lead generation service should be cost-effective and able to grow with your business. More importantly, they should have a clear pricing structure or model with offers that detail what you can get or expect from the service. 

That said, we believe from the onset that you should hire neither UpWork nor Fiverr for lead generation — and the reason for this is very simple. Most of the acclaimed lead generation experts on there only do list building and call it lead generation. 

The second and most important reason is that they terribly fail to tick the boxes you care about when you need a freelancer or an agency to generate leads. And more. 

In this article, we will compare Upwork to Fiverr and discuss all their key offerings. By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of the company that’s best for you. But as well, we will tell you why these job marketplaces aren’t the best place to hire when you want to generate leads. 

Let’s get started.

Why UpWork and Fiverr can’t get you the leads you want 

Our thinking here is based on the principle that if you are hiring for lead generation, that means you want:

• To grow your customer base by fueling leads to your sales team
• To increase revenue
• Leads to sell to

But more importantly, you want leads without suffering through lead generation. You want a completely done-for-you lead generation service that guarantees consistent leads for your business or sales team to close.  

With that in mind, when you start looking at Fiverr and Upwork from these viewpoints, you’ll realize that they aren’t in any way fit to get you the professionals you need nor the outcomes you want for your business. We will elaborate more in the following sections. 

Lead generation experts on Upwork and Fiverr are mere list builders, not lead generation experts. They CAN’T generate SALES-READY leads.

Yes, you read that right.

We don’t believe you should hire on UpWork and Fiverr for lead generation because most individuals offering their services on the platform are not lead generation experts. In most cases, all they do is build and clean up email lists. 

Let’s take a look at an acclaimed lead generation expert from Fiverr, for example. 

Here is an example from UpWork. 

Surprisingly, all the profiles that pop up when you enter lead generation on both platforms are the same. They all claimed they are lead generation specialists, but all they do is build lists, collect email addresses, or enter data. We all know that’s only a single slice of the lead gen pie. 

They DON’T generate leads for your sales team, and they can’t. 

Somebody or a team that only knows its way around list building just can’t cut it. What we are saying is that hiring people from Fiverr or UpWork is only a good idea if you have an in-house lead generation team already working for you and want to unburden them with list building. 

It takes ICP identification, buyer persona development, lead research, list building, data enrichment, copywriting, outreach campaigns, leads scoring and validation, et, to generate high-quality leads that end up buying from you. 

That’s why you need REAL marketers, lead generators. People with the skillset to discuss and understand your ICP profile inside out, create sales emails and outreach messages that convert — basically DO THE WORK and GENERATE LEADS, and that’s where Nerdy Joe prevails.

Full-scale lead generation agencies provide consistent service and performance that can be difficult to maintain with an individual freelancer or a team on Upwork and Fiverr.

Another thing that happens with freelancers from platforms like Fiverr and Upwork is that even when they do promise some type of outcomes for the work they do, they can’t provide a consistent level of service and performance as a full-scale lead generation company would. 

Successful lead generation requires processes and systems to ensure that work is carried out consistently, proven strategies and workflows to ensure targeting and messaging are excellent, and the results are monitored and optimized regularly. 

That’s just something you can’t find on a freelance job marketplace. That’s because it takes experts to design it and a company to run it. Even if freelancers can promise or deliver these occasionally, they cannot be as reliable or consistent as a dedicated lead generation agency. 

Also, hiring a lead gen agency like Nerdy Joe provides a contract that details the scope of work, timelines, deliverables, and other expectations. This offers a sense of stability and predictability. A freelancer or a team juggling multiple clients can’t deliver consistent results.

Lead generation freelancers on UpWork and Fiverr can’t guarantee a steady stream of leads and the capacity for scalability.

One of the critical advantages of a full-scale agency is its inherent capacity and adaptability for scalability. And it’s something you can’t have with a freelancer from Fiverr or Upwork.

Let’s take our lead generation agency, Nerdy Joe, for example. We are composed of a diverse team of specialists. We possess the bandwidth to handle multiple projects simultaneously or scale up operations swiftly when required. 

So, as your business grows and imposes the need for more leads, we can comfortably accommodate this growth, given our larger team and resources. We can assign more team members to your project to ensure that the increased workload is managed effectively.

Contrarily, individual freelancers or small teams from Upwork and Fiverr will struggle to handle a significant increase in workload. They are limited by their individual capacities and may not be able to meet increased demands as quickly or efficiently. 

Scaling up with a freelancer means they have to bring in additional help, which can lead to consistency and quality control issues. Or, it might involve a learning curve and extra time for the new team members to familiarize themselves with your business and the project.

Upwork vs. Fiverr: How do the two work marketplaces’ services compare?

Upwork and Fiverr are both online platforms that connect freelancers with clients who require their services. These platforms provide a marketplace where businesses and individuals can hire professionals for various projects and tasks, including lead generation.

Let’s start the comparison with their UI design structure and what they mean for someone looking to hire. 

Platform structure and business model: Upwork is designed to encourage long-term relationships between freelancers and clients, while Fiverr’s structure is more geared towards one-off projects. 

Fiverr is primarily designed for one-off projects or “gigs”, with the site’s layout allowing users to browse and hire freelancers for specific tasks like lead generation or video editing. 

Each freelancer on Fiverr has individual gig pages detailing their experience, expertise, reviews, past work, job completion rate, how much it will cost to work with them, etc. 

You can even reach out to them directly from the page to further discuss with them via the pop-up message feature. 

While you can post jobs on Fiverr, the UI isn’t primarily designed to let you do that. They typically encourage their users to surf through the different services they freelancers sell and get them to choose from those. 

If you want to post a job application, you’ll have to search for the Request feature from the hidden menu and take it from there. Plus, the feature doesn’t allow you to add as many details to the application as Upwork allows you to.

Upwork, on the other hand, emphasizes long-term collaborations. And when searching on Upwork, you are directed to freelancer profiles, pretty much like LinkedIn pages, rather than specific gigs. 

Upwork, unlike Fiverr, lets you post your job and have the freelancers reach out to you in the most convenient way. You can add screening questions to the post, require certain specificities, and even ask applicants for cover letters.  

Upwork also offers the option to communicate directly with potential employees. You can provide them with job specifics or encourage them to apply for an already listed position. Moreover, the platform facilitates the interview process by letting you screen and interview potential hires right on the site.

Both platforms also offer mobile apps, each with slightly different features. Fiverr’s mobile app mirrors most features of the website, whereas Upwork has two separate apps for freelancers and clients. The client app lacks some features found on the website, such as the Reports section and timesheets.

In conclusion, the two platforms are pretty much the same here. We believe you should work with Fiverr if you only need a one-off lead generation gig, like someone to build a list or clean up the data. But if you need it on a regular basis, then you should head over to Upwork. 

Hiring process: Fiverr is more of a marketplace where you can browse gigs offered by freelancers, while Upwork is more convenient for posting jobs and recruiting based on your own terms.

As you read, Fiverr is more of a marketplace in the literal sense. The hiring process tends to be straightforward: you browse gigs offered by freelancers and filter gigs by price, delivery time, seller level, and more. 

The real problem with Fiverr is that the decision is generally based on what the seller offers in the gig and their reviews. 

So, you research freelancers based on a specific gig, you pay for the gig, detail your requirements, and the freelancer executes the task. Only when you approve the work does the freelancer receive payment, which is held in escrow by Fiverr to protect you, the client. 

On Upwork, you can also browse profiles of entire agencies to find suitable candidates based on various factors such as budget, expertise, and job completion rate. 

You can post a job listing describing the specifics of what you need, and freelancers will bid on your project. You can also browse through profiles and invite specific freelancers to bid. This allows for careful selection based on proposals, profiles, portfolios, and past reviews.

Pricing structure: On Upwork, you can choose between whether you want to pay hourly or fixed-price services. The same is not true for Fiverr.

Let’s get this out of the way before we discuss the pricings. 

Neither Fiverr nor Upwork provides financial benefits like discounts or bonuses for continued collaboration with a specific freelancer. They only facilitate the rehiring of previous providers. This can foster trust and consistency in results.

That cleared, Upwork’s pricing typically varies based on an hourly rate or a fixed price for the entire project, which is agreed upon before starting. The minimum hourly rate is $3. You also have the opportunity to negotiate the rates with the freelancers.

Upwork sometimes presents inexpensive services, albeit not as cheap as Fiverr, and many operate on an hourly basis. You need to keep in mind that this pricing model can quickly lead to unexpected costs if the project overruns. 

On the other hand, Fiverr’s services are generally offered as packaged deals (called “gigs”) with a fixed price, starting from $5, and can go up to several thousand depending on the complexity of the task, seller’s level, and add-ons. Also, you have less flexibility in negotiating prices.

In terms of fees, Upwork generally charges freelancers, with clients only needing to cover a 3% transaction fee. Also, note that freelancers on Upwork often factor these fees into their rates. 

On Fiverr, there’s a $2 fee for orders up to $40; beyond that, a 5% charge applies. This means for larger projects, like a $1,000 website design, Upwork could be slightly more economical.

Quality and freelancer verification standards: Upwork’s quality assurance and vetting system seems rock solid, but Fiverr’s community-based rating system generally performs better.

Fiverr and Upwork employ different strategies to vouch for the quality of freelancers on their platforms. 

We found that Fiverr does not validate all sellers. Unless it’s a pro freelancer, Fiverr doesn’t vet them. The Fiverr Pro is a special program that accepts highly skilled freelancers after a series of evaluations. 

The Pro freelancers have a “Pro Verified” label on their listings and tend to charge higher prices, but they are typically reliable and monitored closely by Fiverr. Non-Pro sellers’ quality is reliant on the community, with reviews and ratings they receive from clients after each gig.

Conversely, Upwork has an extensive vetting process. First of all, they only accept certain freelancers based on demand in specific fields. They make freelancers undergo various tests and meet specific standards. 

On the platform, the top-rated freelancers are denoted by a blue shield with a crown icon. Before getting there, they need to meet stringent requirements, like a 90% Job Success rate and monthly earnings of at least $1,000 USD. 

We can argue that given its more thorough vetting process, you are more likely to find high-end, professional freelancers with extensive lead generation experience. 

The issue with Upwork’s system is that it is often seen as a hindrance, as many skilled freelancers either can’t join the platform or opt not to due to the complicated process. Even more interesting, Upwork still struggles with fraudulent and exaggerated profiles.

Protection, guarantees, and dispute resolution: Both platforms strive to guarantee protection and ensure all disputes are resolved properly.

First thing, both platforms protect the payments through an escrow system until the job is confirmed as completed by the client. 

For hourly contracts, Upwork offers a Work Diary feature that provides visual evidence of work in progress. For fixed-price jobs, funds are usually deposited into escrow before the freelancer begins work and are released once the job is completed to the client’s satisfaction.

It’s almost the same with Fiverr. If you’re not satisfied with the work, Fiverr offers a resolution center where you can manage disputes. So, for disputes, Upwork and Fiverr both facilitate the direct resolution of issues between clients and freelancers. 

When problems arise, you can report unsatisfactory work. Fiverr handles disputes internally, deciding on the eligibility for a refund. On Upwork, a dispute specialist suggests a non-binding resolution. 

If you disagree, you can involve legal arbitrators, costing around $800, with your share nearly $300. The preferable platform depends on your budget, project cost, and preferred method of dispute resolution.

Hire Nerdy Joe and start generating leads today

In conclusion, if you need professional, high-end lead generation services and want to carefully evaluate proposals, Upwork might be your better choice. On the other hand, if you’re more price-sensitive and looking for quick, packaged services, Fiverr is a more suitable option. 

It’s worth mentioning that the quality of work you get depends heavily on the particular freelancer you end up working with, so carefully reviewing profiles, portfolios, and customer reviews is crucial on both platforms. 

But as we said in the introduction of this article, we don’t believe Upwork and Fiverr are the best places to hire for lead generation. If what you care about is to: 

• generate leads for your sales team, 
• fill your sales pipeline with sales-ready leads, 
• free up your sales team so they can focus more on closing deals and having meetings rather than doing research and suffering with lead attraction and acquisition, 

Both Upwork and Fiverr are not ideal for your needs. 

You need a full-scale lead generation with a team that has the right expertise and a full grasp of the marketing activities and workflows they need to run from top to bottom to research, reach out to or attract and get you leads you can sell to. 

You need a team of experts that demonstrates proven processes and systems that ensure that work is carried out consistently. Systems and strategies that guarantee a consistent flow of leads for your business or its sales team — that’s where Nerdy Joe comes in.

We are a dedicated lead generation agency. 

Freelancers on Upwork and Fiverr charging you $100 for the service just aren’t cut out for this. We believe Upwork and Fiverr are both great workplaces to hire freelancers to whom you can hand off one-off gigs that seem tedious to your lead generation team — so you can free them a little and facilitate the work for them. 

Both the Martal Group and CIENCE are great lead generation companies, that’s well-established. Making an informed decision about which of the two is right for your business can feel overwhelming. 

In this blog post, we will provide an in-depth comparison between these two leading players in the B2B lead generation field. However, before we start, we want to establish that comparing lead generation companies isn’t just about examining the range of services or their team size. 

While these aspects can have their importance, they should not be the deciding factors. It is the more nuanced components of the company’s approach to lead generation that are critical in determining its effectiveness and suitability for your business. 

Let’s discuss these components. 

1. An outbound approach: The agency should actively reach out to potential leads rather than waiting for them to come to you with inbound strategies. That’s because you don’t have months to wait or millions to invest in inbound strategies. You want an approach that’s time-bound and can provide predictable results. 
2. Clear and focused service offering: You don’t want a company that offers 100 services you don’t understand. And by “focused” we mean that they don’t offer a thousand lead generation services. Instead, they’re super focused on a single lead generation service (i.e., LinkedIn lead generation), master it very well, and achieve results with excellence. 
3. Fast results: Hiring a lead generation agency implies a desire for accelerated growth and quickly filling your sales pipeline. Due to this, you need an agency that delivers quality leads quickly. Waiting months is not an option, and you cannot afford it.
4. Reliable and accepted outreach channels: Depending on your business type and product, appropriate outreach channels should be clearly identifiable. However, these should be channels that your clients are comfortable with, professional channels that don’t jeopardize engagement or piss off the prospects. 
5. Consistent lead attraction and generation strategy: The main reason you’re seeking an agency is to fill the knowledge and talent gaps in attracting and securing leads — and systemizing the whole thing. Consequently, the agency must exhibit a tested, systematic approach to generating leads that will consistently work for your business.
6. Insightful understanding of your ICP: The agency should have a profound understanding of your target market and their unique challenges — or demonstrate a clear process to achieve this. They should be adept at crafting outreach messages or cold emails that address your ICP’s needs, producing content that persuades and entices them to buy. 
7. Meaningful, personalized, and effective outreach: The agency’s outreach should be customized to each prospective lead for optimal results. You don’t want an agency that sends generic emails to random lists acquired from databases like ZoomInfo. It’s imperative that the agency’s work earns respect, even from non-buyers, to maintain your reputation and brand image. 
8. Comprehensive, completely done-for-you service: Ideally, you want an agency that handles all lead generation and outreach tasks, allowing you to concentrate on other business areas, such as personal meetings with leads and closing deals.
9. Excellent service over technology: Lead generation tools are great for outreach campaigns, but companies make you pay for their service with tools included in the package. You want a company that focuses more on getting their hands dirty to do the heavy lifting and get the creative done rather than a company that basically relies on AI and other tools for almost all the work. 
10. Cost-effective and scalable solutions: Lastly, the agency’s services should be affordable and capable of expanding with your business. They should provide clear pricing models, detailing what you will get from their service and ensure transparency about the number of leads you can expect before you engage their service.

For us, these are determining elements you need to concentrate on. Spoiler alert, when you consider these elements, very few (if not none) of all the SO GREAT lead generation companies make the cut. And CIENCE and the Martal Group are not different. 

So, we will dig into the specifics of CIENCE and Martal Group, uncovering their methodologies, strategies, services, and how they incorporate these vital elements into their operations. 

Without further ado, let’s get started.

Martal Group vs. CIENCE: which company should you hire for lead generation and appointment setting needs?

Let’s start with an overview of each company’s scope of services. 

Service range: Comparing their different services and what it means for your business’ lead gen needs

Martal Group’s range of services

The Martal Group serves its clients by generating sales-ready leads, setting up appointments, and driving conversions. They focus on serving companies that offer tech, software, and innovative products or services. Here is a breakdown of their main services.

1. Sales development: Martal Group provides sales development services that focus on bringing more sales opportunities to your business. Their team of experts can manage the entire sales development cycle, from identifying potential customers to qualifying leads and setting appointments.
2. Outbound lead generation: The company uses various strategies and proprietary tools to generate high-quality leads for their clients. This includes targeted cold email outreach campaigns, LinkedIn outreach, cold calls, and more. Interestingly, they offer three tiers for the outbound lead generation.
3. Outbound lead generation
4. Outbound lead generation + sales and customer onboarding
5. Outbound lead generation + customer onboarding + account management
6. Inbound lead generation: This involves attracting potential customers (leads) to your business through content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), branding, and other strategies designed to draw customers in, rather than marketers having to go out to get prospects’ attention.
7. Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Martal Group also offers ABM services, which involve a focused approach to B2B marketing. They identify high-value accounts and develop personalized marketing strategies to convert these accounts into customers.
8. Outsourced sales team (People-as-a-Service): Martal Group provides a fully managed, outsourced sales team for businesses that may not have the resources or expertise to build and manage their own sales team. This service allows businesses to focus on their core competencies while Martal Group handles their sales operations.
9. Consulting services: The company offers consulting services to improve the effectiveness of a business’s sales and marketing efforts. This could involve optimizing sales processes, improving lead conversion rates, or enhancing the overall marketing strategy.

That’s about it for their services. Martal Group prides itself on having an experienced team of sales professionals, industry specialists, and account managers who understand the complexities of the B2B tech market. 

They also own three B2B databases that they leverage together with their expertise to help their clients find the best potential customers, build strong relationships, and close deals. It’s basically a top-notch, comprehensive lead generation service. 

CIENCE’s range of services

CIENCE is also a reputable B2B sales outsourcing and lead generation outsourcing firm. They’ve been in operation since 2015 and rely on a combination of managed services and software to offer a holistic approach to lead generation. 

Here’s a brief overview of their key services:

1. Lead research: CIENCE assists in comprehending your ICP to produce high-quality leads that are ready for sales. Their services include demographic research, industry trend analysis, and identifying customer pain points via their proprietary platform CIENCE GO.
2. Sales engagement: CIENCE provides services such as the creation of customized email sequences, cold calls, social media engagement, and targeted follow-ups via their tool. They interact with potential leads, nurture and establish relationships, and ultimately help in turning these leads into customers for your business.
3. Data enrichment: CIENCE offers to improve your existing client data by adding more valuable information. This could involve updating incomplete fields, verifying the accuracy of data, or incorporating new data that could help your sales team close deals more quickly — it’s also done via their proprietary platform CIENCE GO.
4. People-as-a-Service (Outbound and Inbound SDRs): If required, CIENCE can supply highly skilled sales reps who can blend seamlessly into your current sales team. These professionals undertake tasks such as lead generation, ABM marketing, setting appointments, and initial qualifications, allowing your sales team to concentrate on closing deals.

That sums up the services provided by CIENCE. While they offer a range of sales enablement tools to aid in your lead generation process (which we will discuss later), our focus here is on the lead generation expertise they bring to the table.

As outlined on their website, these services are segmented to cater to businesses that may already have internal teams and require only certain services. However, when you engage them for lead generation, all of these services are included in the package they provide.

Remember, services such as LinkedIn marketing, appointment setting, and email marketing represent different lead generation service models. The choice of service model should be guided by your product, its target audience, and other relevant factors. 

Also, understand that when compared, CIENCE is more of a technology company than it is a lead generation service company. The Martal Group registers more as a lead generation company because their business model focuses more on the service than the tools. 

Furthermore, both companies offer a lot of services, way too many. They don’t have a single expertise of focus. That implies chunks of teams and self-acclaimed expert individuals who do different work under the same umbrella — the company name. 

While this might appear unimportant, it could indicate a lack of clear focus on the lead generation service you care about the most. As the saying goes, a master of everything is a master of none.

Lead generation strategies: Comparing strategies for finding your ICP, building lists, reaching out to prospects, etc. 

Now we’re getting to the heart of the matter. Here, you’ll discover how these companies go about the real business of lead generation and how their techniques and strategies impact the results you get. 

Also, you need to understand their different lead generation workflows and frameworks to ensure the way they do things aligns with your standards and how you want your brand to be perceived by your target audience. 

That cleared; we’ve found there are three (03) things you should care about. These are:

• The service’s process for finding your ICP, 
• how they build lists and where they find the people they reach out to, and 
• how they reach out to them.

Now let’s look at how each of the companies approaches lead generation. 

ICP identification and lead research

When you have to choose between two lead generation companies, the one that has the best approach or system to nailing your ideal customer profile is the one that can bring you the best results, aka real leads who are ready to buy. 

Therefore, the effectiveness of this process directly reflects the quality of leads you receive. Essentially, securing high-quality leads requires a lead generation company with an accurate and comprehensive mechanism to understand your ideal customer profile. 

So, how does CIENCE do it?

According to CIENCE’s website, their approach to finding your ICP combines human insight with machine learning and AI to facilitate sales lead research. We read on their website that they provide custom sales research that enables businesses to accurately target their best audiences.

Admittedly, the scant details they provide about their process for identifying your ICP leave much to interpretation, making it difficult to comprehend their targeting strategy. However, it’s evident that they lean heavily on AI- and ML-powered tools, alongside their trained curators, as their primary resources.

The problem here is that it’s essentially a speculative process for a lead generation company to identify the right targets without in-depth discussions about your ICP with you or your sales team. The thing is that even the preliminary data or filters fed into their tools must be in sync with your ICP, which they can’t merely guess.

Relying on AI and ML for lead research loses its significance if there isn’t an accurate portrayal of your ideal customer profile to begin with. I mean, without this critical information, how can one even assess the validity or lack thereof of the results produced by these tools?

Furthermore, without casting doubt on CIENCE’s AI and ML tools, most AI and ML tools only provide surface-level data, such as technographic, firmographic, and demographic information. This data reveals little about customers’ needs and the challenges they are facing, or how your product could potentially address these issues. Let’s take a look at the Martal Group.

Just like CIENCE, the Martal Group also relies on databases and tools to find your ICP. 

We believe that’s the main reason most companies’ lead generation processes are broken. No ICP can even be found on a database or devised by a tool. 

It’s like both companies are skipping the most important step in lead generation, which is discussing the ICP, asking questions to your sales team, and running A/B tests to gain direct insight into psychographic data pertaining to your ICP. 

If they can’t discuss and nail your ICP, your product can’t make sense to them (not to the fullest, at least), they cannot relate to its unique use cases or the problems it solves, and subsequently, they cannot sell your product better than a company that has a solid process for the ICP. 

Lead research and list building

The subsequent step following the identification of your ICP involves researching potential customers who fit that profile and compiling a list for outreach campaigns. Therefore, this section will focus on that particular process. Let’s start with the Martal Group.

The Martal Group is particularly proficient at generating target prospect lists for their campaigns. As stated on their website, they develop a weekly curated list of pre-qualified prospects for use in their campaigns from their proprietary B2B contact information databases or from other vendors.

Additionally, the website indicates that they compile a list of approximately 3000 – 5000 prospects each month. Given that they construct these lists and target prospects on a weekly basis, this equates to creating a list of around 750 – 1250 prospects per week.

We believe it’s reasonable to infer that manually constructing outreach lists of this size would be impractical. Hence, they likely use a data intelligence tool (FYI, they own three in-house databases for B2B contact information) to rapidly build prospect lists and then curate them.

