14 Tips for Better Business Writing

By Clinton Courier | August 27, 2021 |

People sent more than three billion emails every day worldwide. In addition to email, we actively use messengers and social networks for business correspondence. And this speed creates new trends in communication. However, for business communication, email is still widely used and is not going to give up. Together with a writing service where you can buy case study online, we have collected the most relevant tips to make your business correspondence better.

Email Structure

Business emails are usually written according to a classic scheme:

addressing to the recipient;
an introductory part — a polite interest in the affairs of the addressee; on whose recommendation you write; the motive for writing;
the main part — a statement of the idea;
a conclusion — a suggestion of further actions; expression of hope for soon communication; gratitude;
farewell and signature.

How to Deal with Business Writing?

Because of the enormous number of messages we read and write every day, we may be more prone to embarrassing mistakes, which in turn can have serious professional consequences. To avoid them, it makes sense to learn the essential rules of modern email business rules:

Be sure to use a clear and concise subject line. People often decide whether or not to open an email based on its subject line, so choose one that lets the reader know you’re addressing their concerns or business issues. The more specific you are, the better. Include a few words about what the email is about; also, being specific helps prevent your email from getting caught in the spam filter. Examples of a good subject line are “Change of Friday meeting time,” “Quick question about your pitch,” or “Cooperation offer.”
Use a professional email address. If you work for a company, you should use a corporate email address that includes your first name, last name, and business name. If you use personal email, you should be doubly careful not to use addresses left from your high school days — yes, the very ones like “cuttiepie1995.” That’s unprofessional.
You have to know how to answer emails professionally, and that means using a professional email address. Keep it short and to the point. Get straight to your purpose for writing in the first sentence: “I’m following up on our meeting yesterday about X.” Then, move on to the details, such as what you need from them or any information they requested from you;
Include a signature block. Provide your reader with some information about yourself in an automated email signature that can include your name, title, company, and contact information. The signature can also include links to your social media or website but don’t include too much information, so it doesn’t look cramped. Use the same font, size, and color as the rest of your email. If you normally use a quote or slogan, you should evaluate how appropriate they are for business situations;
Don’t overuse exclamation marks. If you choose to use an exclamation mark, use only one to express excitement. If you get carried away and put several exclamation points at the end of sentences, the result may seem too emotional or immature;
Pay attention to the title, name, and gender of the recipient. For example, would you be able to tell who you’re dealing with if the person’s name is Alex Nickson? To get out of this situation with dignity, ask colleagues in advance, find the account of the person you are interested in on social networks, and try to find information about him or her. Confusing Mr. with Mrs. will embarrass you;
Be careful with humor. It is easy not to understand a joke in the correspondence without the right tone or facial expressions, so it is best not to use it in professional communications, especially if you don’t know the recipient very well. Also, what you think is funny may not seem so to someone else;
Be aware of cultural differences. Adapt your message to the recipient’s cultural background or how well you know them. For example, people from high-context cultures (Japanese, Arabic, or Chinese) will probably want to get to know you better first and will build more personal communication. On the other hand, people from low-context cultures (German, American, or Scandinavian) prefer to get to the point as quickly as possible;
Check every message. Remember that your mistakes will not go unnoticed, and depending on the recipient, they may judge both you and the company you represent. Don’t rely blindly on built-in spell-checkers, rather reread your email several times, preferably out loud, before you send it;
Avoid jargon. Jargon and business correspondence are not compatible. Even if you’re communicating with colleagues who understand the meaning of your message, the email can be forwarded to very different people and cause problems;
Keep the formatting standard. Your emails should be easy to read, so use a standard font size of 10 or 12 (Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman is best) and black;
Watch your tone. Just as humor gets lost, it is easy to misinterpret tone without context. Consequently, it is easy to appear harsher than you thought or would like. To avoid misunderstandings, read the message aloud before you click “send.” If it seems harsh to you, it will be the same for the reader. For best results, avoid explicitly negative words (“failure,” “wrong,” “neglected”) and always say “please” and “thank you.’
Keep it short. Simplify sentences, avoid complex constructions, piling up words. There’s no place for all that in business correspondence. The purpose you are aiming for is to get the information to the interlocutor as clearly as possible. Analyze the text and decide what it is that makes it difficult to understand the email, and then reduce the unnecessary;
Use lists. If you are interested in your business correspondence partner’s opinion on which of the alternatives should be chosen, offer him or her options in the form of a numbered list. This way, you can avoid a one-word answer that you don’t understand. For your opponent to give a quick and accurate answer, they should get a short and clear text message. It’s more convenient for them to say yes, no, or indicate the number of the option they like. In other cases, lists structure the text and help comprehension;
Remember that correspondence is not always private. Every email leaves its mark, so the basic rule is always to assume that others will see what you’ve written and act accordingly. So don’t write anything that you wouldn’t want to make public that could be devastating to you or others.