Business Email Openings: How to Start an Email

Making an Announcement

Please be advised that…(formal)

Please be aware that…(formal)

Please note that…(neutral)

We are pleased to announce…(for good news)

We are proud to announce…(for good news)

Effective immediately…

As of (date)…

Due to recent events…

As you know…(announcing something people are aware of)

We regret to announce…(for bad news)

Note that we can also start an announcement with an infinitive.

To address our issues with…To better serve our customers…

Making a Request

I am writing to request…(formal)

I am writing in reference to…(formal)

I am writing to inquire about…(formal— requesting information)

I would appreciate it if you could…(formal request)

I was wondering if you could…(formal request)

Do you think you might be able…? (formal request)

I am interested in finding out more about…(neutral — requesting information)

I would like to know if…(neutral— requesting information)

Do you think you could…? (neutral)

Would you please…? (neutral)

Could you please send…? (neutral)

Could you please…? (neutral)

Can you please…? (neutral)

Following up on a Conversation

As per our discussion…(formal)

Per our discussion…(formal)

In reference to our earlier conversation…(formal)

This is to confirm that…(confirming something the writer stated during a conversation)

As we discussed on (date/day)…(neutral-formal)

Regarding our conversation on (date/day)…(neutral-formal)

As I said on (date/day)…(informal)

Like I said on (date/day)…(informal)

Apologizing

Please accept our apologies for…(formal)

We would like to apologize for…(formal)

We sincerely apologize for…(formal)

I am deeply sorry for…(formal)

I’m sorry, but…(informal, used for minor transgressions — ex. I’m sorry, but I have to reschedule the meeting)

I’m afraid that…(used for minor transgressions or softening bad news)

Extending an Invitation

We would like to

cordially invite you to…(formal)

You are cordially invited to attend…(formal)

We would be delighted if you joined us…(formal)

We would like to invite you to…(neutral)

You are invited to attend…(neutral)

Note that for invitations to a well-known business contact, less formal language is acceptable.

Would you like to go…?

Any chance you’d like to…?

I’d like to invite you to…

Congratulating Someone

Congratulations on your…

Congratulations on being…

I was pleased to hear about…

I was happy to hear about…

Reminding Someone

Just a friendly reminder that…

Just a quick note to remind you about…

Just a brief reminder that…

Have you had a chance to…? (gently reminding someone to finish a task)

Just checking on the status of…(gently reminding someone to finish a task)

Delivering Bad News

We are sorry to inform you…

We regret to inform you…

We regret to announce…

Note that we can also use expressions with due to, after, and despite to communicate bad news.

Due to (reason) we are unable to…

After consulting with…,

After evaluating…

Despite our best efforts,…

Responding after a Delay

Please excuse the delay in responding to your last email…(formal)

I apologize for the delayed response. (formal)

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. (neutral-informal)

Requesting Payment

Our records show…

According to our records…

This is a reminder that…

Responding to a Complaint

Thanks for letting us know about…

Thank you for informing us about…

Thank you for sharing your experience with…

Thank you for taking the time to write to us…

Thank you for your email…

Note that many experts recommend starting these responses by thanking the customer. The actual apology usually comes later in the email. Some common expressions we use to apologize in response to a complaint include:

We’re sorry for any frustration this may have caused.

We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

We sincerely apologize for…

Acknowledgement

Thank you for your prompt reply…(formal)

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly…(neutral)

Thank you for the detailed response…(formal)

Thank you for your order of…(neutral)

Thank you for completing…(neutral)

This is to confirm that we have received…(neutral)

Thank you for your email…(neutral)

Business Email Closings: How to End an Email

Making an Announcement

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. (formal)

Should you have any questions, please contact me. (formal)

Should you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. (formal)

If you have any questions, please contact me. (neutral)

If you have any questions, please let me know. (neutral)

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. (neutral)

If you have any questions, please call us at…(neutral – email to external contact)

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. (neutral – email to external contact)

Thank you for your patience and understanding. (formal– announcing a delay)

Thank you for your understanding. (formal)

Thank you for your patience. (neutral – announcing a delay)

Thank you for your cooperation. (neutral – usually for announcements to many people)

Making a Request

Thank you for giving this request your consideration. (formal)

Thank you for your consideration. (formal)

I look forward to your reply. (formal)

I appreciate your assistance. (formal)

I appreciate your help. (neutral)

Thanks for your help. (neutral)

I look forward to hearing from you…(neutral– expecting a response from external contact)

I hope to hear from you soon. (neutral – expecting a response from external contact)

Thank you for your time. (formal)

Please contact me at your earliest convenience. (formal)

Thank you in advance for your prompt reply. (formal– to express urgency)

Please get back to me as soon as possible. (neutral– to express urgency)

Responding to a Request

Let me know if I can be of assistance in any way. (formal)

Let me know if there’s anything else I can do. (neutral)

Let me know if you need anything else on my end. (neutral)

Hope this helps. (neutral/informal, often used as a sign-off as well)

Apologizing/Responding to a Complaint

Once again, sincere apologies for…

Once again, we regret…

We apologize for the misunderstanding.

Extending an Invitation

I sincerely hope you can attend. (formal)

I hope you can attend. (neutral)

I hope to see you there. (neutral)

Requesting a Meeting

I look forward to meeting with you…(formal)

I hope to see you soon…(neutral)

Other Ways to End an Email

Thank you for your continued business. (formal email to a regular customer)

Thank you for choosing…(acknowledgement of an order)

Sign-offs

With some of the above expressions, an additional sign-off may be unnecessary. Most times,however, it is appropriate to include a sign-off as well. Below are some of the safest/most common.

Warm regards, (formal)

Best regards, (formal)

Best, (neutral)

Regards, (neutral)

Thank you, (neutral)

Thanks, (neutral)

Thanks again, (neutral)

Other sign-offs:

Have a great weekend. 

Have a great night.

Hope this helps.

See you tomorrow morning.

Keep up the good work. (from a supervisor to an employee)

Good job! (from a supervisor to an employee)

Describing your Job

I’m a (job)…

I work as a (job)…

I’m currently working as a (job)…

I just started at (company)…

I just started working as a (job)…

I’ve been with (company) since/for…

I’ve been a (job) since/for…

I work for (company).

I work in (field/industry)…

I’m self-employed.I own my own company.

I’m responsible for (+ ing)…

I ensure…

I deal with…

I manage…

I direct…

I supervise…

I oversee…

I advise…

I handle…

My role is….

My responsibilities include (+ing)…

I report to (person/people).

I work with/collaborate with (person/people).

Describing your Company

We’re based in (country/city)…

We’re located in (country/city)…

Our headquarters is in (country/city)…

The company was founded in (year)…

We’re in the _______ industry.

We produce/manufacture…

We sell…

We distribute…

We offer/provide…

We’re a multinational company.

We’re a local company.

We’re a small business.

We’re a start-up.

We have branches/subsidiaries/offices in (country).

We have (number) employees.

We’re a privately owned company/corporation/government organization/non-profit.

We do business with…

Our clients/customers include…

Questions for Asking about Someone’s Job/Company

What do you do for a living?

What do you do?

What company do you work for?

How long have you been with (company)?

How long have you been a (job)?

Have you always worked in (industry)?

Have you always worked as a (job)?

What did you do before that?

What does your company do?

When was the company founded?

Has the company been around for a while?