With such databases, they can rapidly compile extensive lists of businesses by simply applying specific filters. Interestingly, building lists this way can effectively expedite the list-building process, thereby enabling the targeting of thousands of prospects fast. 

We take issues with that.

First issue, while convenient, data intelligence tools produce generic information you can easily anticipate. Even when they apply specific filters to narrow down the lists and focus on particular audiences, the resulting data remains generic.

In most cases, you’ll see data in the range of:

• IPO companies
• Companies that have 500-1000 employees
• Companies that use Salesforce
• Companies that are in the UK
• Companies that are Serie A funded
• Etc. 

Second issue, the data doesn’t provide specific insights about your ICP, their challenges, or any unique aspects about them. While it might form a solid base for sending cold emails, it fails to illuminate the specific needs of a company and the reasons for targeting them.

That means you can’t confidently determine if a company you see on these platforms experiences the problems your product or service resolves. Consequently, it turns into a speculative endeavor where you send cold emails to a random audience and wait to see who responds. NOT GOOD.

Moreover, when you do manage to pique someone’s interest, leads generated this way are the hardest to convert. When they hand them off to you, you’ll still need significant informational content and time to educate and prepare them for a sales pitch.

This is bad for your business, particularly when you’re investing in lead generation services to rapidly grow your sales pipeline with qualified leads and increase revenue fast. (You’ll discover how we at Nerdy Joe do it better later on.)

Similar to the Martal Group, CIENCE utilizes its proprietary Go Platform to facilitate its lead research and list-building operations. Their approach closely mirrors that of the Martal Group, meaning the same potential issues related to accuracy and efficacy persist, with all the not-so-great implications for your business.

Plus, in terms of coverage, CIENCE appears to reach a smaller audience compared to the Martal Group because they only use their platform and don’t rely on any third-party data intelligence vendors.

Lead targeting and outreach approach

We’ll divide this section into two parts: campaign-level and copy-level approaches. This distinction will aid in understanding how these organizations conduct their outreach campaigns, create the content or copy sent to prospects, and how these elements influence the results you receive.

Campaign-level 

Let’s start with the Martal Group. Understand that we are only focusing on the 1st tier of the service, outbound lead generation, as it aligns with your current needs the most.

As part of their outbound lead generation campaign efforts, The Martal Group targets between 3000 – 5000 potential leads and sends out a range of 9000 – 12000 emails PER MONTH.

Within the same timeframe, they also connect with prospects on LinkedIn, sending between 600 – 700 LinkedIn messages.

The package also includes call follow-ups with prospects. Ultimately, you can anticipate 20 – 30 qualified leads from the campaign. They guarantee that you can convert between 5 to 15 of these leads into customers. 

The combination of these three platforms or outreach channels can be effective in hitting up prospects across channels and ensuring that you actually touch the prospects and get a response. But people are known to be typically averse to cold calls.

Even with that aside, the real issue is that The Martal Group reaches out to WAY TOO MANY PROSPECTS and SENDS FAR TOO MANY EMAILS. We get that the emails can be sequences. We also get that they’ll create new sending domains, new mailboxes, warm-up domains, and design go-to-market approaches, etc., before completely unfolding the campaign, but still.

Doing so raises the question of whether this approach ensures a high quality of meetings or a good conversion rate of leads. Here is why targeting a huge list and sending too many emails isn’t great for you. 

From our experience, here is what it could mean if you are targeting huge lists: 

• Mass outreach: If you send emails to this many people, you are not taking the time to properly research your prospects and tailor your email to each individual. You’re blasting people with generic cold emails and pushing for action. They might say you’re selfish and lazy. 
• Substandard lead quality: Since there is no super personalization, the quality of the leads you get will be subpar, and you can’t convert, at least not easily or in a short timeframe. 
• Pissed prospects: Some prospects can be mean to you, saying things like “Remove me from your list”, “Don’t ever email me again”, or worse, “Your cold email sucks”. 
• Bad rap on socials: Targeting people with generic emails can negatively impact your company’s reputation. This can be particularly damaging if you are in a competitive industry or rely heavily on word-of-mouth referrals. Also, we are sure that’s not how you want your business to be represented.

We are not saying that this is indicative of the Martal Group’s work, but do you get the idea? We only mean to say that quality outreach requires substantial effort and time, and targeting enormous lists is not the best way to go about it.

CIENCE does not provide explicit details about how they conduct their outreach campaigns. They mention some features but don’t elaborate on the scale of their campaigns or their particular methods.

However, by examining the campaign results they promise, it’s clear that their operations are quite similar to those of the Martal Group — executing large-scale campaigns that reach thousands of people — and therefore, the same concerns about lead quality and conversion rates are relevant.

Copy-level

Both the Martal Group and CIENCE showcase a strong dedication to comprehensive customer research before initiating a campaign. They use the insights obtained from this research to inform their actions and produce personalized content. 

However, we hold some concerns about their understanding of personalization. Let’s explore CIENCE first.

CIENCE employs AI to produce personalized content. They use AI and Machine Learning (ML) tools for data collection and enrichment, integrating personalization into their emails, LinkedIn InMails, or web content before delivering them to their clients’ potential customers.

We acknowledge that AI and ML can enhance data collection and analysis, scrutinizing prospects’ social media (such as LinkedIn) posts, customer support interactions, etc. As a result, AI can learn which content resonates with the audience.

We also acknowledge that AI-driven personalization can indeed be effective. However, here’s why we believe that human research and manual content creation yield better results.

• Human connection

One of the primary reasons we advocate for human-conducted research and personalization lies in the human element. 

A proficient researcher or salesperson can empathize with a potential client, comprehend their needs and motivations, relate to them and deliver a personalized experience that AI simply can’t replicate. 

Moreover, this human connection we are talking about is more than simply understanding your target audience and gathering data to tailor personalized messages. 

It’s about telling stories that elicit emotions, content that inspires actions, and more. AI tools can mimic it, but they can’t do it the way humans do. 

• Creativity

Another significant reason we resist the notion of AI-driven personalization is the repetitiveness inherent in AI tools. For instance, once they discover a successful framework for personalizing messages, you’ll likely notice the same framework across all their generated emails. 

Meanwhile, innovative thinking is essential in prospect research and personalization. Uncovering unique and personalized solutions for each client makes a substantial difference, and it’s something AI is limited in due to its training data and its incapacity to generate truly innovative solutions — a feat humans take for granted.

• Contextual understanding and adaptability

We have the ability to adapt to market shifts or specific changes in your situation more effortlessly than AI. In essence, skilled researchers can adjust their tactics or strategy based on new information or feedback, a capability AI might struggle with.

Moreover, AI and ML tools and their many software platforms provide the data, and that’s cool. But when it becomes a campaign of scale —as we see CIENCE do— the information and their output become generic for lack of specificity or individualism. 

The Martal Group doesn’t rely on AI or other tools to create emails or outreach messages. Still, their method of personalizing messages and emails isn’t top-notch. Like we said before, mass outreach sucks away the time and brain power you should normally invest into crafting compelling copies. Here is what the Martal Group does.

While creating templates might seem efficient at first glance, it essentially means that they’re basing all their content on one successful example and applying it across the entire campaign.

Given the large number of prospects they target, they can’t craft personalized emails for each individual. This results in broad, generic personalization, which, when you really consider it, isn’t truly personalization.

Essentially, this means they’ll create a single email template, sent to the vast list of prospects they’ve compiled, with only some generic variables (like company name, job title, first name, etc.) altered within the email.

This kind of superficial personalization is far from optimal. Even if they do manage to generate leads with these tactics, you’ll likely encounter difficulties when trying to convert them.

Lead outreach channels included

Yes, both CIENCE and the Martal Group utilize multi-channel outreach strategies in their approach to lead generation.

CIENCE describes its approach as “AI-enabled research, multi-channel outreach, and our proprietary software platform to start sales conversations with your next, best customers.” 

They employ a variety of channels (Email, Phone, Social Media, Web) for outbound sales, combining human intelligence and AI to fuel their operations. 

Similarly, the Martal Group also employs a multi-channel outreach strategy, encompassing email, LinkedIn, phone, and more. They leverage data intelligence tools, proprietary outreach tools, and their expertise to drive their operations.

However, at Nerdy Joe, we take a different stance. We believe reaching out to prospects on so many channels can be overwhelming and, sometimes, counterproductive. We’ll explain more about our unique approach later.

Lead generation and sales enablement tech stack included

We believe this is one of the unique reasons you can consider working with CIENCE and its unfair advantage over most lead generation companies. 

CIENCE provides a comprehensive suite of tools for all aspects of lead generation. This includes platforms for lead research, data mining and analysis, CRM, email automation, reporting and analytics, and more. This means that clients of CIENCE don’t need to invest in third-party tools for lead generation, which could potentially lead to cost savings.

The Martal Group, on the other hand, also provides several tools for lead generation, including databases for B2B contact information and dashboards for outreach analytics and reporting. However, unlike CIENCE, the Martal Group relies on several third-party tools to deliver its services.

This could mean that clients of the Martal Group might need to invest in additional tools to achieve their lead generation goals. This is something to remember when comparing these two companies’ services.

Pricing and deal specs: Pricing model, refund policy, average deal size, minimum commitment period, and contracts. 

None of the two companies leaves a clear pricing detail on its website. In most cases, you’ll have to reach out to them to get custom pricing. That said, we’ve looked on Clutch to see the average deal size of the two companies. 

Pricing/average deal size

Both CIENCE and the Martal Group have a typical deal size ranging between $10,000 to $50,000, according to Clutch. 

That’s quite an investment, especially for small to medium-sized businesses. Given the volume of prospects they target, the scale of their campaigns, and their many tools, this pricing might make sense. 

However, considering the potential lead quality and conversion challenges discussed earlier, this might not provide your business with the best return on investment.

Minimum commitment period and contracts

When working with the Martal Group, the typical subscription period is 3 months. You have to commit to working with them for 3 months.

CIENCE also has something similar for their managed outbound lead generation service. Except their minimum commitment period is 6 months.

That means that you will have to PAY or AGREE to pay them for months before you can start working together. This might not be ideal for you, especially if you are a small business or a startup, and here is why.

This system obliges you to pay them for months while they simply try stuff, and you MIGHT not have any results to show for your investments. 

Think about it, that’s $60,000 minimum for CIENCE and $30,000 for the Martal Group. You’ll have a hard time explaining that. 

Even more importantly, committing to a long-term contract or subscription can limit your flexibility to adjust your lead generation strategy or switch to a different provider. 

It can be problematic if your business needs change or you are unsatisfied with the results. 

Whether or not you’re satisfied with the service, you’ll still have to pay them and honor the contract. 

Refund policy

The Martal Group doesn’t mention any refund policy anywhere on their website. 

CIENCE’s terms of service do not provide any provision for refunds. 

This means if their services do not meet your expectations or desired results, there is no mechanism in place for you to recover your investment. You would need to accept this outcome and proceed accordingly.

Nerdy Joe vs. Martal Group and CIENCE: Why we are a better option for lead generation than the Martal Group and CIENCE

At Nerdy Joe, we specialize in B2B lead generation, focusing specifically on email marketing and outbound lead generation methods, such as cold emailing and LinkedIn outreach.

Our service ensures a continuous stream of leads for your business, freeing you from the stress of lead generation. This lets your sales team concentrate on their core competencies — meeting potential customers and making successful sales.

We provide a potentially superior option to CIENCE and the Martal Group, as we feel that these companies overlook some fundamental aspects of lead generation, aspects we prioritize.

To provide some clarity, let’s look at the key elements of lead generation where CIENCE and the Martal Group seem to fall short. It’s worth considering these points before deciding on their services, as they might not be as beneficial as you initially think.

Here we go:

• Martal Group’s approach to personalizing outreach messages leaves much to be desired. They rely heavily on generic templates, personalizing only at an industry level, resulting in one-size-fits-all messages. The level of personalization is lacking, making their communications far from unique.
• CIENCE’s ICP identification process is vague and leaves too many unanswered questions. Similarly, Martal Group’s ICP identification process isn’t robust either, as they depend more on tools than manual labor, leading to a lack of guaranteed sales-ready leads.
• Both companies tend to source their leads from sales and data intelligence tools, which leads to a lack of precision in targeting. Their outreach efforts essentially become a game of chance and volume, sending emails to random individuals and waiting to see who responds. This is a result of their approach, which isn’t centered on addressing individual needs and pain points.
• While CIENCE’s AI-powered personalization may seem appealing, it raises concerns about accuracy, quality, and overall effectiveness. Relying on human-researched lead data and personally curated content may serve you better.
• Another drawback of these companies is their ‘jack-of-all-trades’ nature. They offer a plethora of services across numerous channels, which can dilute their expertise. Collaborating with a team specializing in one or two channels and excelling in them is more beneficial.
• The outreach campaigns of both companies are not well-structured to attract the best leads. This is largely because their strategy focuses on mass-targeting, leading to poor campaign performance and a prolonged lead conversion process.
• Neither company offers refunds; more strikingly, they don’t guarantee results. This uncertainty is coupled with three to six months commitment periods, requiring you to allocate budgets for these periods without any assurance of outcomes.
• Lastly, their pricing is quite expensive and seems to be predicated on the tools they use (as in the case of CIENCE) and the work they undertake rather than the results they deliver, which is less than ideal.

Both CIENCE and the Martal Group fall short in several critical areas for lead generation companies. They fail to align with the key elements we initially discussed, which you would ideally want from a service that will fuel your business growth. 

Both companies show significant limitations in delivering an optimal lead generation service from personalization to targeting, campaign strategy, and pricing structure.

Now here is why you really should work with us at Nerdy Joe. 

Outreach services: CIENCE and Martal Group are jacks of all trades; we are deeply focused on cold email outreach and LinkedIn outreach.

One problem with CIENCE and Martal is their propensity to spread themselves too thin. They promise a full spectrum of services, from LinkedIn marketing, sales enablement, inbound marketing, and even technology as a service.

They present themselves as one-stop shops in the lead generation field, which can make them less top-notch than you’d want them to be because one cannot excel at everything. 

Rather than posing as a one-size-fits-all solution, we take pride in specializing in two key areas — cold email and LinkedIn outreach. Our strategy revolves around honing these two channels to provide unmatched results.

This targeted approach we take delivers significant benefits to our clients. We keep it straightforward yet potent: focusing on crafting compelling cold email and LinkedIn outreach strategies that draw in and engage potential leads.

To us, lead generation is just a piece of a larger puzzle. The real measure of success? Turning leads into long-term customers. Thus, our aim isn’t merely to generate leads but to generate high-quality ones with a high potential for conversion.

Service value: The Martal Group and CIENCE charge you for the work they do and their vast (not-so-useful) tech stack; We charge only for the results we bring you.

We believe that if you hire a company to generate leads, the only important outcome is the number of sales leads generated by the end of the month. That should be their sole commitment and the only performance you get billed for.

Both CIENCE and the Martal Group charge hefty fees for their services, with costs tied to the outreach volume, the tally of contacts they add to your list, and their fancy tech tools. This pricing model has an obvious downside, as it doesn’t consider or guarantee the number of leads they will deliver.

At Nerdy Joe, we clarify from the get-go that clients need not fret about the list of prospects we construct or the email volume we send — don’t worry, we don’t do mass outreach.

This is because we understand the core struggle for companies seeking lead generation help revolves around their need for LEADS. It’s that simple.

So, our lead generation specialists concentrate only on metrics that truly reflect your outreach performance and ROI. We focus on metrics like:

• Volume of positive responses
• Number of meetings scheduled
• Count of new sign-ups
• Number of demo requests
• Lead to close rate

Our reports are customized to align with your company’s product or service and your broader objectives. This enables us to discern the results that hold the most importance for you, and those become our primary targets for achievement.

For instance, if you task us with getting more guest posting opportunities for you, we’ll report on the following:

• The count of positive replies from editors
• The volume of affirmative responses we receive from webmasters

Outreach methodology: CIENCE and the Martal Group approach lead generation as a number game; We at Nerdy Joe adopt a careful and systematic approach to lead generation. We manually build our lists and prioritize strategic targeting.

Most companies in the lead generation approach it as a number game, and CIENCE and the Martal Group are no different. In fact, that approach is industry-standard. 

They amass extensive lists using data intelligence tools like Apollo.io and ZoomInfo, then dispatch cold emails hoping to close a portion of that audience. And we do acknowledge this method might yield some leads.

The problem is that it doesn’t allow for the quality work that makes lead generation the most successful. There are a lot of issues that stem from targeting huge lead lists:

• Poor research and mediocre lead data enrichment
• No room or time for personalizations
• Poor, generic emails or messages
• Subpar lead quality, no conversion to show for your investment
• Company reputation at stake
• Deliverability and spam issues 

We’re not claiming that the service quality of CIENCE and the Martal Group is not excellent. Rather, we’re emphasizing the immense effort and time it takes to construct effective outreach campaigns. Simply mass-emailing individuals discovered on ZoomInfo doesn’t contribute to this objective.

Even more importantly, as dedicated marketers, we find it unimpressive to reach out to 5000 individuals only to engage 50 leads who may not even convert. That’s why we at Nerdy Joe prioritize individualized messages based on exhaustive research and analysis.

Our typical scenario is to build a short list of 20 prospects, research them thoroughly, and craft cold emails or LinkedIn messages, which can yield 15 responses, 10 of them positive, and eventually result in 6 sales-qualified leads or meetings for our clients.

Let’s be clear about our definition of personalization. It’s about making each email genuinely relevant, timely, and uniquely aligned for every recipient. It’s more than just inserting [[First name]] or similar variables into the subject line and calling it a day.

We seek to make each recipient feel understood and to spark their curiosity. We aspire to create emails that engender a sense of personal connection, encouraging them to take your proposition seriously, regardless of whether or not they decide to sign up.

We achieve this by investing considerable time in understanding and researching your ideal customer profile (ICP) before any email campaign launch. Targeting huge lists does not position you for this. 

We collaborate closely with you to craft the ICP, scrutinize each prospect on an individual basis, and gather data points to create impactful cold emails. Unlike CIENCE, we don’t rely on any tool to formulate your ICP or conduct research.

As soon as we onboard a new client, our initial step is to inquire about their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) through a set of probing questions.

We might ask:

• Who are your highest-value clients? 
• Which client category is the easiest to convert? 
• Which type of clients shows the fastest turnover? 
• What are the main objections that come up during sales calls? 
• What was your motivation for starting the company? 
• What issues were you aiming to address? 
• And so forth.

Your responses to these inquiries equip us with precise target demographics and their associated reasons. This granularity of information helps distinguish between:

“We’re reaching out to series A tech companies OR companies that use ClickUp”

And

“Our ICP is a VP of Sales at a B2B software company, catering to HR professionals, who is struggling with organization, time management, and team collaboration. They frequently resort to XYZ podcasts for insights on efficient team management.”

After gaining a clear comprehension of the ICP, we move forward to manually compile our list, which becomes the foundation for our lead generation campaigns.

Research and copywriting: CIENCE and the Martal Group provide basic, generically personalized emails; we research each prospect individually and create truly personalized cold emails and LinkedIn messages.

• We don’t rely on AI or ML tools as CIENCE does. Given that AI technology is still in its early stages, the content it generates often tends to be repetitive and lacks human warmth. We’re confident that our handcrafted emails and messages stand out for their authenticity and impact. We’re not in a rush as we don’t aim for a mass-scale campaign.
• Unlike the Martal Group, we don’t depend on templates for crafting emails. We maintain that a template-based approach tends to strip away the unique personal touch that can connect with each recipient’s distinctive characteristics. The result is impersonal and often ineffective mass customization.

So, what do we do?

Our process begins with an individualized examination of each prospect to gather useful information. This is the method through which we enrich our data.

We don’t rely on software to just feed us with basic information like job titles, geographical location, the technology they use, or the size of their company.

Instead, we seek psychographic data — insights into their personalities, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles. We deploy all our resources to acquire this data as it makes a remarkable difference. To give you an idea, here are some things we do:

• We listen to podcasts featuring your potential customers. 
• We read their blog posts. 
• We examine their posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Mastodon. 
• We analyze discussions in forums they participate in. 
• Etc.

Leveraging this compiled data, we identify unique angles that enable us to formulate personalized introductions or icebreakers.

Here’s what it looks like in real life. We pitched CoSchedule’s Head of Content, Ben Sailer, and asked him if we could write for them.

Here’s what he replied 1 hour later.

Here is another successful example from a similar strategy.

As you can see from both screenshots, the cold emails sent to the prospects were so compelling that they couldn’t help but acknowledge it before offering to hire us.

Contracts and signup implications: CIENCE and the Martal Group both require you to sign longer-term contracts; We don’t — you’re free to renew or stop your subscription based on satisfaction.

In contrast to CIENCE and Martal, which mandate long-term commitments of 3 to 6 months that could lead to considerable outlay without guaranteed results, we at Nerdy Joe champion a more flexible, subscription-based model.

This model ensures our collaboration brings you measurable outcomes from the very first month. The decision to continue subscribing is solely based on your contentment with our services and your budget considerations.

Our pricing structure is clear and upfront, possibly making us one of the leading agencies in lead generation. You select a plan tailored to your budget and needs and know exactly what you will get at the end of the month.

You won’t get ambiguous statements such as 

• “The results depend on various factors.” 
• “Your account manager was unable to work because he accidentally swallowed the office key.”

As long as your product fits the market well and resolves a widespread issue, that’s practically all we require to generate results for you. But, if you’re still in the process of identifying the perfect audience for your solution, we might not be able to provide efficient assistance. 

Nerdy Joe Pricing: The Martal Group and CIENCE are downright expensive; With us, you get the best bang for your buck and the option to scale without burning a hole in your bank account. 

• CIENCE and the Martal Group are expensive, way too much, to be fair. 
• They do not provide any refund.
• They have unclear pricing models and charge for things you don’t need.

We believe that pricing is way too expensive and not sustainable for the average business on a budget. 

So unlike the Martal Group and CIENCE, we offer a flat fee for a specific number of leads or appointments booked for you and keep it all transparent on our site. 

• DeLorean: It costs $1799/month and gives you 10 leads or meetings with high-quality leads.
• Batmobile: This is the plan we recommend, as it gives you the biggest bang for your buck. It costs $2199/month and gives you 15 hot and sales-qualified appointments or LEADS.
• Millennium Falcon: It costs $3099. This plan is good for mid-level to enterprise companies willing to fuel their sales team with up to 25 sales-ready leads on a monthly basis.
• Starship Enterprise: This is the enterprise-level plan, and it comes at $5099. We added it for large organizations and enterprise-level businesses willing to fuel their sales team with a huge flow (50+) of meetings with sales-ready leads on a monthly basis.

What’s interesting with us is that you know what you’re getting upfront and know exactly how much you’ll have to pay for it. We don’t play hide and seek or get you on long sales calls to discuss pricing with you. 

Collaborate with Nerdy Joe and start generating sales-ready leads today

The Martal Group and CIENCE are both highly respected in the field of lead generation, backed by robust portfolios and a strong industry presence. This post could potentially guide you to the lead generation company that best fits your business needs.

While the Martal Group is well-known for its proficiency and work in lead generation, CIENCE is primarily recognized for its array of lead generation tools. 

However, if you’re in search of a superior lead generation partner, we encourage you to engage with us. We are an agency that prides itself on delivering high-quality service.

As an agency, we:

• Execute tailored and effective outreach campaigns rather than mass-blasting lists.
• Undertake meticulous research to ensure efficiency.
• Charge for results, not individual tasks.
• Don’t burden you with unnecessary tools or costs.
• Don’t compel you to sign a binding contract.
• Value your time, delivering our services affordably and efficiently.
• Care deeply about the reputation of your company and the relationships with your prospects.

