Business Email Etiquette

• Have a precise, clear Subject Line




You must have a clear subject line that immediately tells the recipient what the email is about.

Instead of writing, ‘Question about today’s meeting’, write ‘Is it possible to change the time for today’s meeting’?

This is very important for good business email etiquette.


• Use To: correctly.


In the To: line, include only those who need to respond to the email, or are directly involved in some way.

Include others who just need to be informed in CC:

This tells your recipients which emails should be read quickly because they require an action, and which can be read later as they are just for information.


• Remove previous email messages when replying.


An email can go to and fro a number of times before it is resolved. And with each reply, the email gets bigger, and messier.

Keep the email short by deleting previous messages that are irrelevant.


• Limit the number of recipients.


Emails eat up a lot of time.

Follow good business email etiquette by sending the email to those, and only those, who really need to know about it.


• Keep the formatting to a bare minimal.


This makes sure your email is readable for everyone.


• Avoid using Capital letters.


A business email must come across as professional.

It is very poor etiquette to use all capital letters because it implies that you are shouting.


• Make the email short, and succinct.



• Be careful when forwarding


This is especially important for a business email.

Before forwarding am email, you should be sure that the original sender does not have an objection.


• Mind your language


Make sure you choose your words carefully. Don’t respond to an email in haste, especially if you are angry about something.

Write the email, and save it. Come back to it later when you have had time to think about what you want to say.


• Remember that emails are permanent.


Emails seem casual, but they can be permanently stored. Do not include information that may cause you embarrassment, or create problems later.