How to Write a Business Email With 10 Samples

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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: 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

• 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.