Nerdy Joe is the lead generation agency you need. We conduct market research, identify leads, manage these leads, and deliver you qualified prospects. Consider us an extension of your team.

When it comes to writing emails, most people spend most of their time crafting creative subject lines and copy, but fail terribly when it comes to closing and signing off the email. 

In this article, we share our latest findings on the email closing phrases you can use to drive engagement to your emails and still ensure you close your emails professionally. 

You will also discover the email ending formulas that you need to avoid and why you should. 

Why is it important to get the end of your email right?

First, there is the inherent reason that a well-written email must always end with a fitting conclusion and salutatory phrase for the context. 

This applies regardless of the purpose of the email — whether you are writing to a prospect, your CEO, or even your recruiter. 

Furthermore, the end of an email is just as important as the from line, the subject line, and the information in the body of the message. 

In other words, all the sections within your email are equally important. In that spirit, you should not leave your email endings to chance. 

Little efforts such as adding the appropriate ending phrase and sign off message to your email can significantly influence whether your email is noticed and responded to. 

Doing so also can also help instill a lasting good impression as you sign off and make you memorable. 

Also, every component within your email is another chance to connect with your prospects. 

Email ending phrases can allow you to urge your recipient towards a specific action with a call to action (CTA) as well as convey greetings. 

11 email closing mistakes to avoid

Here are some examples of frequently used email closing phrases and sign off formulas that you should avoid and why using them is not a good idea. 

1. Being too formal: (Respectfully, Yours faithfully, Sincerely yours, Respectfully yours, Yours truly) You are not a government official, you need to strike your recipients/prospects as someone they can relate to and identify with. Being too formal in your emails does not help with that. 

2. Trivial phrases: (e.g., Remaining at your disposal for any further information) Most of the time, recipients will not read trivial phrases. And even when they do, it does not contribute to the way your email is perceived in any way. 

3. Unnecessary phrases: (e.g., Kind regards, Take care) These phrases do not add anything to your message. You might as well drop them. 

4. Automated sign offs: (e.g., Sent from an iPhone) In most cases automated email sign offs attach the name of the device you used to send your email from to the email. 

a) no one cares, 

b) it’s not professional, 

c) it adds nothing to the email. 

So, they’re best deactivated. 

5. Leaning too much on hope: (e.g., I hope to see your reply soon, Hoping to connect soon) Such email endings make you look passive-aggressive. In addition, recipients may feel that you are pushing for something and this may cause them to disengage. 

6. Requests that appear like orders: (e.g., Thank you in advance for, I’d appreciate it if you) You need to be professional, casual and above all friendly in your emails. Such requests make you look like a pushy marketer and people don’t like that. 

7. Leaving the end of the email blank: (saying nothing at all or using alternatives like [Name] or -[Initial]). An empty email ending and signature do not make a good impression, especially if this is your first contact with the recipient. 

8. Abbreviations: (e.g., Thks, Rgrds, Ywc) This may look like typos to some recipients. You could also come across as unprofessional and lazy for others. 

9. Looking submissive: (e.g., Staying at your disposal) This makes you look desperate and you may even come across as someone who is begging instead of providing value. 

10. Overdoing: (adding a lot of phrases or sign offs to your email) Overdoing it will kill the value of your email endings and people will easily get tired of it. One closing sentence and one sign off message is enough. Adding more is extra.

11. Overly familiar phrases: (e.g., Love, XoXo, Hugs, Kisses) If you are sending the email to a relative or close friend, then that’s fine. But any professional or business email should refrain from such ending or signature formulas. 

20 email closing phrases — and alternative ways to end your emails

Now that you know why you need to nail your email closings to perfection and the mistakes you need to avoid, let’s set you up for success with 20 email closing sentences you can start using today. 

We also included alternatives you can choose depending on the mood of your email. 

Email ending phrases for formal business

Here are a few email ending phrases you can include at the end of your business emails. This can include emails you send your coworkers, leadership, or business partners. 

1. Best regards

Alternative: Best wishes

“Best regards” is formal, and it’s widely used. It can be the perfect email sign offs for your first touch with prospects. 

Also, since it’s widely accepted, you can use it as your go-to email sign off to keep things professional and yet not too boring or too formal. 

2. Sincerely

“Sincerely” works especially well in a formal and serious environment. Like reaching out to a government official or your employees, for example. It’s also a great fit for business emails. 

But we don’t recommend using it to reach out prospects or clients as it can often come across as an academic-style of email closing. 

3. Best

Alternative 1: All best

Alternative 2: All my best

Alternative 3: All the best

Just like “Best regards”, “Best” is also one of the most stumbled upon email ending phrases. People like it because it is short, simple, and can always fit for almost any atmosphere. 

Email endings for casual or friendly emails

Here are a few email ending phrases you can use when sending emails to recipients you seek to maintain a casual and friendly relationship with. 

1. Cheers

“Cheers” is viewed as casual and friendly. So, you can use it no matter the relationship between you and the person on the receiving end. 

But recommend you use this especially when you have a friendly, not-too-developed relationship with the receiver. 

2. Cordially

It’s nice, polite, professional and friendly. You can use it without worrying about compromising your rapport with the other person. 

But “Cordially” works especially well when you are not sure of the relationship with the recipient or when you are doubtful of the outcome of the email. 

So, it can be an excellent example for cold outreach emails.

3. Warmly

“Warmly” is a lesser popular form of “Cordially”. Both express the same things and can be used as alternatives. 

4. Talk soon

Alternative 1: Speak soon

Alternative 2: Chat soon

“Talk soon” is an informal, yet friendly way to end an email. So, only use these when emailing people you have regular contact with like coworkers or close customers. 

5. Have a good day

Alternative 1: Have a good one.

Alternative 2: Have a good day ahead.

Alternative 3: Enjoy your day.

Wishing your recipients a day is also an excellent way to end your email and sound friendly. Keep in mind that it is an informal formula. 

So, the best use case is when sending emails to people close to you like teammates. 

The “Have a good one” variation can be a polite and friendly way to end an email and show support to someone taking on a task. 

6. Have a great week

Alternative 1: Have a great weekend

Alternative 2: Enjoy your week

Alternative 3: Enjoy your weekend

The “Have a great week” email ending is not formal. 

But it makes perfect sense for a friendly and casual email tone when sending an email to someone you frequently correspond with, especially a coworker—on the first day of the week. 

The “weekend” variation is ideal for reaching the last day of the week. 

7. Have a nice evening

Alternative 1: Have a great evening

Alternative 2: Enjoy your evening

Alternative 3: Hope your evening goes well

This one also works like the two above. The key difference maker is the use case. As you have figured, it depends on the daytime you’re sending the email. 

So, make you only use it for people you have regular contact with and at the appropriate time. 

8. See you soon

Alternative 1: See you there.

Alternative 2: Catch you then.

The perfect use cases for this email sign off formula are when sending an email about an event, a reminder email about a video call or a virtual meeting. It’s polite and casual. 

You can send it to anyone from coworkers to customers.

Email sign offs for “thank you” and gratitude

Here, you will discover short and sweet email closing phrases that will help you show gratitude and appreciation to the right people, be it a business partner or a prospect.

1. Thanks

Alternative 1: Thank you for taking the time to help me/us

Alternative 2: Thanks for your consideration

Alternative 3: Thank you for your time

Alternative 4: Thanks for your help

Saying “Thanks” to someone for something they did for you at the end of an email is nothing new. ‘Thanks” is arguably the most used email closing phrase. 

It fits every relationship and persona. Just make sure you truly have a reason to “Thank” the person. Note, that it may sometimes be considered informal. 

2.  With appreciation

Alternative 1: Much appreciated

Alternative 2: With gratitude

Alternative 3: Grateful for your time/help/advice

Alternative 4: I appreciate you taking the time to help.

Alternative 5: I appreciate your feedback.

“With appreciation” and the included alternatives constitute professional ways to show appreciation and express gratitude. 

3. Keep up the good work! 

Alternative 1: You’re kicking ass! (informal, slang)

Alternative 2: You’ve done great with this! 

Alternative 3: Great work, keep it up!

If you are looking for a motivational way to close your emails, “Keep up the good work” is the most straightforward example of an email closing phrase you can include. 

It helps you appreciate the work of your recipient and encourage them to achieve even more. Here are also, be sure to set the ground and have a good enough reason to use it.

Email sign off phrases that require a response

Here is how to end an email if you have any questions. The idea behind the sign off phrases included in this section is to help you end your emails with phrases that beg answers without being pushy or desperate. 

1. Do not hesitate to contact me

Alternative 1: Don’t hesitate to ask any questions.

Alternative 2: Here to answer any questions.

This helps you show your recipients that you are at their disposal without making them sound desperate or pushy. 

In other words, it keeps you on the professional and casual side of things while begging for an answer from your recipient. 

It can be perfect for reaching out to work mates, leadership, customers, and more. 

2. Looking forward to hearing from you

Alternative 1: Looking forward to your response.

Alternative 2: Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

This is the ideal ending phrase for a follow-up email or an email for a cold outreach. 

It clearly indicates what’s expected from the recipient and does so while keeping a friendly and respectful tone.

4 email closing ideas and tips that will make you stand out

Let’s discuss a few ideas you can combine with your email closing phrases in order to pique the interest of your recipients and stand out from the competition. 

Personalize the ending sentence.

You know how you take the time to personalize the subject line or the opening phrase of your emails? Well, it can be pretty rewarding to do the same for your email sign off phrases, too. 

Personalizing email closing makes the email sign off more relevant and memorable for the correspondent. 

You can do this by including your recipient’s name in the sign off phrase or adding a personalized CTA note. 

Email closing personalization contributes to your overall personalization strategy and can get your recipients to trust you and remember your conversation more easily.  

Use your full name.

At the bottom of your email, below your sign off phrase, include your full name (and maybe your job title). It remains one the most professional ways to end an email. 

Add a post scriptum (PS)

Adding a brief summary at the end in the form of a Postscript allows you to reiterate your point in the email. 

This gives you an extra chance to connect with them and potentially get them to take your desired-action. 

But while you’re at it, make that the PS is as succinct and to-the-point as possible, otherwise it can easily be ignored. 

Include a professional email signature.

Including a professional signature at the end of your email is like handing a business card to prospective business partners or clients you’ve just had a chat with. 

It contributes to building trust, and people will easily remember you by it—or they can refer to it when they need to reach out to you. 

Here are a few things you can to include in your email signature. 

• A professional headshot
• Your full name 
• Your company
• Your job position within the company,
• Your phone number, 
• Links to relevant social media accounts (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc) 
• Your email address. 

Key takeaways

• Your email closing is just as important as your subject line and email body. So, you need to spend just as much time on it as you do with the rest of your email components.
• Beware of email closing mistakes and make sure you’re on the good sides of things. Because using the wrong email signature can still make you memorable. But probably not in the way you would like. 
• Make sure every email sign off formula you use fits your target audience and the relationship between you. You need to get it right for maximum results. 
• Want more ideas on how to make your emails highly converting? Download our list of best cold email etiquette.

A meeting request email is an email a person or party sends to ask another for a business meeting at a specified date and time. As you can tell, these emails are used in a professional context, and they are important for scheduling meetings with colleagues, clients, or other stakeholders.

Good business meeting request emails should clearly state the following:

• The purpose of the meeting: It describes why you want to meet. You can do this by including discussion points or the overall goal of the meeting.
• The proposed date and time: While offering a few alternatives to accommodate the recipient’s schedule, it proposes a clear date and time for the meeting.
• The duration of the meeting: It indicates how long the recipients can expect the meeting to last.
• The location or platform for the meeting: This can be a physical location or a virtual platform if the meeting is to be held online.
• Any preparation needed: If the recipient needs to review or bring anything to the meeting, it’s also specified in the email.

Meeting request email format: Key elements and how to write a successful meeting request email

Let’s take a look at the structure of a successful meeting request email, the key elements it includes, and how to write each one of them. Here is how to write meeting request emails:

Meeting request email subject line 

The first thing your recipient will notice about your meeting request email is its subject line. Studies show that 47% of emails are opened based on the subject line. 

So, as your recipient reads the subject line, they must be able to tell what’s required of them or why you’re emailing them. With that in mind, meeting request emails should be the simplest to write. Here are a few tips you should consider.

• Keep it concise and clear: Keep it short and clearly convey the purpose of the email. You want to make it easy for the recipient to understand what the email is about at a glance.
• Include necessary details: Mention key details such as the proposed date or topic of the meeting if space allows. This allows the recipient to quickly understand the context of the meeting.
• Use action-oriented language: Use verbs that inspire action, such as “review”, “discuss”, or “plan”.
• Make it relevant: The subject line should be closely tied to the content of the email. It should directly reflect the purpose of the meeting.

Here are some examples of meeting request email subject lines:

1. “Request for a meeting on [date] to discuss [topic]”
2. “Proposed meeting to review [project name] progress”
3. “Invitation to strategy planning meeting on [date]”
4. “Meeting request: [your name]/[your company] & [recipient’s name]/[recipient’s company]”
5. “Discussing [topic]: meeting request for [date]”
6. “Seeking your availability for a [topic/project] meeting”
7. “Let’s meet to discuss [business topic or project]”

Email salutation for requesting a meeting

Once you have crafted a catchy subject line, you need to use an appropriate salutation. In most cases, the salutation you use will depend on who the recipient is and the nature of the relationship between you two. 

Here are slime examples you can employ based on the relationship. 

1. Formal meeting request salutation — Business or professional context:

• Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. [last name],
• Dear [first name],

2. Informal – Friends or Close Colleagues:

• Hi [first name],
• Hello [first name], 
• Hey [first name],

3. Team or group — Departments    

• Dear Team,
• Hello Everyone,
• Hi Team,

Meeting request email body

Purpose of the meeting 

You should state the purpose of the meeting within the first few lines of the meeting request email. It allows the recipient to understand the importance of the meeting and prepares them for the topics that will be discussed. 

It also shows respect for their time, ensuring they can make an informed decision about whether or not to participate.

Here are some formulas you can follow to write it:

• “I am writing to request a meeting to address recent issues in our supply chain process. Your insights and experience could be key in identifying effective solutions.”
• “I am proposing a meeting to plan our strategy for the upcoming financial quarter. Your understanding of our market trends will be essential in shaping our approach.”
• “The purpose of this meeting is to engage in team-building activities and strengthen our working relationships. Your involvement would greatly contribute to a successful and enjoyable event.”

Proposed date and time 

There is no appointment without a proposed date and time. Inform your recipient about the proposed date and time. With this, they know if the time and date are convenient for them or if they will reschedule. 

Here’s how you can frame this in your email:

1. Single option: “I would like to propose that we meet on [day], [date] at [time]. Please let me know if this works for your schedule.”
2. Multiple options: “To accommodate your schedule, I’ve provided a few potential dates and times for our meeting:
   • Option 1: [day], [date] at [time]
   • Option 2: [day], [date] at [time]
   • Option 3: [day], [date] at [time]

Please let me know which option works best for you, or if there’s another date and time that suits you better.”

Details about the meeting place or platform

Once you have informed your recipient about the proposed date and time, you should continue the conversation by giving them more details, such as the meeting place or platform. Is it an online or offline meeting? 

If it will take place offline, inform them about the physical location. If it is online, inform them about the channel. Include the link where necessary. Some common channels you can use to host your meeting include Zoom, Google Meet, or other platforms. 

Here’s how you can frame this in your email:

1. Physical location (offline meeting): “The meeting is scheduled to take place at our office, located at [physical location/address]. I’ve attached a map with detailed directions for your convenience.”
2. Virtual platform (online meeting): “We will conduct the meeting via [platform name, such as Zoom or Google Meet]. I will send the meeting link and any necessary access codes closer to the meeting date.”

If the meeting will be conducted on a platform that requires a specific link or meeting ID, it might look like this:

“The meeting will be held via Zoom. Here are the meeting details:

• Meeting link: [insert link]
• Meeting ID: [insert meeting ID]
• Passcode: [insert passcode, if applicable]

Please let me know if you have any issues accessing the platform or if you have any other questions about the meeting.”

Meeting request email CTA: Request for confirmation 

Now that you have informed them about the details, you must include a call to action. Think about it! You’ve worked hard to get your recipient’s details and schedule a meeting date and time, location, or channels. 

Including a confirmation request brings your efforts home. The best approach is to ask questions to confirm if your request is convenient for both parties to avoid confusion. 

Here’s how you can frame this:

1. Single recipient: “Please confirm your availability for the proposed date and time by [specific date, typically 2-3 days later]. If you are unavailable, I would appreciate it if you could suggest an alternative time that suits you better.”
2. Multiple recipients: “I kindly request each of you to confirm your availability for the proposed date and time by replying to this email by [specific date]. If you are unable to attend at the suggested time, please suggest alternative times that work better for you.”

Professional meeting request email closure and signature

You should finish your meeting request email with a professional email closing line and sign-off that will sound pleasing to your recipient. Your ending must align with the general tone of the email. That is to say, if your email body is formal, don’t finish with an informal closure. 

Here are a couple of ideas to help you frame this:

Formal closing lines:

• “Thank you for considering my request. I look forward to your positive response.”
• “Thank you for your time and understanding.”

Sign-offs:

• “Kind regards,”
• “Best regards,”

As you write this, be sure to follow your sign-off with your full name, title (if applicable), and contact information. Here’s a complete example:

“Thank you for considering my request. I look forward to your positive response.

Best regards, 

[Your full name] 

[Your title] 

[Your contact information]”

12 meeting request email templates to request meetings successfully

Template 1: How to write an email requesting a meeting with a colleague

This type of email is often short and straightforward. Since both parties are already acquainted with each other, it requires no formal introduction. You can go straight to the purpose of the email. Include all essential details, such as the time and date of the meeting. 

You can also include the location or channel by which you will use to communicate if it is an online meeting. Also, don’t forget to request confirmation from your recipient. Here is a template that can work out for you.  

Subject line: Meeting request for project discussion

Hi [colleague’s name],
I’m writing to propose a meeting to discuss our ongoing project. Given the latest updates, I believe it would be beneficial for us to review the status and strategize for the next steps.
I have an open slot this Tuesday, August 1, between 2:00 – 4:00 PM. If that time suits you, let’s plan to meet in our usual conference room. If it’s more convenient, we can also arrange a video call.
Please confirm your availability so I can secure this in our calendars. If the suggested time does not work for you, please suggest an alternative.
Looking forward to your response.
Best, 
[your name]

Template 2: How to write an email requesting a meeting with your team

When writing this type of email, you don’t need to introduce yourself, as all the recipients are co-workers in the same organization. 

Simply include the necessary details, such as the time, date, and purpose of the meeting. If you find it difficult to craft one, here is a helpful template that can help you out. 

Subject line: Team meeting request to discuss [purpose of meeting]

Dear Team,
I hope everybody is having a good week so far.
I am writing to request a team meeting to discuss [brief explanation of what you want to discuss, for example: our progress on the current project/updates on the recent policy changes / our strategy for the upcoming quarter].
I have identified [date and time, for example: Tuesday, August 1, at 3:00 PM] as a potential time for our discussion. The meeting will take place in [location, or specify the online platform if it’s a virtual meeting].
During the meeting, we will cover [list of topics/agenda]. If you have any additional points you’d like to discuss, please feel free to share them before the meeting.
Please confirm your availability so that I can finalize the meeting schedule. If the proposed time doesn’t work for you, let me know so we can find a suitable alternative.
Looking forward to our discussion.
Best regards,
[your name]

Template 3: How to write an email requesting a meeting with a supervisor or manager 

A supervisor or manager is usually busy managing one project or the other. So, you don’t want to waste their time with a lengthy email. Be concise and specific about what you want. Include the necessary details as well. Here is an example that can help you out. 

Subject line: Request for a meeting to discuss [topic]

Dear [supervisor’s/manager’s name],
I would like to request a meeting with you to discuss [the specific topic, issue, or project]. The meeting will help [briefly explain why you want to discuss it and its impact on your work or the team’s work].
I suggest we meet on [proposed date and time, for example: Tuesday, August 1, at 10:00 AM]. The meeting should take no more than [estimated duration, for example: 30 minutes].
Please let me know if this time works for you or if there’s another time that’s more convenient for your schedule. I’m flexible and can adjust to your availability.
Thank you for considering my request. I believe that our discussion could provide valuable insights and help us [achieve a specific goal or overcome a challenge].
Best regards,
[your name]

Template 4: How to write a business meeting request email to meet with a customer 

When writing a meeting request email to a client, you should start by introducing yourself, especially if the customer is new. This is good for maintaining professionalism. Then move on to the purpose of the meeting and why it should interest the recipient. 

Next, cover essential details such as the venue, channel (if online), time, and date. Ensure the time frame is flexible to give your recipients options to pick from. Finally, call on the recipient to confirm your meeting request. Here is an example that can help you out. 

Subject line: Request for meeting regarding [product/service]

Dear [client’s name],
My name is [your name], and I am the [your job title] at [your company’s name]. Our team greatly values your business, and we are committed to ensuring your experience with us is always satisfactory.
To better serve you, I would like to propose a meeting to discuss [the specific product/service]. The goal of this meeting would be to [provide the purpose of the meeting].
If you are open to this, I am available [provide two or three options for dates and times]. The meeting can be held at your office, our office, or via a video conference call, depending on what suits you best.
Please let me know which date, time, and location work best for you. Once confirmed, I’ll send a calendar invite with all the necessary details.
Looking forward to the opportunity to meet and discuss how we can further improve our service to your company.
Best regards,
[your name]

Template 5: How to write a sales meeting request email

A sales meeting request emails are typically sent by sales reps or businesses to their prospective client or customer. The objective is to arrange a meeting where the business’s products or services can be discussed, demonstrated, or sold. 

Basically, the meeting provides an opportunity to address the customer’s needs, answer their questions, and potentially close a sale. So, as you write these emails, you need to focus on clarity, a value proposition, and respect for the recipient’s time. 

Here is a template that can guide you. 

Subject line: Request for meeting to explore potential collaboration

Dear [client’s name],
I am [your name], and I’m the [your position] at [your company].
I am reaching out because I believe that our [product/service] could be of significant benefit to [client’s company]. We have helped businesses similar to yours [describe how your product/service has helped other companies].
Considering your company’s focus on [mention something specific about their business, operations, or goals], I think a discussion on how we could possibly contribute to your success will be mutually beneficial.
I propose a brief meeting of approximately [duration of the meeting] at your earliest convenience. We could meet in person, or if you prefer, we could arrange a video conference call.
Please let me know your availability over the next week, and I will do my best to accommodate your schedule. Once we’ve established a time, I will send a calendar invite with all the necessary details.
Thank you for considering my request. I look forward to potentially collaborating and helping [client’s company] grow.
Best regards,
[your name]

Template 6: How to write a meeting request email for a project update

Your goal with this email is to schedule a meeting to review progress, discuss challenges, share updates, and plan future steps. Simply provide the meeting’s objective, proposed time and date, and a request for confirmation of attendance. Here’s a meeting request email template to guide you:

Subject line: Request for meeting – project [project name] update

Dear [recipient’s name],
I’d like to propose a meeting to discuss the latest updates on project [project name]. We have made significant progress, and we want to review our current status, discuss any challenges, and plan our next steps.
Your insights will help ensure the success of our project. I suggest we convene on [proposed date and time, e.g., Wednesday, August 3, at 2:00 PM]. The meeting is expected to last [estimated duration, e.g., one hour].
Please let me know if the proposed time works for you. If not, feel free to suggest a time that would be more convenient. Once we have confirmed the schedule, I will send a calendar invite with all the necessary details and our meeting agenda.
Looking forward to your response.
Best regards, 
[your name]

Template 7: How to write an email for a performance review meeting 

Performance review meeting emails are typically issued by a manager or HR representative to an employee. 

