Email Etiquette

When working in the communications field, it is impossible to avoid sending emails all day long. Some are to co-workers and can be more casual but others need to be professional for media outreach or to clients. It is very important to learn email etiquette now when emailing professors and potential employers and to carry the skills into future internship and job opportunities. Here are some things to keep in mind when sending emails.

Begin with a professional greeting

Saying “Hello” to “Hi” will work. Avoid “Hey” unless you’re emailing a close friend or have already established that tone with the person you’re emailing.  If you choose to include the person’s name, make sure you spell it right. There is nothing worse than spelling a person’s name wrong in the greeting especially when it is in their email address.

Get to the point

Many people to not have time to read five paragraph emails. If you are asking a question, just ask it. Be clear and concise. If you do have a longer email, be sure to split it up and have spaces between the paragraphs.

Create an email signature

An email signature allows you to share some information about yourself and avoid having to always type your contact information in the body of the email. In college, it is helpful to have your first and last name, school, major, important positions and contact information. As a public relations student, it is also appropriate to include social media handles and links to personal blogs or your LinkedIn page.

Please reply all

Always reply all to emails to make sure everyone is on the same page and avoid lack of communication. It is better to be overly informed than leave people out of the loop.

Never forget to proofread!

This is the most important part. Double check everything in your email from the spelling of someone’s name, any embedded links, dates and times. Proofreading your emails will avoid the embarrassing follow-up email with any corrections from the first email.

This blog post was written by PRowl Secretary Shaun Luberski. You can follow her on Twitter here.