Email has changed our communication with our family, friends, and business associates. The powerful effect that it has on our personal and business lives is so strong that it requires us to use it wisely and carefully, particularly when we send that first Email to a recipient with whom we’re communicating for the first time.

Imagine that you’re replying to a classified ad by sending a letter with your resumè attached. Right after you click Send, you’re horrified to discover that your mail contained several embarrassing spelling and grammar errors. OK, so it was midnight and you were tired, but the bottom line is that the recipient of your Email doesn't know that, and tomorrow morning, frankly won't care.

There are plenty other examples of how to write Email messages that miss their targets and sometimes even achieve the opposite results than desired, all because of small, basic mistakes that could easily have been avoided. Here are some basic guidelines that will help you write effective Email messages to people with whom you’re communicating for the first time:

(1) An effective Subject line is one of the most important and ignored components of Email. Your

Subject line is your foot in the door―or your turnoff; it should arouse the recipient’s curiosity, yet not be “over the to”: Avoid exclamation marks or ALL CAPS (uppercase letters); don’t get deleted because you look like spam or junk mail. Use a brief and specific Subject line, i.e., “Job Offer - Logistics Director”. “Job Offer” isn’t enough: How do you know the company isn’t filling a dozen positions at once?

(2) Personalize your Email, yet don't overdo it. Greet your recipient by his or her last name (“Dear Mr.

Brown”) the first time you communicate with him or her; later, if s/he informs you that you’re welcome to call him

or her by her first name (“Please call me Joe”), you may address him or her thusly.

(3) Open by introducing yourself, then state the purpose of your Email and your goal, i.e., 'My name is

Mike Smith. I’m contacting you concerning your job offer. I would be an asset to the Acme team. Please find my

attached resumè.” Note the use of “the Acme team” instead of just “your company”.

(4) Be focused; state your most relevant and interesting information first. Before you start thinking of

how to write Email messages to others, remember: people are busy. Keep in mind that your recipients receives

lots of Emails and most likely will devote only few seconds to yours.

(5) Keep it brief. No one likes reading long Emails. Get straight to the point, and use short, easy-to-

read paragraphs 4-5 sentences long.

(6) Leave your contact details. Close by thanking the recipient for his or her time and gently prod for his

or her reciprocating action, i.e., “I look forward to hearing from you”.

(7) Compose a signature that gets automatically added to all your mail.

(8) Don’t rely on your Email program’s spell checker. Grammar or spelling mistakes can blow it for you:

Proofread it yourself, all the way through, making sure you’ve used proper punctuation, grammar, and spelling.

We recommend using online spell check and grammar software that automatically proofreads your Emails.