The purpose is to schedule a meeting to discuss the employee’s work performance over a specific period. The discussion usually involves evaluating the employee’s accomplishments, challenges, areas for improvement, and goals for the next review period.

The key aspect of this email is that it needs to be kept formal and professional. Here is an effective meeting request email template you can emulate to write this.

Subject line: Performance review meeting request

Dear [employee’s name],
I trust this email finds you well.
As part of our ongoing commitment to employee development, it is time for us to schedule your performance review meeting. This is an opportunity to discuss your achievements, challenges, and areas for growth over the past [specific period], as well as set goals for the upcoming review period.
I am proposing that we hold this meeting on [proposed date and time]. If that doesn’t work for you, anytime in the next few weeks will be fine by me. The meeting is expected to last approximately [estimated duration, e.g., one hour].
Please let me know if this time works for you. If not, I am open to suggestions for an alternative time that fits into your schedule.
I encourage you to reflect on your performance and come prepared with any questions, comments, or goals you wish to discuss.
Once we have finalized the date and time, I will send you a calendar invite with all the necessary details.
I look forward to our discussion and continued collaboration.
Best regards,
[your name]

Template 8: How to write a meeting email request for a brainstorming session

So, here, your goal is to schedule a meeting to generate new ideas, solutions, or strategies related to a particular topic or project. The email should outline the topic you want to discuss, the time and place, and encourages the participants to come prepared with ideas.

Just like others, be specific about the purpose of the email. Include vital details such as time, date, location, or channel (if online) in the message. Also, request confirmation from your recipient. Here is a great meeting request email template to help you out. 

Subject line: Brainstorming session for [project/topic] – meeting request

Dear [recipient’s name],
I am writing to invite you to a brainstorming session for our [project/topic]. As we navigate through [mention the challenge or situation], we need to work on new ideas to find solutions.
I suggest we meet on [proposed date and time, e.g., Thursday, August 5, at 10:00 AM]. The session should last approximately [duration, e.g., one hour]. Please let me know if this time works for you. If not, feel free to suggest a more convenient time.
In the meantime, please start thinking about [specific instructions, e.g., potential solutions, ideas related to the project/topic]. 
Once we agree on the time, I’ll send a calendar invite with all the relevant details.
Thank you for your time and contribution. I look forward to a productive session filled with innovative ideas.
Best regards,
[your name]

Template 9: How to write an email requesting a company-wide meeting 

A company-wide meeting involves everyone working within the company. So, you need to keep the email message professional and use a formal tone. Also, be clear about the purpose of the meeting, the date, time, and duration, as well as any preparation required.

Keep your message short and sweet. Here is an example to help you out with company-wide meeting requests.

Subject line: Invitation to company-wide meeting

Dear Colleagues,
You are invited to a company-wide meeting to discuss [describe the general purpose of the meeting]. This will be an excellent opportunity for us to come together, share updates, and align our objectives as we move forward.
[proposed date and time, e.g., Friday, August 10, at 2:00 PM] is the proposed date. The meeting is expected to last approximately [duration, e.g., one hour]. We can meet in the [meeting location, if in-person] or via [online platform, if virtual].
During the meeting, we will discuss [briefly describe the agenda or topics to be covered]. We encourage you all to come prepared to share your insights and any concerns you may have.
Please confirm your availability by replying to this email. Once we have confirmed the schedule, you’ll receive a formal calendar invite with the meeting agenda and any additional details.
Your participation is crucial for our collective success, and we look forward to seeing you all at the meeting.
Best regards,
[your name]

Template 10: How to write an email to request an online/virtual meeting 

Virtual meetings make everyone get together with ease. When requesting an online or virtual meeting, you should specify the platform that will be used (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, etc.), provide a link if possible, and detail the purpose of the meeting.

Here is a template that can help you out.

Subject line: Request for virtual meeting regarding [topic]

Hello [recipient’s name],
I want to propose a virtual meeting to discuss [mention the topic or purpose of the meeting]. Given the current circumstances, I believe this format will allow us to collaborate effectively while respecting everyone’s safety and convenience.
I suggest we meet via [platform, e.g., Zoom, Teams, etc.] on [proposed date and time, e.g., Monday, August 7, at 3:00 PM]. The meeting should take approximately [duration, e.g., 30 minutes].
Please let me know if this time works for you. If not, I am flexible and can adjust to a time that suits you better. Once we have finalized the time, I will send a calendar invite along with the link to the virtual meeting.
I look forward to our discussion and appreciate your consideration.
Best regards,
[your name]

Template 11: How to write a meeting request for an urgent issue

Urgent meetings can be tough when the participants are often busy. The key to making this successful is by making it clear why your meeting is a priority. Then you simply need to provide a meeting time as soon as possible and include any other detail pertinent to the meeting. 

Subject line: Urgent meeting request regarding [issue]

Hello [recipient’s name],
I am writing to request an urgent meeting to discuss [briefly describe the issue]. Due to its immediate impact on our [operations/project/team/work], I find it important that we address this issue promptly.
I propose that we meet [suggest the earliest appropriate time, such as “later today” or “first thing tomorrow morning”]. The meeting may take approximately [duration, e.g., 45 minutes], depending on the complexity of the issue.
Please let me know if you’re available at this time. If not, could you suggest another time that works for you? 
Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. I believe that by addressing it together swiftly, we can mitigate any potential negative effects.
Best regards,
[your name]

Template 12: How to write a meeting request for a networking event

This is typically an email you send to either invite individuals to a networking event you’re hosting or to propose a one-on-one meet-up at a networking event you both plan to attend. 

The purpose is to connect, share ideas, discuss potential collaborations, or expand professional networks.

So, that said, we will provide you with two templates for both scenarios.

If you’re inviting individuals to a networking event:

Subject line: Invitation to [event name] – networking opportunity

Dear [recipient’s name],
I am excited to invite you to [event name], a networking event hosted by [company/organization] on [date] at [time]. This event will bring together professionals in [industry/field], providing an opportunity to share insights, build relationships, and explore potential collaborations.
I believe your experience and knowledge in [their area of expertise] would make a valuable addition to our gathering. We will be meeting at [location/virtual platform], and the event should last approximately [duration].
Please let me know if you can attend. I’ll be happy to provide further details or answer any questions you might have.
Looking forward to your positive response.
Best regards,
[your name]

If you’re proposing a meet-up to someone at a networking event:

Subject line: Request to meet at [event name]

Dear [recipient’s name],
I noticed that we are both attending the upcoming [event name] on [date]. Given our shared interests in [mention common interests or fields], I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for us to meet and share ideas.
Would you be available for a quick chat during one of the breaks or after the event? I believe that exchanging insights could be mutually beneficial.
Please let me know if this proposal suits you, and we can arrange a specific time and place to meet.
Looking forward to the possibility of meeting you at [Event Name].
Best regards,
[your name]

Key takeaways

• A meeting request email is an email you send to ask for an appointment with someone, team, or your entire organization. 
• A standard meeting request email consists of a proper salutation, the purpose of the meeting, proposed time and date, confirmation request, and professional closure. 
• One key best practice you should consider is to communicate in a professional tone to your recipient. 
• Need help with email marketing and lead generation? We are ready to help. Nerdy Joe can help you get highly-stellar results from our sophisticated email marketing efforts. Give us a response today. 

A well-phrased email request can open doors, build relationships, and get things done efficiently. However, it’s often challenging to find the right words or the appropriate tone when asking for something through an email. 

So, this makes it easy to miss the mark, leading to miscommunications or, worse, leaving most email requests unfulfilled.

In this article, we’ve broken down what you need to do to craft the best request emails. We also have some examples that will show you how to create one. So, let’s dive in.

What is a request email?

A request email is a message that you send to someone asking them for something that you need. It could be a request for information, a favor, assistance, service, permission, resources, an appointment, or even for someone’s time.

That said, here are some scenarios wherein you may need to use email to make requests:

• Making an inquiry,
• Asking for advice,
• Sending a meeting invite,
• To request documents,
• To complete a form, or
• Ask for more resources.

Before you write one, you first need to understand what makes a great request email. That’s how you know the request email you’ve written is set to bring you your desired results.  

How to write an effective email asking for something

Ready to write your email request? Here are the steps you need to consider. But first, let’s get clear on the key elements that make a good request email successful. 

Request email fundamentals: Key elements that make a good request email

Here are 6 key elements that you know your request email is written and up for maximum engagement. 

1. It’s direct and concise

There is no need to beat around the bush. State your intentions immediately and keep it short. Tell them what you want, why, and when you want it. The shorter you make the email, the easier you make it for your recipients to read through, and the more likely they are to DO THE THING or GRANT THE REQUEST.

2. It’s polite 

Simply asking someone something doesn’t guarantee they’ll fulfill it for you. The way you ask also matters. That’s why the request email should be polite. Using courteous language makes the recipient more likely to want to help you. This includes using phrases like “please” and “thank you”, as well as using a respectful tone throughout the email.

Also, understand that writing a polite email goes beyond the language or the ask; it’s also about showing respect for the recipient’s time and efforts. This includes waiting patiently for a reply rather than making your email sound pushy or sending incessant follow-ups. You need to be understanding if they are unable to fulfill your request. 

3. It has a clear and easy-to-understand request

Clarity is key in a request email. You need to articulate what exactly you’re asking for, providing all necessary specifications and guidelines. Avoid using jargon or complex language that could potentially confuse the recipient. 

Using bullet points or numbered lists can be useful when asking for multiple items or explaining several parts of a more complex request. The clearer your request, the fewer back-and-forth emails will be needed, saving everyone’s time and effort.

4. It has a clear CTA

Studies show that an email with a clear CTA has a response rate of 371%. Even with that aside, it only makes sense to guide your recipient to the next step with a clear CTA after stating your request. 

The CTA should be explicit about what you want them to do after reading the email, whether it’s providing information, performing a specific task, or replying by a certain date. Explicit, clear instructions make it easier for your recipient to act on your request promptly and correctly.

If possible, you can break the task into simpler requests spread over a specific time frame and ask them to get it done in due course. Note that you’ll have to make this clear and write the CTA accordingly. 

5. It indicates the level of urgency

Professionals are always busy. If your request is time-sensitive, you have to clearly state it. You could do this by mentioning the deadline in the subject line or early in the email. At the same time, you have to provide a reasonable timeframe for the recipient to fulfill your request. 

Keep in mind, though, that misusing urgency or making every request an “urgent” one can undermine your credibility. 

6. It emphasizes the recipient’s suitability for the task

Be clear to your recipient about why they are the right person for the job — it’s even the best way to personalize the email. Sometimes, a little flattery can help you get a fast response. Do they have unique skills, knowledge, or resources that make them the best candidate to assist you? 

This acknowledgment will help the recipient feel valued, increasing their motivation to assist. It also demonstrates that you’ve done your homework and put thought into who to ask for help, which can boost your credibility.

Request email format: 7 steps to draft your request email

If you have considered the above-mentioned points, your request email should be easy to write, and you should have a clear idea of what to include and what not to. 

That said, here are the 7 steps you have to complete to send an effective request via email.

Step 1: Craft a concise and compelling subject line

If you want your email to be opened and read, then you must craft a compelling subject line. The email subject line is the first thing your recipient sees in the inbox. So, you want one that’s clear and grabs your recipient’s attention. 

Keep in mind that the best request email subject lines are the simplest ones, and they directly state what the email will be about. For instance, let’s say you are seeking to request a quote concerning a product or service. Your subject line could go this way:

Subject line: Request for quote for [product/service’s name].

Here are other examples: 

• “Urgent: Need your approval for project proposal by Friday”
• “Request for extension on financial audit deadline”
• “Invitation: Feedback session for new product line”
• “Request for reference: Job application for XYZ position”
• “Need your insights: Market trends 2023 research”

Step 2: Start the email with a polite and appropriate greeting

Your relationship with the recipient often determines the style of greeting. 

If the recipient is your professor, an investor, or any person with whom you need to maintain a formal and professional relationship, you should greet them politely. Email salutation formulas like Dear + Name or Hello + Name are perfect for this. 

If the recipient is someone you are particularly close with, you can try being more casual or open the conversation with a friendly greeting. In this case, a Hi + Name or Hey + Name will be perfect. 

Step 3: Build rapport with them by expressing gratitude for their work (especially their skillset related to your request)

Once you have greeted your recipient, you can proceed with the conversation by introducing yourself and creating a connection in the first sentence. The best way to do this is to express gratitude for their work, especially their skillset pertaining to your request. This approach shows that you value their work and expertise.

Here is an example: 

“I’ve been following your work in the area of sustainable manufacturing processes with great interest. Your expertise and experience in this area are remarkable, and I believe you’re uniquely qualified to assist with my request.”

There are lots of other ways to do this. For example, you can mention something you have in common (be it a person or an interest), something you find fascinating about them, and more. Here are some more examples: 

• “I had the opportunity to attend the ‘Leadership in a Digital Age’ conference last month. I was particularly impressed by your contribution to the panel discussion on innovative management techniques. This made me realize that you could provide valuable help for my current project.”
• “Our mutual colleague, Jane, has often spoken of your exceptional skills in database management. Given this, I’m reaching out to you with a request that I believe falls within your area of expertise.”

Step 4: Get to the point and make your request clear and specific

The way forward is to clearly state the purpose of your email. Be clear and specific about your request and why it needs to be done. This will help your recipient to understand what you need and get it done. 

For instance, it may be that you need a letter of reference, some confidential information, a backlink, a feature on their newsletter, or you need to pick their brain for a project. Here is an example, suppose you need a feature on their newsletter:

“I’m reaching out to kindly request the opportunity to be featured in your upcoming newsletter. Specifically, I’m interested in introducing our recently launched product, [product name], to your audience. This innovative product [briefly describe what the product does and its benefits]. Given the interests and needs of your subscriber base, I believe they would find this product to be beneficial.”

Step 5: Offer a favor in return (if appropriate).

A quick way to have your recipient prioritize your requests is to offer them a favor in return. It’s a good way to show a sense of professional courtesy. It creates a win-win situation where both parties will benefit from the request. Sometimes, it might be what it takes. 

While you’re at it, note that you should only consider this if it’s appropriate for the scenario so that your recipient won’t mistake it as a bribe. A good example is in the context of a backlink request. 

You can tell your recipient/target if they link to your desired page, you will link back to their site. Or even better, you can promise to link them in your future guest posts. Here is an example of how you can frame this in an email:

“In return, I would be more than happy to include a link to your blog post in a future piece or even in an update to an existing article on our site.

Our content will mutually enhance each other, providing our respective audiences with even more valuable information.”

Step 6: Ensure the clarity of the call-to-action and next steps.

Once you have stated your request in the email message, you should clarify how you want your recipient to take action. It makes it easy for the recipient to say yes to your request. 

For instance, you may want to book a meeting with them, schedule a phone call at a specific timeframe, or request to pick up some documents through specific channels. Whatever you want from them, state it in simple terms. 

Step 7: End the email in a professional way

Finally, thank your recipient for their attention and time to read through your requests. Next, add a good email closing line and end it with a proper email sign-off. Here is an example:

“Thank you very much for considering my request. I understand that you have many demands on your time, and I greatly appreciate your attention to this matter.

Please feel free to contact me if you need any further information or have any questions. I look forward to your positive response.

Best regards, 

[your name]”

10 templates of emails you can use to ask for something 

Read the sample and then apply it to your situation. Avoid copying and pasting. Instead, personalize the message for each request email you’re crafting. 

1. Formal email for a request sample

Writing a formal request email involves structuring your message in a professional way, using courteous language, and being clear and concise with your request. You can customize this email to fit almost every situation. Below is a template you can use as a guide to writing a formal email requesting something.

Subject line: Request for discussion on [project name]

Dear [recipient’s name],
My name is [name], and I am currently working on a project titled [project name] in the capacity of [your role]. This project involves [briefly describe the project], and given your expertise in this field, I believe your insights and advice could be incredibly valuable for its successful implementation.
I am writing to kindly request a meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss this project and potentially gather some of your insights. In turn, I will give you a by-line in the article I’ll produce afterwards.
The meeting could be held virtually or in person, depending on what is most suitable for you. I anticipate that it will take approximately [expected duration of the meeting] of your time.
Please let me know which dates and times would work best for you over the next two weeks, and I would be more than happy to accommodate your schedule.
Thank you very much for considering my request. I truly appreciate your time and assistance, and I’m looking forward to potentially learning from your expertise.
Best regards,
[Your name] 
[Your signature]

2. Email sample to request a meeting

A meeting request email enables you to ask for an appointment with someone, be it a prospective client, investor, colleague, or others. The most important thing you must consider when crafting this kind of email is the value of the meeting to the other party. 

It immediately tells them why they need to consider the request and what they stand to gain from it. Next, you propose a time, date, and venue (be it physical or virtual) that’s convenient for your recipient. Here is a template that can guide you to write email requests to secure meetings. 

Subject line: Request for meeting: Discussing project timeline

Dear Dr. Johnson,
My name is Emily Roberts, and I am the Project Lead for the Building Green Initiative at EcoWorld.
I am writing to formally request a meeting with you to discuss the timeline for the Building Green project. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, there may be a need to revise our current timeline, and your input as our key stakeholder would be greatly valuable to navigate through this process.
If you are available, I propose a meeting at your earliest convenience next week. Please let me know a date and time that works best for you, and I will do my best to accommodate it in my schedule.
Thank you in advance for considering my request. I appreciate your time and contributions to this project, and I look forward to the possibility of discussing these matters with you in more detail.
Kind regards,
Emily Roberts 
Project Lead, Building Green Initiative, EcoWorld 
Phone: (123) 456-7890 
Email: emily.roberts@ecoworld.com

3. How to write an email requesting a quotation

A quotation request email helps to inquire about the pricing of a product or service. It can be sent from a client to a business or a company client to another company provider, aka B2B.

In this email, you must communicate what you want, the quantities (if it’s a product) that you require, and the price (whether unit or total price). Here is an example you can use for writing emails to request quotes.

Subject line: Request for quotation for [product/service name]

Dear Mr [recipient’s name],
My name is [your name], and I am the [your position] at [your company name]. We have been researching potential suppliers for [product/service name] and have been impressed by what we have seen of your company.
As such, I am writing to kindly request a detailed quotation for [product/service name]. We would require [specific quantity] or [specific scope] to be delivered/provided by [specific date]. If possible, please provide the unit price, the total price, and any additional charges, like delivery costs, taxes, etc.
I would also appreciate it if you could provide information regarding your standard terms and conditions, including payment terms, delivery schedules, and any after-sales service you offer.
Please send your quote by [desired date] as we are hoping to make a decision shortly. If there’s any further information you need in order to complete the quote, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this request. We look forward to the possibility of doing business with you.
Best regards,
[your name]
[your signature]

4. How to write an information request email

A common reason to create a request email is to ask for information. The email helps you ask for specific details or data from the recipient. It can be sent to colleagues, clients, or external stakeholders to gather the necessary information for decision-making or to complete a task.

The key to a good information request email is to be clear and specific about what information you need, why you need it, and when you need it. This helps the recipient understand exactly what is being asked and how they can assist.

Here is a sample you can emulate:

Subject line: Info request on Q2 2023 marketing data

Dear [recipient’s name],
My name is [your name], and I am currently working as [your position] at [your company]. I’m writing to you regarding our upcoming project presentation for Q3, for which we’re compiling the necessary data and insights.
Given your role as [recipient’s position], I believe you’re the best person to provide us with the marketing data for Q2 2023. Specifically, we would be grateful if you could provide us with the following:

1. Total marketing spend and breakdown by channel
2. Key marketing metrics such as lead generation, conversion rates, and customer acquisition costs
3. Any notable trends or observations from the data

Having this information by [desired date] would greatly assist us in making informed strategic decisions for the next quarter.
Should you need any further clarification on the specifics of what we require, please do not hesitate to ask.
Thank you very much for your assistance and cooperation. 
Warm regards, 
[your name]
[your signature]

5. Sample email requesting documents

Another common reason to create a request email is to ask for documents. You have to write a formal or semi-formal email that asks for specific documents or files from a colleague, a client, or another professional connection. Your email should clearly state what documents are needed, why they’re needed, and the deadline for submitting them.

Here’s a sample email requesting documents: 

Subject line: request for project ABC documents

Dear [recipient’s name],
I am writing to request certain documents for our ongoing Project ABC. Specifically, I require the following:

1. [Document 1]: For [reason why the document is needed].
2. [Document 2]: For [reason why the document is needed].
3. [Document 3]: For [reason why the document is needed].

Given the timeline of the project, I kindly request that you send these documents by [specific date]. If there’s any difficulty in obtaining any of the documents by this date, please let me know as soon as possible so we can discuss a solution.
Should you have any questions or require further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Thank you in advance for your assistance with this request.
Best regards,
[your name]
[your signature]

6. Sample email to fill out a form or request a survey

An email to fill out a form or request a survey helps you reach out to individuals or groups to solicit their participation in a form or survey. This form or survey could be for research, feedback, data collection, or any other purpose.

This type of email should include the purpose of the survey, how the information will be used, how long it will take to complete, and the deadline for completion. Here is a sample you can use:

Subject line: Request for customer satisfaction survey

Dear [recipient’s name],
My name is [your name] and I am [your position] at [your company name]. We value your opinion and would like to understand your experience with our products and services better.
We have created a brief, 7 questions survey to help us improve our offerings and the overall customer experience. The survey should take approximately [estimated time] to complete, and your responses will remain completely anonymous and confidential.
You can access the survey by clicking on the link below:
[insert survey link here]
Please complete the survey by [deadline date]. Your feedback is important to us and will help shape our services and products.
If you have any questions about this survey, please feel free to contact me directly. Thank you in advance for your time and valuable input.
Best Regards,
[Your Name] [Your Position]

Keep in mind that being clear about the purpose of the survey and respecting the respondent’s privacy can encourage more individuals to complete your survey. Also, providing a deadline creates a sense of urgency and may improve response rates.

7. Sample email requesting something an immediate action or something urgent

An email requesting urgent or immediate action is typically written to convey the importance and urgency of a specific task or action required by the recipient. It should clearly explain the situation, state what is required, why it is urgent, and request for prompt action.

Here is an email sample you can emulate for this. 

Subject line: Urgent: Immediate action required for project delivery

Dear [recipient’s name],
As you may be aware, our project deadline for [project name] is fast approaching on [deadline date]. Due to unforeseen circumstances [you may specify if needed], we are currently facing significant challenges that might affect our ability to meet this deadline.
To mitigate this situation and ensure that we remain on track for timely completion, we urgently require your assistance with [specific task or action]. This step is critical to progress further and any delay could have serious implications for the project.
Could you please prioritize this task and complete it by [specify urgent deadline]? 
Please feel free to reach out if you need any additional information or clarification. I understand that this is a significant request, but I am confident that with your assistance we can navigate this challenge effectively.
Thank you for your understanding and prompt attention to this matter.
Best regards,
[your name] 
[your signature]

8. Sample email requesting something from your boss

When you’re considering how to request something from your boss, you have to carefully choose your words. Be clear about what you need and why you need it, but be polite when making your requests by maintaining respect for their position. 

This kind of email should be professional and respectful, clearly stating how the request will ultimately benefit you, your boss, or the company.

Here is a template that can inspire you. 

Subject line: Request for time off in August

Dear [boss’s name],
I am writing to request your approval for time off, which I would like to take from [start date] to [end date].
The reason for this request is [provide the reason – it could be for a vacation, family commitment, personal matter, etc. However, remember to only disclose what you’re comfortable with sharing].
I understand the responsibilities of my role and have taken steps to ensure that my absence will not disrupt the workflow. [Mention any preparations you’ve made, like delegating tasks, training a colleague to cover for you, or completing work in advance].
Upon my return, I will ensure any pending work is promptly completed, and I am willing to put in extra hours if needed to ensure everything is up to date.
Thank you very much for considering my request. I genuinely believe that this time off will allow me to [provide a benefit – it could be to rest and recharge, deal with personal matters, etc.], which will in turn enable me to continue to perform at my best for the team.
I look forward to discussing this with you further.
Best regards,
[your name]
[your signature]

9. Sample email requesting something from a potential investor

Like the request email to your boss, carefully choose your words when emailing a potential investor. State the purpose of the email and why they should respond to it. Remain courteous when making your requests. Here is a sample email for this: 

Subject line: Meeting: Exciting opportunity with [your company’s name]

Dear [investor’s name],
My name is [your name], and I am the [your position] at [your company’s name]. We are a [describe your business briefly] and we are in the process of seeking investment to [explain what the investment will be used for – expansion, product development, etc.].
Your name keeps popping up in almost every discussion we’ve had in [relevant field], and we feel that you would be an ideal partner to help us realize our business objectives.
I am writing to kindly request a meeting at your earliest convenience, during which we can discuss the potential investment opportunity in greater detail. I believe that our company’s mission aligns closely with your investment focus, and that our collaboration could be mutually beneficial.
I am more than happy to share our business plan, financial projections, and any other information that you might require in advance of our meeting.
If possible, I would appreciate it if you could suggest a suitable date and time for this discussion. We are flexible and can accommodate your schedule.
Thank you very much for considering my request. I truly appreciate your time and look forward to the opportunity to discuss our proposal with you further.
Best regards,
[your name] 
[your signature]

10. Sample email requesting something from your co-worker

When requesting something from your co-worker, be clear about what you want and why you need it. In fact, it should be a professional message where you ask for assistance, information, or a favor relating to your work tasks. It’s vital to be clear, polite, and respectful in your email as you’re asking for someone’s time or resources. Here is a sample you can emulate. 

Subject line: Request for assistance on project ABC

Hi [co-worker’s name],
I am currently working on [briefly describe the project or task], and I’ve noticed that you have extensive experience in this area from your work on [mention a similar project or task they have done].
I was wondering if you might have some time in the coming week to help me understand [mention the specific aspect you need help with]? I believe your insights could be incredibly valuable in ensuring the successful completion of this task.
Please let me know a time that would be convenient for you, and I’ll do my best to accommodate your schedule. I anticipate it won’t take more than [mention the estimated time].
Thank you in advance for considering my request. I truly appreciate any assistance you can provide.
Best regards,
[your name] 
[your signature]

Key takeaways

• A request email is an email you send to someone asking them to do something for you. Depending on the person, you’ll need to keep the tone appropriate and be polite so that they want to consider your request.
• Go straight to the point by presenting what you want in your request email. Avoid beating around the bush.
• Spell out the deadline for your request email if it’s a time limit. 
• Need help with email marketing and lead generation? We are here to help. Nerdy Joe can help you get highly-stellar results from our sophisticated email marketing efforts. Give us a response today. 

“Dude, he’s never going to reply,” said Ernest as I walked into his room. 

“Who?,” I asked.

Ernest was referring to the marketing agency owner we pitched some days ago.

We badly needed to sign him because our monthly metrics didn’t look great.

“But why don’t you follow up? I mean, he already viewed the email 5 times, we just want to confirm he’s interested and we got nothing to lose to be honest,” I said. 

Long story short, he did send that follow-up email and guess what? The guy replied and the rest is history. 

Now, how many times have you thought of someone ghosting and all you needed to do was to send a follow-up email?

Maybe, you never sent it because you didn’t want to be intrusive or you didn’t know when and how often you should follow up. 

Well, in this article, you’ll learn the value of following up on non-response emails and how to do it properly and get the best results. You’ll also get 10+ no-reply email templates to inspire your email marketing campaigns.

Why should you send a follow-up email?

You’re probably familiar with the old adage that says “the fortune is in the follow-up“. 

The idea behind this adage is that you will never know for sure what a prospect is thinking until they take action or give you a clear answer.

At the same time, prospects may remain silent or not respond to your sales emails for many reasons. 

So, it is much better and more effective for you to rely on statistics than on mere speculation. Here are the things you need to know and the main reasons your prospects aren’t replying. 

Your prospects receive a ton of emails

According to the Radicati Email Statistics Report, the average professional receives 126 emails per day. 

It is highly likely that your email will get lost in the shuffle with other emails in the receiver’s inbox. And if you don’t have a relationship or any prior contact, they may not give your email priority. 

Instead, they may prefer to respond to their colleagues and partners. Responding to your email will thus be a secondary activity which may cause them to simply forget and your email will get lost in the mix. 

Sending them a follow-up email will allow you to remind them to respond or to take the time to consider your offer. But this is not the only reason why you need to send follow-up emails.

You need more than a single email to sell 

No matter how good your email is and how attractive your offer is, it will probably be impossible to convince your prospects to buy your product in one go. 

And it’s much more complicated when you target B2B professionals. 

Consider cold calls. There is no chance to get a customer to purchase out of a single call. Regardless of what you sell or the value you provide during the call. 

Case in point, a study by The Brevet Group confirmed that 80% of sales require five follow-up calls to close a client. The same goes for emails.

Statistics show that it takes a sales rep an average 5-7 cold emails before closing a client. Also, according to email marketing statistics by Mailshake, 80% of people will say “no” to your offer before accepting.

And in some cases, you might need to educate prospects and create a product experience before getting them to act.

Without a doubt, providing this much value and dealing with all the objections and “no’s” from prospects will require you to send more than a single email. And that’s where you’ll need follow-up emails.

How to write a follow-up sales email after no response (5 steps to follow and get a reply)

Here is how you can write an effective follow-up email. 

We will technically be providing you with the anatomy of an excellent follow-up on a sales email and the main elements you need to keep in mind and nail down for success. 

1- Craft a great subject line

Your subject line is one of the first elements the prospect sees when you send your email. Most people base the opening decision on the subject line alone. 

Since your previous email has gone unanswered, you need to rule in the possibility that your previous subject line was unable to stick out in your prospect’s inbox. 

That said, here are a few proven tactics for crafting effective subject lines. 

• Avoid being too obvious: Being too obvious by using subject lines like “ Quick follow-up”  is not a great idea. You should give them something that makes them want to check out the email by making it interesting.
• Make it interesting: Will you ask an intriguing question? Will you strike curiosity? Create a sense of urgency? Talk about benefits? Make an allusion to a story? 
• Personalize it: Emails with personalized subject lines are 22% more likely to be opened. Make the subject line specific to your prospect and capture their attention.
• Keep it short: Make the follow up email subject line short. Long subject lines never do well. Keep the device the email recipient use in mind, and ensure your subject line does not get cut off for being too long. 

Here are a few examples of subject lines you can use for your follow-up email after no response. 

• Our next moves, [[first_name]]
• Here is a useful resource to you
• You are going to love this
• Ideas about [[prospect’s goal or problem]]
• How I helped [[client_name]] achieve XYZ
• Sending [[XYZ]] I promised you
• Not a priority?
• Our team enjoyed speaking with you
• Oh, I forgot to mention
• Just [[number of days]] day(s) left

If you’ve already sent the first email, a good strategy is to send the follow-up email in the same thread as the previous email. 

This helps with context, and the receiver will be able to refer back to the first email to know who you are and quickly catch up with the conversation. 

2- Write an intriguing opening line

If you get them to open the email with an excellent subject line, the opening line will determine whether they read through or close your email in the following seconds. 

It is the first sentence the prospect will read in your follow-up email. If it’s boring or not catchy, you probably won’t get a response. 

Here are a few things you need to keep in mind to create effective cold email opening lines. 

• Provide context: Are you following up on a previous email? Are you following up on a meeting? Maybe they said they’d get back to you and didn’t. Is that why?

You don’t want prospects to read your email and wonder who you are or not be able to catch up with what you’re talking about. Providing context helps you put your prospects in the right state of mind to read your email and understand it. 

• Don’t sound desperate: Using phrases like “I know you’re busy”, “you said you’d reply”, “please reply”, “just checking in”, and the likes will make you sound desperate and you’ll lose credibility. Prospects won’t see any value in replying to you. 
• Don’t be aggressive: Being aggressive rhymes with pushy, and the answer to your follow-up emails will always be a “no”.

It can also sound as if you are making the offer about yourself and not caring about the prospect. You should make less use of or completely avoid phrases like “reply as soon as possible”, “you might want to check it out”, etc. Be sure to write a polite follow up email.

• Personalize it: A personalized icebreaker is a winning one. Making the opening line about your prospects is a surefire way to hook them, make yourself interesting, and get them to read your email through. 

For example, you can mention a mutual connection or personal connection of theirs, the prospect’s problem, or a specific discussion you had with the prospect. 

3- Provide more value

Here are three examples of follow-up emails. 

The first.

The second.

And the third.

Here is how those emails resonate with your prospects. 

• The first one is poor and indicates the sender is lazy.
• The second one is down right bad and worse than the first.
• The third one will definitely win an Oscar for being terrible. 

The moral is, the person sending won’t win with either of such follow-up emails. Here is why. 

Only asking the prospect to check out the previous email is not enough. Also, these emails do not offer any value and can cause the prospect to ignore you in the future. 

See, when you cold call a prospect after meeting them, you don’t go “hey, it’s me again, buy today”. 

Instead, you take the time to come up and provide them with more reasons they should listen to you and consider your offer.

Sending emails offers no short-cut to this, the same rules apply. You need to provide more value in each follow-up email you send.

There are a lot of ways you can provide more value in your follow-up emails. For example, you can:

• Share a case study of a client you helped achieve certain results. 
• Provide them a lifestyle perspective of how your product or service can complement them.
• Provide more and diverse proof of the results you are promising. 
• Include additional benefits.
• Provide client testimonials and stories.
• And much more. 

Here is an example of a great follow-up email. 

Still want to hit [[Goal]], [[First name]]?

[[First name]],
We just did [[Service / Action]] for [[Client X]] and achieved [[Results]].
Since [[Prospect’s company]] is facing a similar situation, I thought you’d be interested in knowing more.
Want me to proceed? Or you got this figured out already?
Let me know.
[[Sender’s name]]

4- Personalize the email

Personalizing the follow-up email will be a critical element to your success.

The more you can personalize follow-up and make the prospect feel like you’re targeting them individually, the more likely you are to get an answer out of them. 

Here are a few personalization tactics you can use:

• Using the recipient’s first name.
• Mentioning the last conversation you’ve had with them.
• Making a personalized offer. 
• Mentioning the companies they previously worked with.
• Mentioning a common connection.
• Showing your expertise in their specific business area.
• Etc.

Especially, if you are targeting a short number of prospects, you can take the time to research them properly and include unique information that makes your email valuable to them.

You will be able to gain their trust and win them over. 

But if you are targeting a laundry list of prospects, you should consider automating using a tool like Hunter Campaign. 

It will be time-consuming to do it manually, and such tools provide an efficient alternative. 

Though, you must know that such a tool won’t allow you to automate all the process. Also, the more prospects you target in a single bulk, the less you can personalize your emails, and thus the less should expect excellent results. 

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5- Include a clear CTA

The very essence of sending a follow-up message is to get your prospect to take action. 

It can be that you want them to reply to your email, purchase your product, sign-up for your tool, or any step towards doing business with you. 

So, it makes little sense not including a clear call to action for them.

Added to being clear and straightforward to perform, your CTA should be persuasive, placed in the right position in the email copy and at least twice throughout the email, and visually appealing. 

Doing so makes it easy for the prospect not to miss out, but spot and act on it. Remember it should be:

• Specific
• Clear
• Action-driven
• Placed at least twice

How many follow-up emails should you send?

So, how many follow-up emails should you send? Well, there are a few short answers. 

• Steli Efti sent 48 follow-ups and landed a meeting with an investor.
• Joshua Harwick recommended not sending more than one follow-up.
• Irina Maltseva (then Head of Marketing at Hunter.io) recommended 3. 

Confusing, yeah?

The question of how many follow-up emails to send to a prospect after they have not responded to your email is subject to many opinions and views.

While some are in the mindset of sending as many emails as possible until they receive a yes (like Steli), others prefer to send a very small number for fear of looking desperate or annoying the receivers (like Irina and Joshua). 

But here is where we stand at Nerdy Joe. 

There are some criteria you need to follow to send your follow-up email in an optimal and respectful way without annoying the receiver or looking desperate. 

The first criteria is to make sure that you have a valid reason for sending an extra follow-up email. 

Of course, it’s okay to send a polite follow-up email to remind a prospect to take the time to read your email, discuss it with colleagues or simply respond. 

But you can’t send multiple follow-up emails just to ask your prospect to respond. 

As we mentioned above, in each follow-up email you need to make sure you provide more value to the receiver. 

You need to make sure you give them more reason to consider what you have to say and take the action you desire. 

With that said, here are the questions you need to ask yourself before sending a follow-up email to a prospect:

• Do I have a valid reason for sending this email?
• Will I be able to provide more value to the prospect?
• Will I be able to bring more to the table to make my offer irresistible?

If you can’t reply yes to all three questions, you might as well not send more follow-up emails than the first remainder.

Also, you need to consider your sales funnel and your target audience. 

Depending on the product you are selling and its complexity for your target audience, you may need more than one or two follow-up emails to educate the audience and build up a case for your offer. 

Also, depending on where your target audience stands in your sales funnel, you may need to send them a different number of follow-ups. 

For example, prospects who already know about your product and its value will certainly need fewer follow-ups than those who don’t. 

The same goes for prospects who have already downloaded your lead magnet or any other material from your brand versus those who never did. 

Keep in mind that, based on statistics and prospects behavior, we send no more than 7 follow-ups. That’s our limit.

How long should you wait before following up

It’s hard to know the waiting period or the right time to send a follow-up email. Too early will annoy the prospect, and if you delay, they will forget you or you can lose them to competitors. 

So, you should look to hit the sweet spot between not being annoying and losing prospects to competitors. 

There are a lot of statistics out there. But it’s impossible to go wrong with these general rules we recommend. 

• 2 to 3 days is a good interval to wait before sending the first follow-up email.
• Don’t send more than two follow-ups in a single week. 
• Following the first email, the wait period should always be extended by a few days.
• The more follow-up emails you send the more they should be far apart. 

Here is a chart showing the best follow-up sequence for 7 emails. 

10 follow-up email templates you can use now

Here are 10 professional and polite follow-up email templates you can use in your strategy to get good results.

1- The simple reminder

This is a straightforward follow-up email you can send to your prospects after no response. It is short and simple. It helps you remind prospects to check you out without boring or annoying them. 

Subject line: Not a priority?

Hi [[First_name]],
I’m writing to follow up on my previous email as I didn’t hear back from you. If it makes sense to talk, let me know how your calendar looks.
If not, could you please let me know who the appropriate person for me to talk to is?
Thanks for your help,
[[Sender’s name]]

2- After a demo

While you may be wondering why they went silent on you after requesting a demo, there is still the possibility that you were not the only company they asked for the demo from. 

Also, it can happen that they are still interested but not as urgent about it as you are. They could forget about it too. 

So, you should summarize your demo’s key points as well as outlining your next steps in your message. On top of that, if your prospect seems to have any reservations, your follow-up email will need to quell those as well. Here is a successful follow up email template.

Subject line: How about some onboarding tooltips for [[product]]

Hey [[First name]],
It was a pleasure speaking with you today.
The following stage would be to launch a trial for your [[Department or team that uses the product]] so they can investigate and explore [[Your product]] for a good experience.
I can create personalized onboarding tooltips based on the objectives and workflows you’ve already specified, allowing everyone to find features that are immediately applicable to their work.
When can we get that started?
I will be waiting to hear from you. 
[[Your email sign off]]

Here is another email template you can use after a demo with a prospect to win them over.

The idea is to reiterate some of the most significant advantages that the prospect’s organization will get from adopting your solution. 

[

Subject line: Today’s [[Product]] demo

Hey [[First name]],
Allow me to thank you for coming to our demo today. I sincerely hope that the meeting was fruitful and instructive.
Also, I wanted to go through some of the key advantages of the [[Product]] that can help [[Company name]] achieve [[Expected outcome]].
– [[Mention benefits]]
– [[Mention benefits]]
– [[Mention benefits]]
Please contact us if you need further details.
Looking forward to hearing from you. 
[[Your email sign off]]

3- Creating a sense of urgency

The following email template will allow you to create a sense of urgency and get your prospect to reply and take action.  

Subject line: Just [[Number of days]] day(s) left.

Hello, [[First_name]]
I reached out to you a few days ago about our [[Product/Service]] and how [[Their company]] could benefit greatly from it. 
 [[Company name]], our existing clients, recently hit a 10% increase in conversion rate after using our [[Product/Service]]. We provide a full product demo completely free of charge after you complete your sign-up. 
Your company too can achieve these numbers and more. 
If you want to learn more about this, I would be happy to discuss this further over a short meeting. 
Book a call here.
Looking forward to your response. 
Best Regards,  
[[Your Name]]

4- Providing more value

This email template will help you give your prospects more reasons to consider your offer and take action. 

Subject line: 3 stories to make you switch 

Hey, [[First_name]]
I noticed your comment on [[Mutual connection]]’s post about [[XYZ]]. You seem to be struggling when it comes to [[Achieving results the prospect cares about]].
I sent you an email three days ago and I have yet to hear back from you. 
Are you interested in learning more about [[Product/Service]] and how it could benefit your organization? 
[[Parallel company 1]] Was struggling with [[Pain point]] when they adopted our solution in December. Fast forward to February, they got [[Results prospects cares]]. 
Also, [[Parallel company 2]]
Also, [[Parallel company 3]]
I am constantly reaching out to prospects on a daily basis, and assume you are interested in what we have to offer. 
If you want we can schedule a quick meeting to discuss any questions you may have about [[Product/Service]]. 
[[Meeting request link]]
Let me know how this sounds! 
Best,   
[[Your Name]]

5- Providing more resources

This is also another form of providing value to your target prospect in a follow-up email. People love ideas and solutions to their pain points.

When you share materials they can leverage to thrive or generate business, they see the value and put you in their good books. Here is the email template you can use here.

Subject line: Ideas about [[Lead’s goal or problem]]

Hi [[First_name]],
I hope all is well. I know I haven’t heard back from you yet but I’d like to provide some assistance. I send you materials that might help with [[Pain points the company is facing at the moment]]. 
Here are the links:
[[Links or information]]
I was also hoping to schedule a brief conversation this week to learn a little about you and your role at [[Company name]], as well as some of the projects you have on your radar. When are you available next week?
Best,   
[[Your Name]]

6- Sharing more benefits

Your prospects mostly care about the benefits they can get out of your offer or the pain points it’ll solve for them.

So, by listing more benefits in your follow-up email, you can quickly get their attention and spark a conversation. 

Subject line: You are going to love this

Hey [[First name]],
My colleagues and I have an insider piece of news we have not told many people about yet. The last time I wrote to you, I mentioned [[Mention a key highlight]]. 
A new version of our previous functionality has been developed which enhances the speed of this [[Mention the problem statement]]. This feature will help you: 
– [[Mention benefits]]
– [[Mention benefits]]
– [[Mention benefits]]
I can give you an inside look at this feature in our dashboard for free if you’re interested. I will only need your 15-20 minutes.
Let me know if you would be interested? (I really believe this can bring a difference in your current approach).
Book a meeting here.
I will be waiting to hear from you. 
[[Your email signature]]

7- After a business event

So, you went to this great event, met those amazing people who are interested in your product or service, networked with them, you guys exchanged contacts and promised great business for the future.

But since the event, they went radio silent and you never heard back from them. Here is the perfect template for this. 

Subject line: [[Your name]] from [[Event name]], remember? 

Hello [[First name]],
It was a pleasure talking with you. I appreciate you sharing your [[Expert tips]] with me during our discussion on [[Common interest]] at [[Event name]].
Certainly, you found the show interesting and learned more about [[Discussed topics]] that can help your organization achieve [[Business goals]]. 
I’m sure achieving [[Business goal]] is a high priority for you and your team. This [[Helpful piece of content]] I thought I’d share with you might be of use to you.
I would be pleased to have a brief conversation with you if you have any questions concerning the [[Details of content]].
Regards,
[[Your name]]

8- After leaving a voicemail to the prospect

As a sales rep, cold calling is probably one of the many tricks in your sleeve. So, it’s possible that you call a prospect and they don’t respond to your call.

So, you leave a voicemail. A professional way to follow up on is to send them a follow-up email. Here is a template you can use in this context. 

Subject line: I hit your line [[X]] times yesterday

You probably received calls from an unknown number yesterday. It’s [[Name]] of [[Business name]]. I attempted to reach you earlier today, but I was unable so I left a voicemail.
I was hoping to discuss how our [[Solution] can help your organization implement [[Something that matters to them]] so that you can achieve [[Goals that matter to their business]]
It’s been a few hours since I’ve hit you up so I’m guessing it got lost in the shuffle or you are really busy because I never got a response from you. 
This email is a follow-up in case this is more convenient for you. 
Please phone me at [[Number]] or reply to this email, and I’ll reserve some time so that we can speak.
Take care,
[[Your signature]]

9- When the prospect asks you reach out in the future

Your prospects may not be interested in what you have to offer right away. But they might need it in the future. So they will either tell you that they’ll circle back to you or ask you to hit them in the future. Here is an email you can use to follow up with them. 

Subject line: [[First Name]], how about now?

Hi [[First Name]],
In our last conversation, you requested that I contact you in November. I’m a month early, but I thought it was worth checking in.
Did you give my proposal any further thought? If you have any pending questions, I would be happy to review it over the phone What does your calendar look like to talk?
Regards,
[[Your signature]]

10- Breaking up with the prospect

There are only so many follow-up emails you can send. And sometimes there is nothing you can do and you will have to face the fact that the prospect is simply not interested. 

So you can’t keep sending them follow-up emails. At some point, you have to break off the relationship.

But before that, it can be a good idea to give them a nudge to reply to you to give yourself an extra chance. Below are some sample emails that you can use in this case. 

Subject line: Goodbye, [[First name]]

Greetings, [[First name]]
We haven’t been able to get in touch after [[X]] emails, which typically indicates one of two things: Either the timing may not be ideal or you don’t have a need.
In either case, I’ll go ahead and close your file out of respect for your time. Otherwise, let me know if you still want to talk.
Thank you for your time.
Best,
[[Your signature]]

Here is another example. 

Subject line: You can always contact us

It is my understanding that you have no interest in the [[Product]], but I would like to provide you with some advice on how to improve the [[Pain point]] the product addresses.
We all want you to succeed, whether you’re a customer of ours or not.
Send us an email at any time if you decide to change your mind about [[Product]] and I’ll be pleased to assist you.
Take care,
[[Your signature]]

What if the prospect still doesn’t reply?

It is possible that you will not receive any response despite your best efforts to convince the prospect of the value of your offer. 

Ideally, you don’t want to lose your credibility while trying to convince your prospects. You need to make sure that you remain professional, and try all possibilities without boring them.

A good strategy is to use email service providers that send you email delivery notifications when your recipients open or click on your emails. This way, you know when they’re highly interested or just lurking around.

You can also reach out to your prospects using other channels.

For example, you can use professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn to try to send them personalized InMails. You can also use Twitter. 

Keep in mind that targeting the prospect on multiple platforms at once may seem like a desperate act or nagging. Make sure you send no more than one message on platforms aside from email.

Key Takeaways

• Writing follow-up emails should be part of your email strategies as a sales professional in order to have excellent response rates. This is because most customers will tell you “no” in the decision making process before they finally adopt your product.
  You should therefore consider a follow up campaign after your initial email to handle their objections and teach them more about your product.
• The best approach to writ a follow-up email is to make sure you are providing more value to your prospect. Professionals receive many messages on a daily basis.
  So you need to make sure your email is relevant and has a good subject line. Make sure you stand out from the competition and get their attention. 
• The number of emails and the frequency at which you should send them is entirely up to your business and your audience.
  You should ideally seek to balance between sending too little and sending too much. As for the number of emails you send, always make sure you have a good reason to send the email, and don’t send more than 7. 

If someone has gone out of their way to help you or do something for you, it’s reasonable to express your gratitude to that person. 

Sending a thank you email is about making someone feel appreciated. They are one of the most awesome kinds of emails to receive. 

If you are struggling to craft a thank you email, we have provided 50 examples to show how it’s done. Do dive in! 

What is a “thank you” email?

A “thank you” email, also known as thank you letter, is an email message comprising a short thank you note sent to express appreciation or gratitude towards someone. It is generally used after someone has provided a service, given a gift, or otherwise helped you in some way.

Why should you send “thank you” emails

Here are some reasons why you should send a thank you email. 

Showing appreciation for a service rendered (or a gift received)

The primary purpose of every thank you email is to express gratitude. By sending a thank you email, you are acknowledging the effort or thoughtfulness of the other party. It’s a polite way of showing that you appreciate what they have done for you, and it fosters goodwill.

Building relationships

There is more to “thank you” emails than simply showing appreciation; they also help build and strengthen relationships. This can be particularly important in a professional context, where maintaining good relationships can have a big impact on your career.

Demonstrating professionalism

Sending a thank you email in an official setting demonstrates professionalism. It shows that you are considerate and respectful of the time and effort others have put into helping you. This can make a strong impression and reflect positively on your image.

Staying top of mind

Especially in situations like job interviews, a “thank you” email can set you apart from other candidates who may not take that extra step. It shows initiative and can leave a lasting positive impression which can facilitate recall when they’re making the final decision.

Continuing the conversation

A “thank you” email can also serve as a follow-up message to continue a conversation with someone, whether that’s asking further questions after a meeting or interview or simply keeping the lines of communication open for future interactions.

Customer appreciation and retention

Especially in a business-to-business and business-to-customer setting, sending a thank-you message to a loyal customer can help improve satisfaction and increase retention. It will make your customers feel valued and appreciated, which can strengthen their loyalty to your business.

When to send a thank you email

The best time to send a “thank you” email is immediately after a specific interaction with someone, be it a client, co-worker, business partner, and so on. Here are some scenarios that demand that you send a thank you email.

After an interview

Sending a thank you email after a job interview helps you to create a deeper connection with the recruiter. It highlights your appreciation and demonstrates your interest in the job.

After a business meeting or conference

Thank you emails constitute a professional way to express your gratitude after a business meeting. And on top of demonstrating gratitude, you can also use them to keep the conversation going with — or establish connections with — new people after a meeting, build relationships, and secure future business opportunities. 

After receiving a service or product

When you receive a product or service, you should acknowledge the gift or help you have received. It shows your sincerity. Plus, the giver will know you are happy and appreciate them for the good they’ve done for you. 

After a personal event (wedding, birthday, etc)

Sending a post-event thank you email is a quick message that shows you happy sentiment for the people’s decision to participate in your event. It is polite, and it lets your attendees feel appreciated for their time, contributions, and efforts.

How to structure a thank you email

You can use the following step to craft an effective thank you email. 

The “thank you” subject line

The subject line of your thank you email should be clear, concise, and relevant to the content of your email. Simply let your recipients know that you are coming to them to express gratitude for whatever service they’ve done for you. 

Here are some examples of subject lines you can use for a thank-you email. 

• After a job interview:
  • “Thank you for the interview today”
  • “Appreciating the opportunity to discuss [job title] position”
  • “Thank you, [interviewer’s name]: post-interview appreciation”
  • “Gratitude for the insightful interview”
• After a business meeting or event:
  • “Great meeting today – thank you”
  • “Thanks for your time at yesterday’s meeting”
  • “Appreciating your insights from today’s workshop”
  • “Thankful for the engaging conference session”
• After receiving a gift:
  • “Thank you for the wonderful gift”
  • “Gratitude for your generosity”
  • “Overwhelmed by your thoughtful gift”
• For customer appreciation:
  • “Thank you for your continued support”
  • “Appreciating your loyalty to [your company’s name]”
  • “Grateful for your trust in [your company’s name]”
• For a mentor or someone who has given advice/help:
  • “Thankful for your guidance”
  • “Your advice made a difference – thank you”
  • “Grateful for your mentorship”

Salutation

Email salutations often depend on the recipient. If it’s a formal email such as an email directed to your boss, clients, or professor, you can use “Dear.” If you don’t know the recipient, you can address them by their titles, such as Mr, Mrs., Dr, Prof., and more

If you have an existing relationship with the recipient, you can start the email by addressing them by their first name. This works well with a colleague at work, a friend, loved ones, and more. 

The thank you 

The length of thank you emails can vary. However, brevity always wins. One to four brief paragraphs is an ideal length. Start your message with what your recipient did for you. Be specific and personalize your message to fit the situation. Here is an example:

Also, like we did, ensure to use professional and clear language. For instance, if you are addressing someone who gave you a gift, you should appreciate the item or the thought that they cared enough to get the item for you. 

Call-to-action 

If you expect something from your audience, you should make it clear. For instance, if you still need to set up a meeting with your recipient, do let them know. Or perhaps, if you want to collaborate with them on a project, ask them.

Closing

Finish your email with a professional sign-off to leave a positive impression on your recipients. If it’s a formal email, you can sign off with a full name and email signature. If it’s a casual email, your first name will suffice since you have an existing relationship with the recipient. 

Dos and don’ts of writing a thank you email

Tips and guidelines to keep in mind while writing.

As you write and send your thank you email, there are some guidelines you should follow. Some of these email tips include:

1 – Be timely

The best time to send the email is within 24 hours of the interview/interaction/receipt of service or gift because that is when the interaction is still fresh in the mind of both parties. When you delay for too long, you risk losing the opportunity of making a good impression.

2 – Be concise

You should avoid writing a lengthy thank you email. Keep your message short and go straight to the point. Your goal is to express your gratitude and show your interest to your recipient. Communicate in a clear and professional language. 

3 – Be specific

Personalize your message to fit the circumstance. For instance, if you want to appreciate a person for his help, don’t beat around the bush, let them know that that’s why you’re thanking them.

Common mistakes to avoid

Here are some common mistakes you can avoid when writing a thank you email. 

1 – Avoid grammatical errors or typos

Everyone makes mistakes. But what is worse is to send a thank you email with lots of grammatical spellings or errors that render your message incomprehensible. 

Before you hit the “send” button, you should proofread it. You can have someone do it for you or use tools such as Grammarly to highlight and correct these errors. 

2 – Making it too long

A thank-you email isn’t an essay. Avoid making it long for your readers. Cover the basics, state your reasons, and end the email. Present your ideas within three or four short paragraphs as it makes an ideal thank you email. 

3 – Making it about yourself

A thank you email shouldn’t entirely be about yourself. Even though you want to express your interest and show your gratitude, you should be specific about what you want. Don’t bore your recipient by selling yourself.  

23 successful samples of thank you emails 

Now that you are acquainted with the necessary details of a thank you email, let’s put them into practice. With these 23 templates, you can say thank you in an email even in professional situations. 

1 – Thank you emails about a job interview

You must send a thank you email after a job interview. Doing so confirms your interest in the job and tells the hiring managers that you appreciate their time. You should send one within 24 hours of the interview or on the same day if possible. A post-interview thank you email is interesting to read as you’ll see in this example. 

2 – Thank you emails after a networking event

Many people don’t know what to do after a networking event. Writing a thank you email after a networking event is a great strategy to build relationships and solidify your connections. In addition, you can generate leads or uncover other potential business opportunities. 

You should send one within 48 hours after the networking conversation. Here is a sample that can work for you. 

3 – Thank you emails to a mentor

Sending a thank you email to your mentor can help sustain your relationship in the future. Mentees often return to their mentors for advice or feedback. 

So, you will need to keep the relationship alive and positive by appreciating their advice so they can be of help to you. Here is a template that can help you out.

4 – Thank you emails after a meeting 

This acknowledgment is a courtesy you should extend after a meeting. Even if you have thanked them in person during the meeting, sending an email shows even more appreciation, and it can keep the conversational ball rolling for a potential follow-up email. So, here is an example: 

5 – Thank you emails for a customer or client after a purchase

Sending a warm thank you email after a purchase helps to deepen the relationship between you and your customer. About 68% of customers leave because they believe the business doesn’t care about them. 

But a thank you email can change this narrative by showing that you care about their interest in your business. Here is a template that can help you out. 

6 – Thank you emails after receiving a gift 

When you receive a gift from someone, you must thank them. Sending a thank you email shows that you appreciate what they gave you or the person’s effort to provide you with something they think you will like. 

7 – Thank you emails for personal occasions

When you send a thank you email to someone for personal occasions, you appreciate their time. This can help to build the relationships between the two parties and improve the desired outcome. 

8 – Thank you emails for a job referral

If someone has gone out of their way to do something for you such as referring you to a job opportunity, it’s only polite to say thank you. Here is a thank you email template you can use.

9 – Thank you email to reference after getting the job

Getting a job is tough. If you eventually get the job through someone’s reference letter, you should send a thank you email to thank them for their kindness. Here is an example that can help you out. 

10 – After the career fair thank you email

A thank you email after a career fair is a great way to create a connection with a potential employer. Here is a template you can use.

11 – Thank you email to customer for feedback

If a customer has reached out to provide feedback about your business, you should send a thank you to appreciate their gesture. Whether their response was a good or bad one, you should acknowledge their effort and thank them.

12 – Thank you an email to the hiring manager after rejection

A thank you email to a recruiter after rejection is an essential part of the process. Even though you are disappointed, sending a thank you email displays some character and makes you stand out professionally.

13 – Thank you email for a great customer service

You should send a thank you email to someone who has gone beyond the regular call of duty to provide exceptional customer service. That way, you acknowledge their efforts which can prompt them to deliver better customer service. 

14 – Thank you email for your job application

Anyone that applies for a job has invested effort and time in their application. So, you must recognize their efforts. This example shows how you express gratitude to applicants while maintaining professional distance.

15 – Thank you for the opportunity to email

A thank you email for an opportunity is another way to show gratitude for being considered for a role. This email can be sent to the individual or HR team for their recommendation. Ensure you personalize this email template before sending it out.

16 – Thank you email for a pay rise

Receiving a pay rise can mean a lot, especially when the pay pocket is far stretched. A thank you email for a pay rise shows your appreciation for the kind act.

17 – Thank you email to CEO for recognition

When your CEO recognizes you for your efforts in your company, ensure to appreciate the act. A thank you email to your CEO goes a long way in showing that you care about your company and its growth.

18 – Thank you email for a promotion

Just like a pay rise, a promotion recognizes your skills, experience, and contribution to a  company. It also implies that you are getting a better job title with bigger checks. So, you should send a thank you email to show that you’re happy and grateful.

19 – Thank you email to an employee/team

Everyone loves a little appreciation. So, it’s a great idea to send a thank you note to your employees who have contributed significantly to your company. Let them know that you appreciate their assistance or their efforts in completing a task.

20 – “Thank you for becoming a member” email

If a user requests access to gated content or wants to join a community, it’s the perfect medium to express your gratitude for joining. By doing this, they feel welcomed and valued. 

21 – “Thank you for placing an order” email

One of the most automated emails you need for your business is placing an order or a thank you for a shopping email. As a customer makes a purchase, they should receive a thank you email for purchasing with your business. This type of email is a must for email marketing campaigns.

22 – Last day of internship thank you email

An internship is an opportunity to demonstrate your values to a company. Just as when you have started, you should send them a thank you email to appreciate the skills, experiences, and values they have imparted to you. 

23 – Last day of work thank you email

Sending a thank you email when you are about to leave a company shows how courteous you are.  

Key takeaways

• The primary purpose of a thank you email is to express gratitude. It shows the other party that you appreciate their effort and time and promotes goodwill.
• Your thank you email format must consist of a salutation, a message, a call to action, and a closing.
• Depending on the situation, there are different types of thank you emails such as thank you emails for personal events, thank you emails after a business meeting, thank you emails after a job interview, and more. 
• Need help with email marketing and lead generation? We are ready to help. Nerdy Joe can help you to get highly-stellar results from email marketing and lead generation. Give us a response today.

Business emails are the backbone of workplace communication and customer interactions, and a good understanding of how to craft them effectively is a valuable skill in the corporate environment.

In this guide, we will break down the components of a business email and how you can write them very well. 

We’ll also offer 10 sample business emails for different situations, so you’ll have a clear example of what a successful business email looks like. 

By the end of this guide, you should be able to write clear, concise, and professional emails that leave a positive impression on your recipients.

What is a business email?

A business email is any email message sent between individuals or entities for official or professional purposes within the context of a business or organizational setting. They always have a formal tone and come structured in a professional formatting.

Business emails are the lifeline of literally all modern businesses and companies. They serve to market the company’s products and/or services, share information and updates, engage suppliers, and support customers. 

Unlike personal emails, which can be informal and make use of a casual tone, a business email is sensitive and should follow the formal context. Think of it like business letters. They are usually short, polite, and have a clear purpose. 

Business email format: The main components of a business email and how to write each 

Like other types of email, a business email also has various components. This includes:

• Business email subject line

As you can tell, the email subject line is the first thing your recipient sees as your business’ email lands in their inbox. It has power and can make or break the engagement you get. If it is poorly written, your recipient will simply ignore and never open your business email. 

The business email subject line is best kept short and to-the-point. We can’t emphasize the latter point enough. An excellent way to craft these subject lines is to simply make them about the main point of the email. 

Understand that you’ll also need to capture your reader’s attention to find success with it. Studies show that 33% of email recipients open emails because of catchy subject lines — even if they are not familiar with the sending company. So, you might want to add curiosity-striking elements to the subject line. 

You should also make it short and clear by using between 5-7 words. Avoid using long subject lines as it may prevent your recipients from reading it entirely from their browser window or mobile device screen. It can create friction and demotivate people from opening your email. 

Here are some examples of business email subject lines that will get your emails open:

• “Unveiling our game-changing product next week”
• “Your feedback to shape our upcoming features”
• “New research: improve efficiency by 30%”
• “Exclusively for {first name}: unseen growth opportunities”
• “Explore: big savings in Q3 strategy”
• “Limited offer: premium services at 50% off”
• Business email salutation 

Use formal greetings, as they make you sound respectful and professional. At Nerdy Joe, we like to personalize business email greetings based on the recipient. It’s very simple. Some examples include:

“Dear + name,” “Hello + name,” or “Hi + name.”

These greetings are professional and respectful and omit the chance of being misinterpreted. This works well for all types of audiences, whether it’s your clients, employees, stakeholders, etc. 

Never use generic greetings such as “Dear sir/ma” or “To whom it may concern,” as it may give a wrong perspective to your recipients. 

• Business email opening line

After greeting your recipient, you should start your email with an opening line that hooks the reader and entices them to read on — to discover what you are bringing to their table with your email. 

For most people and businesses, this is typically the place to introduce themselves; we say no to that. They typically say something like, “My name is ……, I am (position held) at (company).” Or even more useless, you’ll read phrases like “I hope this email finds you well.” Nobody cares. 

We recommend that you make this section about the purpose of the email, as people are more concerned with what you are bringing to their table than who you are. So, creatively weave the purpose of your business email into an opening line that makes them want to know more. 

Here are some ways you can do it, along with examples:

• Be direct: “I’m reaching out with an intriguing proposition that marries environmental responsibility with your bottom line, creating a ‘green’ boost to both your reputation and profits…”
• Ask an intriguing question: “Ever wondered what it would be like to predict and exceed customer expectations at every touchpoint?” 
• Make them imagine: “Greetings, imagine starting your day with the news that your brand is the talk of the town, and I believe we have just the strategy to make that a reality…”
• Be bold and daring: “If I told you that your business could be as recognizable as the ‘Big Apple’ in the digital world, would you be interested?”

Then, you can introduce yourself. Here, you can say something like, “I am … from ABC Corp”

• The email body

Next is the email body. This is where you should back up what you have stated in your opening line. Make sure your recipient has all the details they need about the reason for your email. 

Also, make sure the body of your email is short and reads fast. The average business person receives about 121 emails per day. So, nobody has the time to read a lengthy email. Brevity adds more clarity. 

You should format your email well. Our typical approach is to add lots of whitespace to make the email scannable — so that readers can quickly skim through and still pick up on the main information. 

Keep your paragraphs between 3-4 sentences because nobody wants to read a hefty block of text. You can also outline your points using bulleted or numbered lists.

• The CTA

To be fair, the call to action is the email body. We are separating everything here so that we can be thorough in our explanations.

So, the idea behind the CTA is very simple. If you need them to take any action after reading your email, just plainly mention and facilitate it for them.

For instance, if you need a reply from your recipient, you can include the CTA by saying “Reply to this email” or “Let me know…”. If you want them to visit a specific page on your website, tell them to do so and add the link to the page. 

• Closing and signature

Once you are done, you should sign off with an appropriate email closing and email signature. Some examples of email closing include “Best wishes,” “I appreciate your feedback,” “Best regards,” etc. 

Then, add your email signature. A professional email signature includes your full name, job title, company name, and phone number.

Five tips for writing a business email 

Need your business email to stand out from others? Here are five business email tips you should consider.

• Always keep them scannable

Nobody wants to read a hefty block of text, so keep the body of your email as concise as possible. Use paragraphs that include 2-3 sentences and keep space between each paragraph. 

This helps to improve readability as your recipient may want to skim through the main message. If you use long sentences and mold all the points together, it makes it hard on their eyes, and they’ll bounce out of your emails. 

• Use a formal language

When writing a business email, ensure you adjust your tone professionally to suit your audience. Think about your word choices. Avoid using sarcasm, abbreviations, or adjectives that can make you sound too personal. Never use smiley faces and other emoticons in this email too.

Avoid using casual words or slang as well. For instance, words such as “Hello” instead of “hey”, “yo”, or “xoxo” help to set the correct tone for a professional conversation. 

• Avoiding jargon or overly complicated terms

You don’t have to show off your extensive vocabulary in a business email. Your recipient wants to understand what you’re saying. Your business has everything to lose if your audience fails to understand what you have written.

Writing at an eighth-grade level ensures that your recipient knows what you are saying. Besides, it can lead to more engagement and prompt your recipient to respond quickly.

• Using proper grammar and punctuation

Nothing screams unprofessional like an email filled with grammatical errors, misused punctuation marks, and spelling. Grammatical errors are stumbling blocks to your readers as they can change the meaning of your messages and make them harder to understand. 

Also, when your emails are well-written, you are more likely to be taken seriously. Avoid making grammatical errors in your emails, as it gives a strong impression of you. 

Ensure you double-check your emails before hitting the “send” button. You can also make use of grammar checkers such as Grammarly to avoid this altogether. 

• Appropriate use of email features (cc, bcc, etc.)

Before you send the business email, ensure you use the appropriate email fields. Each email field works for different scenarios. If the email is meant for one person, you should use the “To field.” This can be an inquiry email, reminder email, job application email, and more.

Meanwhile, you can use the “CC” field if you are sending the email to lots of individuals, such as your employees. This is especially useful if you want to share the company’s news, project updates, and more. 

If you are sending an email newsletter to your customers, the “BCC” field will suffice. You can send the message without knowing other recipients who have received the email. This is ideal for any email marketing campaign.

10 samples of business emails 

Business emails come in different formats. Here are business email samples you can use for 10 different business communication scenarios. 

1 – Business sales pitch email

This type of business email typically works as sales material used by sales reps to convince or persuade customers to buy their company’s products. So, if you are looking for a business email that helps you sell your products, here is the sample you need. 

Subject line: Do better with EcoSaver solar panels

Hi [first name],
Have you ever contemplated significantly reducing your company’s energy costs while also becoming a green business leader in your community? We’ve developed a powerful solution to help you achieve just that.
My name is [name], and I represent SunnyTech, a pioneer in the solar energy sector. 
We’ve revolutionized sustainable energy solutions with our latest offering, the EcoSaver Solar Panel system.
EcoSaver Solar Panels are an investment towards a sustainable and cost-effective future. Here’s what sets them apart:
Efficiency: Our panels have a high-energy yield, even in low-light conditions, ensuring maximum utilization and a quicker return on investment.
Durability: With our robust design and high-quality materials, EcoSaver panels promise longevity, reducing maintenance and replacement costs.
Sustainability: By choosing EcoSaver, your company takes a crucial step towards reducing its carbon footprint, a fact that resonates well with today’s eco-conscious consumers.
I believe a brief discussion could further illustrate how our EcoSaver Solar Panels could benefit your company. Please reply to this email to arrange a call or meeting at your earliest convenience.
Looking forward to your response.
[your name]
[your signature]

2 – Business cold email 

Breaking the ice between two businesses is one of the most important activities that drive business success. Cold emails are the best communication means to achieve this. They serve to introduce two stranger business representatives in the most convenient and professional way. Here is a business cold email sample. 

Subject line: I read your Twitter thread about your challenges

Hi [name],
I recently came across your Twitter thread on the challenges of managing large-scale tech projects, and it really resonated with our team at IntelliPlan. I especially enjoyed your insight about the importance of predicting potential bottlenecks.
I’m [name], and I’m part of IntelliPlan, where we’re developing a cutting-edge solution that tackles the very issue you mentioned and more. 
Our specialty lies in creating intelligent project management software that optimizes productivity and ensures seamless operations for businesses in the tech sector.
Considering your vital role as [recipient’s job title] at [recipient’s company], I imagine you’re constantly on the lookout for solutions that can drive meaningful improvements in your workflow and project execution. That’s exactly where we believe IntelliPlan can assist you.
Unlike conventional project management tools, IntelliPlan uses AI to predict project bottlenecks, optimize task allocation, and facilitate improved team collaboration. 
The results? Saved time, minimized project delays and overruns, and maximized productivity.
Recently, we had the privilege of implementing our solution at renowned tech companies like FutureTech and Innovate Now. We’ve seen up to a 35% increase in their project efficiency and a dramatic decrease in task redundancy. 
These improvements have allowed these businesses to launch their projects faster to market, helping them gain a competitive edge.
I understand your schedule is packed, but would you be open to a 15-minute call next week to explore how IntelliPlan could meet [recipient’s company]’s project management needs? 
Looking forward to the opportunity to speak with you and learn more about your unique requirements and goals.
Best Regards, 
[your name]
[your signature]

3 – Business inquiry email

As its name implies, a business email requests information. When writing this email, be clear on what you want. The recipient must know what you’re asking for and why they must respond to your inquiries. See our example of a business inquiry email below.

Subject line: Premium organic Coffee partnership

Hello, [name],
As part of our commitment to providing our customers with high-quality, sustainable products, we are always on the lookout for unique, organic offerings to enhance our current product lineup. 
Recently, we stumbled upon your premium organic coffee range and were intrigued by the positive feedback and certifications your product has received.
Before proceeding further, we would like to know more about:
Sourcing: Could you provide more information about your coffee bean sourcing process and how you ensure sustainability and fair-trade practices?
Variety: What variety of coffee beans and blends do you offer? Can we get a sample set for tasting and quality checks?
Packaging: What kind of packaging do you use? Is it eco-friendly?
Pricing: Could you provide us with a pricing breakdown for wholesale orders?
We believe that your products could be a great fit for our stores and that a partnership could benefit both parties significantly. 
We are keen to explore this potential further and would appreciate it if you could arrange for a product presentation at your earliest convenience.
By the way, I’m [name], and I am the [Your Position] at [Your Company’s Name], a leading retailer of gourmet foods and beverages in [Your City or Country].
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. We eagerly await your response and the potential opportunity to bring your organic coffee to our customers.
Best regards,
[your name]
[your signature]

4 – Business follow-up email

If you’ve sent a business email, perhaps an inquiry, to someone and they’re yet to reply, you can send a business follow-up email to remind the person in case they have forgotten. In this example, you will see how to write a business follow-up email.

Subject line: Recall of new features

A week ago, I reached out to you regarding our latest software update for our business efficiency software, BizMax Pro, but I didn’t hear back.

If you’ve been too busy to respond, no worries — we understand how it gets.

Our new software update is aimed at addressing some of the most pressing business challenges, such as process streamlining and efficient resource allocation. 

We’ve received quite positive feedback from the initial clients who’ve implemented it, and we believe that your organization could also greatly benefit from it.

I’m eager to share more when you’re ready. I look forward to your response.

Best regards, 

[Your name]

[Your signature]

5 – Business email for partnership

A business email for a partnership email benefits both parties. Think of it like a formal communication sent to propose a partnership between two companies or individuals — that’s exactly what it is. So, it serves as an initial contact to initiate discussions, express interest, and outline potential collaboration opportunities. Here is an example: 

Subject line: [Product] + [Product] synergy idea

Hello, [first name],

I am writing to explore a collaboration opportunity that could revolutionize the [Industry] landscape.

We have been following the work and accomplishments of [recipient’s company], and we believe that our mutual expertise and resources can [shared growth goal].

Our market research and customer feedback have indicated that [recipient’s company] possesses strengths and complementary capabilities that align perfectly with our vision.

We envision a partnership that combines our respective strengths, expertise, and market presence to create a powerful force in the [Industry] landscape. 

We propose a collaborative approach that includes:

Joint product development: Pooling our resources and expertise to co-create groundbreaking solutions that address the evolving needs of the industry.

Market expansion: Leveraging our respective networks and channels to penetrate new markets and increase market share.

Knowledge sharing: Establishing a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge, best practices, and industry insights to foster continuous growth and innovation.

Co-marketing initiatives: Collaborating on strategic marketing campaigns, events, and thought leadership activities to raise awareness and build a strong brand presence.

We are confident that this partnership will create a ripple effect within the [industry], with great opportunities for both our organizations. 

My name is [name], and I am the [job position] at [your company]. 

I kindly request a meeting or call at your earliest convenience to delve deeper into the possibilities and lay the foundation for a fruitful partnership. 

Thank you for your time.

Best regards,

[Your name]

[Your signature]

6 – Business email for stakeholders

A business email offers immediate outreach to the stakeholders in your organization. It enables them to understand the objectives of the organization or other projects you are working on. Note that stakeholders can include investors, executives, shareholders, customers, employees, partners, suppliers, and even government entities. Here is a template.

Subject line: Your stake in renewable energy 

Dear [stakeholder’s name],

We are thrilled to share with you our groundbreaking project that will reshape the renewable energy landscape.

I am [name], the chief operations officer at EcoPower Systems. 

Our team has been tirelessly working on a revolutionary breakthrough that will not only redefine our organization’s trajectory but also elevate your stake in the renewable energy sector.

We are on the verge of unveiling our latest innovation: the InfinityWave Turbine. The technology harnesses ocean currents to generate clean, reliable, and limitless energy. 

With this, we aim to disrupt traditional energy sources and establish a new era of sustainability.

Here’s what we’ve observed so far:

Unparalleled energy efficiency and output

Minimal environmental impact, preserving marine ecosystems

Scalability for widespread implementation and global adoption

Given your esteemed position as a stakeholder, we believe you should be among the first to witness the potential of the InfinityWave Turbine firsthand. Therefore, we would be honored to invite you to an exclusive unveiling event where you can experience this game-changing technology in action on [Date] at [Location/Online]. 

Kindly let us know your availability, and we will ensure you receive a formal invitation with all the event details. 

Thank you for your unwavering support. We look forward to your presence at the unveiling event and to the prosperous journey that lies ahead.

Best regards,

[Your name]

[Your signature]

7 – Business email reply

This is a response sent to an individual or organization in response to a business email you’ve received. You should tailor your response based on the content of the email you received, so be clear on what you want. Right from the subject line, clearly state whether you are interested or not. Here is a sample.

Subject line: Intrigued by your innovative solutions

Dear [name],

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your intriguing proposal regarding your AI solution.

I must say that I am highly interested in exploring this further. 

I would love a demo discussion to get into the functionalities and potential integration of your tech solutions within our organization. 

Could you provide more details regarding the availability of your team for a virtual meeting?

Once again, thank you for considering us as potential partner. 

Best regards,

[Your name]

[Your signature]

8 – Business introduction email

A business introduction email serves as the first point of contact and aims to establish a relationship, explore potential opportunities, and create a favorable impression. You may need this to introduce yourself or somebody else to an organization for a formal, professional relationship. Here is a sample. 

Subject line: New marketing frontiers for XYZ Corp

Hi [name],

I’m here to share a marketing strategy idea that could propel XYZ Corp’s marketing strategies to new heights.

I’m [name], and I am a seasoned marketing consultant with a passion for digital solutions. 

Over the past decade, I have had the privilege of working with leading organizations like Amazon and Samsung, helping them navigate the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing and achieve remarkable results.

As I conducted an in-depth analysis of XYZ Corp’s online presence, I noticed the potential to expand your reach and engagement with your target audience. 

I have developed a comprehensive marketing framework specifically tailored to drive exceptional growth for companies in the [industry] sector.

This framework encompasses:

Data-driven strategies to identify and engage your ideal customers

Highly targeted and personalized campaigns that resonate with your audience

Optimization of digital channels to maximize conversions and ROI

Advanced analytics and reporting for continuous improvement

I would love to schedule a meeting with you to discuss how my expertise and strategies can align with your goals and elevate your marketing efforts. 

Let me know a time that works best for you, and we can arrange a virtual meeting.

Thank you for considering my introduction. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

[Your name]

[Your signature]

9 – Business email asking something from a co-worker

This is a handy email for internal business collaboration. If you need something from your coworker or someone with whom you have a familiar professional relationship, this is the email to emulate. 

Subject line: Need assistance: [task/project]

Hi [co-worker’s name],

I hope this email finds you well.

I am currently working on [briefly describe the task or project] and have encountered a challenge that requires your input. 

Specifically, I am in need of [specific information, guidance, or resources] to move forward successfully.

Would it be possible for us to schedule a brief meeting or have a quick discussion at your earliest convenience? 

Please, let me know your availability over the next few days, and we can coordinate a suitable time that works for both of us. 

If you prefer an alternative method of communication or have any specific preferences, kindly let me know, and I will be happy to accommodate them.

Thank you.

Best regards,

[Your name]

[Your signature]

10 – Business email for customer care

Business emails for customer care allow for direct, formal, and documented digital communication with customers. This can include responding to inquiries, resolving complaints, providing information about products or services, or handling other customer-related issues. The tone and content of these emails reflect the company’s brand image and values and, therefore, should be handled with professionalism.

Here is a template you can use. 

Subject line: Your inquiry regarding [product or service]

Dear [name],

I am writing in response to your inquiry about our [specific product or service]. 

My name is [your name], and I am a representative of [your company name]’s customer care team. 

I understand that you have some concerns/questions about [specific details of the customer’s query]. 

In response to your question, [provide a detailed answer to the customer’s question, or indicate that you are currently looking into the issue and will respond as soon as possible].

We value your business and want to ensure that your experience with [your company name] is a positive one. 

If you have any further questions or if there is anything else you need assistance with, please feel free to reply to this email or contact us at [customer service phone number].

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We look forward to serving you.

Best regards,

[Your name]

[Your signature]

• Read our blog post about formal emails to get other professional email examples.

Key takeaways

• A business email is an official correspondence to employees and external individuals such as stakeholders, clients, and subscribers.
• A business email is short, polite, and has a clear purpose. It’s the same as writing professional emails. You should always make sure you avoid miscommunication as well as grammatical or spelling errors.
• One key best practice you should consider for business emails is to communicate in a professional tone with your recipient. 
• Need help with email marketing and lead generation? We are ready to help. Nerdy Joe can help you get highly-stellar results from our sophisticated email marketing efforts. Give us a response today.

Formal emails convey professionalism and respect between two business entities or individuals. A well-structured formal email reflects positively on the sender and their organization, making them an essential tool in any professional environment.

In this article, we explore the concept of formal emails, shedding light on what they are, their integral components, when and where they should be used, and how to effectively write formal emails. 

Without any more ado, let’s get started.

What is a formal email?

A formal email is a type of email communication that adheres to professional standards and conventions in its structure, content, language, and tone. 

Formal emails are used predominantly in the professional world and in official contexts. They serve as a key medium of interaction in business, education, institutions between officials and various professionals. 

The main difference between formal and informal emails is that formal emails are written in professional and polite language. They are typically clear, concise and follow a certain structure and style. On the other hand, informal emails are more relaxed and conversational.

Where and when to use formal emails

Formal emails are commonly used in a variety of professional and academic contexts, such as when you are emailing a CEO or your professor. Knowing when and where to use them appropriately can greatly enhance your communication effectiveness and professional image. 

Here are some common instances where writing formal emails is necessary:

Job applications and follow-ups

Typically when applying for a job, you want to come across as a serious, professional applicant. Also, you want to create a good first impression and get them to remember you. So, it only makes sense that you use formal email language in your application, cover letter, or resume. 

The same applies to follow-up emails after interviews. This shows your professionalism and respect for the position and the company.

Communication with superiors and colleagues

In a professional setting, it’s essential to maintain a certain level of formality when communicating with your superiors or colleagues, especially when discussing official matters, presenting ideas, or reporting on tasks.

Keep in mind that this might not be applicable to all businesses as the way people typically communicate, and the language they use in their business communications depend largely on the company’s values and culture. 

Client communications

Whether you are introducing your services, providing updates, answering inquiries, or dealing with complaints, you also want to maintain a strong level of formality when discussing with your customers. 

As a business, maintaining a formal tone in communicating with clients fosters a sense of professionalism and credibility. In other words, it encourages them to see you as a serious, official entity that they can trust and recommend easily. 

Business to Business (B2B) communications

When you are communicating with another business, whether it’s for partnerships, collaborations, or negotiations, it’s imperative to use a formal email and sound as professional as you can. 

The first reason is that you need to address the other business as a serious corporation and show respect. But the main reason for this is that in the B2B realm, interactions involve high stakes, professionalism, and a significant amount of trust. Thus, the tone, structure, and content of the communications must reflect these factors.

Academic correspondence

Academic correspondence requires formality and respect. That’s just how it needs to be. So, when corresponding with professors, administrators, or other staff in an academic setting, you should use formal language. 

Doing so reflects your professionalism, respect for the recipient’s position, and commitment to your academic endeavors.

Government or legal communication

This goes without saying, as officials are known to be the champions of formality and respect. So, any correspondence with government officials, legal entities, or similar institutions should be formal. This can range from applying for permits to requesting information or submitting reports.

Formal invitations or announcements

If you’re sending out invitations for a formal event, such as a conference, or making a professional announcement, like a change in company policy or structure, then a formal email would be appropriate.

Formal email format: Key elements and structure of a formal email

A formal email is similar to a formal letter, having the same key elements. Here, we will examine each key element you need to consider when writing a formal email. 

Formal email subject line

See the formal email subject line as the introduction that identifies the intent of the email. It appears in bold in the inbox of your recipient, and it’s the first thing they see. So, you want it to be clear, concise, and relevant to the content of the email.

Here are some tips on how to write effective formal email subject lines:

• Be specific and concise: Always state the purpose of your email in a succinct way to keep a clear subject line. Recipients should have a good idea of what the email is about before they open it. 
• Avoid spam-like language: All caps, too many exclamation marks, or words such as “free”, “buy now”, and “urgent” can trigger spam filters and also seem unprofessional.
• Indicate if action is required: If you need the recipient to do something, it’s a good idea to include this in the subject line. Phrases like “Please review” or “Feedback required” can be effective.
• Personalize when appropriate: Personalizing the subject line can make it stand out. A personalized subject line increases the open rate by 41%. If it’s a job application, you could include your name in the subject line.

Formal email salutation

Also known as a formal greeting, the salutation is the first line of the email. It’s where you start addressing the recipient, and it sets the tone for the rest of the email. As a rule of thumb, just shoot for showing respect towards the recipient.

The most common salutations for formal emails are “Dear,” followed by the recipient’s title and surname. If you know the person you are writing to well, or they are in a less formal position, you may use their first name. 

Here are a few examples of formal email salutations:

• When you know the recipient’s name:
  • Dear Mr. Smith (for a man)
  • Dear Ms. Johnson (for a woman, regardless of marital status)
• When the recipient’s gender is unknown, or the name is gender-neutral:
  • Dear Alex Jordan
  • Dear J. Smith
• When the recipient’s name is unknown:
  • Dear Sir/Madam
  • Dear Hiring Manager (in case of job applications)
• When writing to a group:
  • Dear team
  • Dear Members of the Committee

Keep in mind that email salutations like “Hi”, “Hello”, and “Hey”, are primarily known to be used when writing an informal email and should be avoided in professional communication.

Formal email opening line

People often confuse email salutations with email opening lines. Well, they are not the same. The salutation or greeting is typically a salutary phrase, typically in the range of “Hello, Hi, Dear, Hey, ect” among which you choose according to the context of the email and the recipients. 

The opening line, au contraire, are complete sentences, typically the first sentence of the email body. Depending on the context of the email and its purpose, you can either introduce yourself, make it an icebreaker, or simply add courteous formal email opening lines like “I hope this email finds you well”, which we advise against. 

A polite self-introduction or an icebreaker is recommended if you are emailing someone unfamiliar to you or your organization. On the other hand, if your correspondent is known to you, you should omit this part and proceed directly to the main content of your message.

Formal email body

This should be all about the purpose of the email. The email body is where you communicate your main message. It should be well-structured, clear, and concise while maintaining a professional tone. A short and concise email has a higher response rate than a longer one.

Simply detail what you have to say and be as direct as possible. Avoid fluff or any other information that isn’t relevant to your recipient. Edit the message, add bullets where necessary, and use short paragraphs to make it scannable. 

Formal email closing

Often referred to as the email sign-off, it is the last part of the email where you express your closing sentiments before ending with your name, and you want to leave a lasting impression. The email closing line often includes a polite or positive sentiment.

Keep in mind that the choice of your closing line should reflect the tone of your email, remain professional, and match your relationship with the recipient. Here are some common formal email closing lines:

• “Sincerely” or “Yours sincerely”: These are very common and professional email sign-offs and can be used in a variety of formal contexts.
• “Best regards” or “Kind regards”: These are also professional and can be used when the tone of the email is more friendly while still maintaining professionalism.
• “Respectfully” or “Yours faithfully”: These are very formal and can be used in extremely formal contexts or when writing to higher-ranking individuals or officials.
• “Thank you”: This can be used when you are expressing gratitude in your email, but it’s often followed by another sign-off, like “Thank you, Best regards, [your name]”.

Here is how you can write the closing line:

1. Choose the appropriate sign-off: Based on your relationship with the recipient and the tone of the email, end your email professionally and appropriately.
2. Follow it with a comma: After your chosen sign-off, insert a comma.
3. Skip a line: On the next line, write your full name.
4. Include your contact information or signature (if appropriate): In professional emails, it’s common to include your title and contact information, such as your email address, phone number, and sometimes your mailing address, beneath your name. This is often formatted as an email signature and can be set to automatically appear at the end of your emails.

10 formal email templates you can use today

Here are ten formal email templates you can use.

1. Formal request email template

The request email helps you ask for something in a respectful and professional manner. It may be to request information, seek advice, ask for resources, or do tasks related to your job. 

Here is a template that can help you out. 

Subject line: Request for information about [specific topic]

Dear [recipient’s name or title],
My name is [your name], and I am [your role/job title/position] at [your company/institution name]. I am writing to request [specific information you are requesting] related to [reason why you are asking for this information].
Based on your expertise/access to the required information, I believe your insights would be valuable for [the project you’re working on/the reason you’re requesting the information].
If you require any additional information to fulfill this request, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I would appreciate it if you could provide the requested information by [specific date, if necessary]. If this timeline isn’t feasible for you, please let me know, and we can arrange a more suitable date.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. I look forward to your positive response.
[your name]
[your signature]

2. Formal email for setting an appointment

Appointment emails are professional correspondence with a single purpose: request an appointment. This could be with a colleague, a client, a superior, a service provider, or any other professional contact. 

The email should clearly state the purpose of the meeting, propose a suitable date and time, and ask for the recipient’s confirmation. Be sure to make it short, clear, and straight to the point. This template can help you out. 

Subject line: Request for meeting appointment

Dear [recipient’s name or title],
My name is [your name], and I am [your role/job title/position] at [your company/institution name]. 
I am writing to request a meeting with you to discuss [briefly mention the primary purpose of the meeting]. I believe this will be an excellent opportunity for us to [explain what you hope to achieve from the meeting].
I am available on [provide two or three possible dates and times], and the meeting could be held [suggest a location, if in-person, or mention that it will be a video/phone conference]. 
However, I understand that your schedule may be busy, so please feel free to suggest a date and time that would be more convenient for you.
The meeting is expected to last approximately [mention the expected duration], and I suggest the following agenda for our discussion:
[point of discussion 1]
[point of discussion 2]
[point of discussion 3]
Please let me know if the proposed dates and agenda work for you. If you have any suggestions or additional topics to discuss, do not hesitate to share them.
Thank you for considering my request. I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet and discuss our mutual interests.
Best Regards,
[Your name]
[Your position/role] 
[Your contact information]

3. Formal email template for issuing a complaint

Issuing a complaint via a formal email requires a tactful, respectful, and clear approach. The goal should be to explain the issue, express your dissatisfaction, and seek a resolution. Here is a formal complaint email template that can help you out. 

Subject line: Complaint about [product/service/issue]

Dear [recipient’s name or title],
I am writing to express my concern about an issue I have been experiencing with [the product/service/issue you’re writing about].
I have been a customer of your company for [length of time], and until now I have been very satisfied with your products/services. However, I recently encountered a problem that I believe needs your attention.
[Describe the issue here. Make sure to include all necessary details, such as what happened, when it happened, and any steps you’ve already taken to try to resolve the issue. Be as clear and specific as possible.] [If applicable, mention any negative impacts the issue has had on you.]
I kindly request your assistance in resolving this matter. I am hopeful that we can find a solution that is satisfactory and prevents this issue from recurring in the future.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Best Regards,
[Your name]
[Your position/role] 
[Your contact information]

4. Formal email for sending an invitation

If your goal is to invite someone to an official or professional event, such as a meeting, conference, seminar, workshop, or formal celebration, this is the email template for you. 

Subject line: Invitation to [event name]

Dear [recipient’s name or title],
I am writing to cordially invite you to the [event name], which is scheduled to take place on [date] at [time]. The event will be held at [location].
[Provide a brief description of the event. Mention the purpose of the event, the agenda, and why you think the recipient’s presence will be valuable.]
We believe your [contribution/experience/expertise] in [relevant field or topic] would make a valuable addition to our event, and we would greatly appreciate your presence.
Find attached a formal invitation, which includes the official agenda and further details of the event. If you require any additional information or have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kindly confirm your attendance by [specific date] so that we can make appropriate arrangements.
We look forward to your positive response and hope to have the honor of hosting you at our event.
Best Regards,
[Your name]
[Your position/role] 
[Your contact information]

5. Formal email for applying for a job

A job application email, often referred to as a cover letter, is an email you send to a potential employer expressing your interest in and qualifications for a job. It’s typically structured to introduce yourself, explain why you’re a good fit for the job, and demonstrate your professionalism and communication skills. The resume or CV is usually attached to this email. 

Here is a template for you.

Subject line: Application for [position or job title] — [your name]

Dear [hiring manager],
I am writing to apply for the [job title] position at [company name] as advertised [mention where you found the job posting]. I am confident that my [mention specific skills, qualifications, or experiences] make me a strong candidate for this role.
In my previous role as [your previous job title] at [your previous company], I [describe a key responsibility or achievement that demonstrates a skill or qualification relevant to the job you’re applying for]. This experience has [explain what you learned or how you grew professionally].
I am particularly drawn to [company name] because [explain what attracts you to the company, such as its mission, a particular product, its culture, etc]. I believe I can contribute to [mention specific goals or projects the company is working on] with my [mention specific skills or experiences].
I have attached my resume for your review. I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to further discuss how my background and skills would fit and contribute to the [job title] position at [company name].
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of discussing this exciting opportunity with you.
Best Regards,
[Your name]

6. Formal email for sending a business proposal

This type of email is sent to a prospective client or partner outlining a proposed business arrangement, service, product, or solution. It’s best kept clear, concise, professional, and persuasive — highlighting the benefits and value that your proposal can offer.

Here is a template that you can adapt to your specific needs:

Subject line: Proposal for [brief description of service/product]

Dear [hiring manager],
Dear [recipient’s name or title],
My name is [name], and I am the [position] at [company]. I am reaching out to present a unique opportunity that I believe could greatly benefit [recipient’s company].
In recent years, [your company] has gained a significant reputation in [your industry] for our [key success]. We specialize in [briefly describe what your company does], and we believe our services/products could complement your business’s mission and enhance your offerings.
We propose [describe your product/service and how it works in detail. Explain how your proposal specifically suits their needs or solves a problem they have].
The benefits of our proposal include [list the key benefits, like improved efficiency, cost savings, increased revenue, etc.]
We would love to discuss customization options to ensure our services/products align perfectly with your goals.
I am attaching a detailed proposal for your consideration. Please feel free to ask any questions or voice any concerns you might have.
We appreciate your consideration and look forward to the possibility of collaborating with you.
Best Regards,
[Your name]

7. Formal email for apologizing to a customer

Customer service and product failures require an apology via a formal email. This email should convey your sincere apologies, address the issue directly, provide a possible solution or compensation if applicable, and assure the customer that measures are being taken to avoid a repeat of the situation.

Here’s a template for a formal apology email:

Subject line: Proposal for [brief description of service/product]

Dear [customer’s name],
I am writing to you regarding the [specific issue] you recently experienced with our [product/service]. I want to express our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.
We conducted an investigation into the issue. It appears that [explain briefly what went wrong without going into too much detail]. This falls far short of the quality service we aim to provide to our valued customers, and for this, we are deeply sorry.
To rectify the situation, we propose to [mention what you will do to make things right: refund, replace the product, offer a service, etc.]. We believe this will help to resolve the issue at hand to your satisfaction. 
Please let us know how you would like to proceed or if there is anything else we can do to assist you further.
We are implementing measures to ensure that such an issue does not occur again in the future. We appreciate your understanding and patience in this matter.
Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience we have caused, and thank you for bringing this to our attention. 
Kind regards,
[Your name]

8. Formal email for thanking someone

A formal thank you email expresses gratitude in a professional and respectful manner. This could be in response to a favor, after receiving a gift, following a job interview, a client’s purchase, or simply to acknowledge someone’s efforts that have helped you in some way.

Here is a template that can help you out. 

Subject line: Proposal for [brief description of service/product]

Dear [customer’s name],
I am writing to you regarding the [specific issue] you recently experienced with our [product/service]. I want to express our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.
We conducted an investigation into the issue. It appears that [explain briefly what went wrong without going into too much detail]. This falls far short of the quality service we aim to provide to our valued customers, and for this, we are deeply sorry.
To rectify the situation, we propose to [mention what you will do to make things right: refund, replace the product, offer a service, etc.]. We believe this will help to resolve the issue at hand to your satisfaction. 
Please let us know how you would like to proceed or if there is anything else we can do to assist you further.
We are implementing measures to ensure that such an issue does not occur again in the future. We appreciate your understanding and patience in this matter.
Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience we have caused, and thank you for bringing this to our attention. 
Kind regards,
[Your name]

9. Formal customer onboarding email

A formal customer onboarding email helps you welcome new customers after they sign up for your service or product. You get to provide them with relevant information to get started and make them feel valued. This initial interaction is crucial in setting the tone for the customer’s experience with the company, product, or service.

Here is a template you can use:

Subject line: Thanks for your assistance

Dear [recipient’s name],
I want to express my sincere gratitude for [describe what the recipient has done]. Your effort and support have been truly beneficial to [describe how their actions were helpful, e.g., my project, our team, the completion of my tasks, etc.].
I greatly appreciate your dedication and the quality of your work. Should there ever be an opportunity for me to reciprocate or assist you in any way, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Once again, thank you for your invaluable support.
Best regards,
[Your name]

10. Formal reminder email

This email prompts your recipient to remember an upcoming event, task, deadline, or commitment that’s due. It serves as a courteous and professional way to ensure important dates, actions, or events are not overlooked. 

Writing it, you should provide all the necessary details for your recipient to understand what is being reminded. Here’s a template for a formal reminder email:

Subject line: Welcome to [company], [customer’s name]!

Dear [customer’s name],
We are thrilled to welcome you to [company]. We appreciate your trust in us and are committed to providing you with the best possible service.
To help you get started, here are some resources that you might find useful:
User guide: Our detailed user guide provides a step-by-step overview of how to make the most of our service. You can access it [here] (include hyperlink to the guide).
Support center: If you encounter any issues or have any questions, our Support Center is available 24/7. You can reach it [here] (include hyperlink to the support center).
Community forum: Connect with other users, share tips, and learn from their experiences in our community forum. Join the conversation [here] (include hyperlink to the forum).
We are here to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact our support team at [support team email address] or call us at [support team phone number].
Thank you for choosing [company]. We look forward to being a part of your journey.
[Your name]

Key takeaways

• A formal email is an email you address to a person you don’t know or someone that is in a position of authority.
• You can use formal emails for job applications, first contact, apologies, sales pitches, termination, and other situations in a professional setting. 
• The key elements of a formal email are the subject line, salutation, body, closing, and signature.
• Need help with email marketing and lead generation? We are ready to help. Nerdy Joe can help you get highly-stellar results from our sophisticated email marketing efforts. Give us a response today. 

At some point in your job search process or academic program, you may be asked to provide references. 

Employers and academic administrators often rely on these references to fact-check your credibility. They need to substantiate what you’ve stated in your resume or academic application. 

Or, as seen in most cases, you may set out to get your connections to reference you without the receiving party even asking. 

For example, if you want to apply for a job and have a connection who can quickly get you through the door, you can ask them to reference you. 

But how do you write this email and guarantee a positive outcome? 

In this article, you will learn about how to ask for a good reference via email and find some examples you can learn from. 

What is a reference letter email, and why does it matter? 

A reference letter email is an email message in which a reference letter is either requested or the letter itself is sent. 

Reference letters are typically used in employment, academic, or personal settings where a third party’s opinion about a person’s qualities, characteristics, skills, and qualifications is needed. So the reference email attests to a person’s character, skills, and work experience. 

It’s often given by someone you’ve worked with closely and can vouch for your good qualities. For instance, your work reference is provided by your supervisor, employer, or even a co-worker. 

A reference letter email is an important part of an application process, whether it’s for a job or academic reasons. A written reference letter acts as solid proof of your experience and provides a third party who can attest to your credibility. 

When to ask for a reference? 

Asking for a reference can be key in several different situations. Here are some scenarios when you should consider asking for a reference:

1. When applying for a job

This is perhaps the most common scenario. When applying for a job, especially if you’re moving on from a previous role, a positive reference (from your former boss, for example) can easily help you land a new job or take you to the short list of job search prospects. 

Employers request job references to get a better understanding of your work ethic, skills, and experiences from previous jobs. 

Typically, you’d ask for a potential reference during the application process or after the job interview when it’s clear that the potential employer is interested in your candidacy for the new position.

2. When applying to academic programs

This work in the same way as a job reference. When applying for an academic program (like a graduate, scholarship, doctoral program, etc), you’ll often need to provide good references. These usually come from professors or academic advisors who can speak to your academic abilities and qualifications. 

In general, it’s best to ask for these references a few weeks or even months before your application deadlines.

3. When applying for internships

Internships are opportunities for students or young professionals to gain practical experience in their field of interest. 

And because internships can be highly competitive, a reference letter can give you an edge over other applicants by providing the hiring manager with third-party validation of your skills, abilities, and character.

4. When renting a property

Landlords often require both character references and contact references to confirm that you are a reliable tenant. These can come from previous landlords or, if you’re renting for the first time, from employers, professors, or other non-family individuals who can vouch for your reliability.

5. When applying for some professional certifications or licenses

Many professional certifications and licenses require applicants to submit professional references as part of the application process. These could include certifications for fields like project management, human resources, nursing, and others. 

Licensing bodies for professions such as medicine, law, and education also typically require professional references. These references are intended to verify your professional competency, character, and ethical behavior. 

For example, if you’re applying for a professional engineering license, you might need references from other licensed engineers who can vouch for your engineering experience and skills. 

6. When volunteering for something

Certain volunteer positions, particularly those involving children, the elderly, or other vulnerable populations, may require references. 

The references are used to help confirm your character, reliability, and suitability for the volunteer role. This could be particularly relevant for positions like a volunteer tutor, a mentor for at-risk youth, or a hospice volunteer. 

If you’re volunteering for a position and need references, consider asking people who can attest to the qualities and skills relevant to the position. This could include past teachers, employers, or colleagues, or even someone from a different volunteer position you’ve held. 

Who should you ask for a reference? 

Even though the people you ask for references will always depend on your goals with reference requests, you can’t just choose anyone to give you a reference. You should always choose people with the right profiles, people who can actually get you through the door. 

That’s because if the person referencing you (be it their name or their position) does not inspire any credibility or influence the receiving party in any way, you might as well ask your grandmother to write you a lovely reference. 

So, suppose you are applying for a job and are considering attaching a reference letter; the first box you must check is to choose people you have worked with or worked for. They should be people who know you well or speak highly of you. These people include:

• Previous employer
• Current employer
• Professor or Teacher
• Former clients or customers
• Current colleagues or coworkers

As well, these people also need to come from a managerial or leadership position. Asking your co-worker with whom you have the same position to write you a reference letter can be good. But it won’t hold the same effect as if you had it written by your employer or professor. 

Reference request email format: What to include in a reference request email, and how to structure it? 

Ready to write a reference request but don’t know how? We’ve got you covered. Here, we will show you what you should include in a reference request email. 

Reference request email subject line: How to write a subject line for an email asking for a reference

The goal of your subject line is always to get your recipient’s attention and prompt them to read your email. Chances are, you’ll be reaching out to someone who knows you, so all you have to do is simply state the purpose of your email, which is to request a reference letter from them. 

Here are a couple of examples: 

1. “Request for reference letter for [job title/university name] application”
2. “Reference letter request – [your full name]”
3. “Seeking your support for a reference letter”
4. “[your name] – Reference request for [job/internship]”
5. “Requesting your assistance for a reference letter”
6. “[your name’s] reference letter request for [purpose]”
7. Would you reference me?

Reference request email body: How to write an email asking for a reference

Here is how to write the reference request email body.

Start with a polite greeting 

Start off the email with a polite greeting, as it makes you sound respectful and professional. Some examples include:

“Dear + name,” “Hello + name,” or “Hi + name.”

Typically, this will depend on the relationship between you and the person you are asking to reference you. But as a general rule, avoid using generic terms such as “Dear sir/ma” or casual greeting terms with your recipients, as it may give them a wrong perspective. 

Write a good opening line: State your purpose and remind them of your relationship

Your email opening line should state the reason why you’re emailing your recipient. A good way of doing this is to remind them of your relationship. Build rapport with them, connect the dots between the past and present, and where you currently stand in your career path. 

Here are a few examples of opening lines you can emulate when requesting a reference letter:

• “As you may recall, I had the pleasure of working under your supervision at the African Leadership University (ALU), where I was able to learn and grow in my role as a project assistant.”
• “You probably remember our time together at [company/organization/university]. I learned so much from you then, and I’m hoping to lean on your expertise once more.”
• “Our projects at [company] were always such a success; I’m still grateful for our great teamwork. Now, I’m hoping to ask for your help as I’m exploring new professional opportunities.”

Ask them for the reference letter 

As you’ve established the context and the reason for your email, the next step is to directly ask for the reference letter. You don’t have to be around the bush; simply go for it. Here is how you do it.

Directly ask for the reference, give the potential referee an understanding of what should be in the letter, provide a timeline, and open the door for further communication if they need more information or have questions.

Ensure that you’re coming across as polite, concise, and provide all the necessary details for them to be able to craft a meaningful letter. Also, be respectful and appreciative of the recipient’s time and effort.

Here is an example you can follow to weave this into your reference letter request email. 

Provide necessary details about your background

You should include every necessary detail about your background to help your referee prepare something about you and ease the task. You can provide details such as the name of the position and the company, the skills you have, and your qualifications or accomplishments. 

Or, 

You can add a link to an online page or a document where they can access all the information they need about you to write a compelling reference letter. Here is how you can frame that into your email:

Or,

Reference request email ending: Thank you, recipient, close the email, and sign off. 

By this time, you have your subject line and most of the email body ready; here is how to end your email. 

Thank the individual 

They are doing you a favor by taking the time to write this letter and expressing gratitude not only shows good manners but also makes it more likely they’ll want to help.

Add a closing note

The email closing line is where you reiterate your availability for any further queries they might have. You can also remind them of the timeline to ensure that the reference letter arrives on time.

Sign off

Lastly, finish your email with a professional sign-off, followed by your name. You might also include your contact information, such as your phone number or LinkedIn profile, so they can reach out if needed.

Here is an example of it all together:

“I truly appreciate your time and effort in considering this request. Your support means a lot to me. 

Please feel free to reach out if you need any additional information from me. 

I look forward to keeping you updated on my progress.

Best regards, 

[your name] 

[Your contact details]”

12 sample reference request emails to inspire you 

Need to request a reference? We’ve you covered. In this section, you will learn how to ask for reference emails from your colleagues, employers, professors, supervisor, and others. 

Requesting a reference from a former employer 

Requesting a reference from a former employer involves reaching out to them to ask if they would be comfortable vouching for your skills, experiences, and character, typically in relation to a job application. 

Your email should be professional, clear, and provide the recipient with all the necessary information to write a comprehensive and effective reference letter. 

Here’s an example of how to structure such a request:

Subject line: Request for reference – Your ex [your ex position]”

Dear [former employer’s name],

I am [your full name]. It’s been [amount of time] since our work together at [company name], and I still reflect on the valuable experiences and skills I gained under your leadership.

I’m reaching out to you because I am applying for a new role as [job title] at [company name], and I believe a reference letter from you would carry significant weight given our professional history. This role requires skills in [mention specific skills], which I was able to develop during my tenure at [company name].

If you’re willing to assist me with this, I would need the letter by [date]. I understand this is a considerable request, and appreciate the time and effort it would take for you to help me in this way.

To aid in crafting the reference letter, I’ve attached my updated resume for your reference. You can also find more about my professional journey on my LinkedIn profile [insert link if applicable].

Please let me know if you need any additional information. I would be more than happy to provide it.

Thank you for considering my request. I truly appreciate your support.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Asking for a reference from a colleague 

As we said before, a colleague’s reference won’t carry a lot of weight. But still, they can offer you a personal reference that you will find helpful, and it can help with your situation as well. 

If you’ve known them for a long time and you’re good friends with them, you don’t have to be formal when making your request. Instead, craft the email around your relationship.

Make your email courteous, clear, and respectful. Outline the reason for the request, give a clear deadline, and provide all the necessary information they might need to write the letter.

Subject line: Favor to ask – Could you be a reference?

Hi [colleague’s name],

I’m applying for a [job title] position at [company name] that I’m really excited about. They’ve asked for a few references, and I immediately thought of you, given how closely we’ve worked together and the amount of team success we’ve shared.

Would you be able to write me a reference letter? It would mean a lot to me. 

Your perspective on our teamwork and my skills in [mention specific skills or projects you worked on together] would provide valuable insights. The application deadline is [date], so if you could have it done a few days before, that would be fantastic.

If it helps, I can provide you with the job description or any other information about the role. Feel free to tell them about our work together, your observations of my skills and accomplishments, or any other details you think might be useful.

Thank you for considering this. I really appreciate your help, and I’m happy to return the favor if you ever need it.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Seeking a character reference from a personal contact 

A character reference, also known as a personal reference, is a letter that speaks to your personality traits, character, and overall demeanor. It’s often written by someone who knows you personally rather than professionally, such as a friend, neighbor, or family member. 

As such, it can be used for many purposes like job applications, rental applications, court hearings, volunteer positions, or other situations where character is important. Here’s a sample email for requesting a character reference:

Subject line: Request for a personal reference

Hello [recipient’s name],

As you may know, I am currently in the process of [explain what you’re doing – applying for a job, seeking a volunteer position, renting, etc.]. As part of this process, I need to provide a character reference – someone who can speak to my personal qualities.

Given our [describe relationship – longstanding friendship, years as neighbors, etc.], I thought you would be an excellent person to ask. Would you feel comfortable writing a personal reference for me? 

If you’re unsure what to include, I can provide some guidance or pointers. The letter would need to be submitted by [give a deadline, preferably at least two weeks away]. If you don’t think you can commit to this timeline, please let me know, and I totally understand.

I would appreciate your help in this matter. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need any further information or clarification. Your support will mean a lot to me.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Requesting a reference for a scholarship or academic program 

When you seek a scholarship or intend to advance your academic program, you can also need a reference. You can request this from your professor or teacher in some cases. What you need is for them to attest to your academic prowess, dedication, and character. 

Here is a template you can use as a guide.

Subject line: Request for reference letter for [scholarship/program name]

Dear [Professor/Dr./Mr./Ms. last name],

As you may remember, I had the privilege of being in your [class name] during my [junior/senior] year at [university name].

I am reaching out to you because I am currently applying for the [scholarship/program name] for the upcoming academic year, and a strong reference letter from an esteemed professor like yourself could greatly enhance my application.

The [scholarship/program name] seeks students who demonstrate [mention specific qualities, skills, or achievements the program values], and I believe that my time in your class and our interaction allowed me to develop and display these traits. 

Your letter could help highlight these attributes and provide a deeper understanding of my academic dedication and performance. If you agree to write this letter, could I please ask for it to be completed by [date], as this would ensure it arrives before the [scholarship/program] application deadline of [deadline date]?

To make the process easier for you, I have attached my resume and a document outlining some key points from my academic career that might be useful to mention in the reference. Please let me know if you need any more information about the scholarship/program or my experiences and qualifications.

I deeply appreciate your consideration of my request, and I’m truly grateful for any support you can provide. If there’s anything else you need from me, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Thank you once again for your time.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Asking for a reference from your current supervisor 

Asking your current supervisor for a reference can be a delicate situation, particularly if you’re planning to leave your current job. However, if you have a good relationship with your boss, they can be an excellent reference, as they can speak to your current abilities and work habits.

When asking a current supervisor for a reference, you should be honest about your intentions, show appreciation for the opportunity you currently have, and emphasize that your desire to move on is about personal growth and not dissatisfaction with your current role or company.

Here’s a sample email you can customize:

Subject line: Request for a reference for [job title] position

Dear [supervisor’s name],

I am considering exploring a new opportunity and applying for a [job title] position at [company name]. The role aligns with my career goals and aspirations as it will allow me to further develop [mention specific skills or opportunities for growth].

So, I am reaching out to ask if you would feel comfortable providing a reference for me. Your insights and experiences working directly with me would provide a valuable perspective on my skills, dedication, and performance.

If you agree, it might be particularly helpful if you could emphasize [mention specific tasks, projects, or achievements that relate to the job you’re applying for].

Please note that the deadline for submitting the reference is [date], so if you decide to provide a reference, I would appreciate receiving it a few days prior.

I want to assure you that my interest in this new opportunity does not reflect any dissatisfaction with my current role or with [current company name]. 

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities I’ve had here, and I believe this potential new role is simply the next step in my career path.

Please let me know if you need any more information or if there’s anything else I can do to assist with this process.

Thank you once again for your time.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Requesting a LinkedIn recommendation 

A LinkedIn recommendation helps to improve your public image. It’s a great way to sell yourself to your potential employers. These recommendations can provide a powerful testament to your skills, work ethic, and professional accomplishments, adding credibility and authenticity to your LinkedIn profile.

Here’s a sample message for requesting a LinkedIn recommendation:

Subject line: LinkedIn recommendation request

Dear [recipient’s name],

We’ve collaborated on several successful projects at [company name], and your insights have always been valuable to me.

I’m currently working on enhancing my LinkedIn profile to better reflect my work experience and skills. A recommendation from you about our work together, especially focusing on [mention specific project, skills, or accomplishment], would provide an authentic testimonial that could help me as I network and explore new opportunities.

I understand this would take some of your valuable time, and I truly appreciate your help.

Please let me know if you need any specific details or if there’s anything else I can provide to assist you in writing the recommendation.

Thank you once again for your time.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Asking a professor for a reference 

A reference from a professor can give a great boost to your academic application to get a scholarship or advance your academic program. Likewise, a reference from a professor can also be a good idea for students new to the workforce and who don’t have work experience yet. 

This template can serve as a guide to use. 

Subject line: Request for reference letter for [purpose – e.g., graduate school application]

Dear Professor [last name],

I’m writing to you because I’m planning to apply for [the job, internship, graduate school program, scholarship] at [name of the institution or company], and I believe a reference letter from you would greatly strengthen my application.

During my time in your [specific class or research project], I feel I was able to demonstrate my dedication, curiosity, and critical thinking skills, particularly when [mention a specific example where you displayed these qualities]. I believe these experiences could be relevant to my application. Subject line: LinkedIn recommendation request

The deadline for submitting the reference is [date], so if you’re able to help, I would appreciate receiving the letter a few days prior to check that everything is in order.

I’ve attached my resume for your reference, and I’m also happy to provide any additional information you might need to write the letter, such as details about the program or job I’m applying to, or my statement of purpose.

Thank you for considering my request, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you once again for your time.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Requesting a reference letter when applying for a professional license or certification

Requesting a reference letter when applying for a professional license or certification is slightly different from job or school applications. It often involves demonstrating that you have met certain professional standards or competencies, which your referee can attest to.

Here’s an example of how you might request such a reference letter:

Subject line: Need reference letter for [license/certification]

Dear [recipient’s name],

As you may recall, during my time at [company/organization], I had the opportunity to work closely with you in [describe the context of your relationship].

I am writing to let you know that I am currently in the process of applying for a [license/certification] in [field]. As part of the application process, I need to provide a reference letter from a professional in the field who can attest to my competencies and suitability for obtaining this license/certification. 

Given our working history and your extensive knowledge of my skills and experiences, I was hoping that you would be able to provide this reference letter for me.

The letter would need to discuss my professional skills, work ethic, and experiences in the context of the standards required for the [license/certification]. In particular, it might be helpful to focus on [mention specific skills or projects you worked on together]. 

The deadline for the application is [deadline], so it would be greatly appreciated if the letter could be completed a few days prior to this.

I have attached a document that outlines the competencies and professional standards associated with the [license/certification] for your reference.

If you need any additional information or if there’s anything else I can assist you within this process, please let me know.

Thank you in advance for considering my request and for your time. Your support would mean a great deal to me.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Seeking a reference from a coach or mentor 

Seeking a reference from a coach or mentor is similar to asking for one from a former employer or professor, but the emphasis might be more on personal development, work ethic, leadership skills, and growth rather than strictly academic or professional achievements. 

Here is a sample email you can customize: 

Subject line: Reference request for [your name]

Hello [coach/mentor’s name],

I am applying for a [job/college/internship/program] that requires a letter of reference, and I immediately thought of you. Given our time together, coupled with your guidance and mentorship, I believe you could provide a unique perspective on my capabilities.

The role I am applying for values skills and attributes such as [mention specific skills or qualities that are important, such as leadership, dedication, teamwork, resilience]. 

A letter from you highlighting these attributes and any significant improvements or accomplishments you’ve seen in me would be incredibly beneficial for my application.

If you’re comfortable with this and have the time, I would be grateful if the letter could be ready by [insert date].

I truly appreciate your consideration of my request. Thank you for your time and effort. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you need any more information from me.

Thank you once again for your support.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Asking a business partner for a professional reference

A reference from a business partner, aka testimonial or social proof, can also help you secure more sales and deals as it provides you with a competitive advantage over other competitors. 

The reference can detail your professional interactions, your referee’s relationship, and other accomplishments that can make you eye-worthy to your potential customer. 

Here is an example that can inspire you when crafting yours. 

Subject line: Request for a professional reference

Dear [business partner’s name],

As you know, we’ve had a successful collaboration over the past [time period], and I’ve been truly grateful for our partnership.

Currently, I am in the process of expanding our business and pursuing new opportunities. As part of this process, potential partners and clients often request references from business partners to better understand our capabilities, reliability, and the quality of our work.

Given our successful work together, I believe a reference from you would provide an invaluable perspective. I would truly appreciate it if you could write a brief letter or email outlining your experience working with me and our company. 

Some points you might touch upon include our professional interactions, the nature of our relationship, specific projects or accomplishments, and any other aspects of our partnership that stand out to you.

I understand that this is a request that requires your valuable time and effort, and I deeply appreciate your consideration. If it would be helpful, I’m more than willing to provide additional details or context.

Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need further information from me, and thank you in advance for your support.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Requesting a reference letter for renting a property

When renting a property, a reference letter from a previous landlord can provide valuable insight into your reliability as a tenant. 

This letter usually includes information about your behavior as a tenant, whether you paid your rent on time, and if you left the property in good condition.

Here’s an example of an email requesting a reference letter from a previous landlord:

Subject line: Request for a professional reference

Dear [business partner’s name],

As you know, we’ve had a successful collaboration over the past [time period], and I’ve been truly grateful for our partnership.

Currently, I am in the process of expanding our business and pursuing new opportunities. As part of this process, potential partners and clients often request references from business partners to better understand our capabilities, reliability, and the quality of our work.

Given our successful work together, I believe a reference from you would provide an invaluable perspective. I would truly appreciate it if you could write a brief letter or email outlining your experience working with me and our company. 

Some points you might touch upon include our professional interactions, the nature of our relationship, specific projects or accomplishments, and any other aspects of our partnership that stand out to you.

I understand that this is a request that requires your valuable time and effort, and I deeply appreciate your consideration. If it would be helpful, I’m more than willing to provide additional details or context.

Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need further information from me, and thank you in advance for your support.

Best regards,

[your name] 

[your signature]

Key takeaways

• A reference letter email attests to a person’s character, skills, and work experience.
• You can send a reference request email to your former or current employer, co-workers, professor or teachers, and former clients or customers. 
• When you’re writing your reference request email, ensure you’re polite, address the individual, go straight to the point, and get the timing right.
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