Anyone who gets a lot of emails is familiar with the classic “I hope you’re doing well” and its related family of phrases. It’s the email equivalent of small talk and is especially common when making an introduction over email. And like small talk, this phrase can get a little repetitive if you find yourself relying on it too often. Show Here’s a tip: Want to make sure your writing shines? Grammarly can check your spelling and save you from grammar and punctuation mistakes. It even proofreads your text, so your work is extra polished wherever you write. As an entrepreneur, editor, and PR professional, I estimate that I’ve sent at least 73,000 business emails over the past twenty years. (A rather conservative estimate, at that.) I’ve seen many an “I hope you’re doing well” cross my inbox. I’ve sent a few, too (we all do, from time to time!). Here are my five favorite alternatives to the ubiquitous greeting. 1 Nothing at allThe email app Boomerang conducted a data study and found that emails between seventy-five and one hundred words in length had the best response rates. Although the response rate diminished slowly after that, talk to any busy person and they’ll tell you they prefer emails that are brief and get straight to the point. Show that you value the recipient’s time by getting down to business right from the start. 2 Something personalIn my work as an editor, I’ve had people follow me on Twitter or Facebook, commenting on and sharing every article I publish. And, just when I think I’ve somehow earned a fan, I’ll get a letter from them asking me to accept a guest blog post or do some sort of cross-promotional content swap. I have to admit, I admire their dedication to getting to know me, even if it comes with an ulterior motive. And if they pitch something that reflects the knowledge they’ve gained about my style and the topics I care about, it’s more likely to be something I can use. If you’re writing a high-stakes email that needs to get results, it never hurts to do your homework. You don’t have to stalk someone on social media, but doing a little research can go a long way. Include a sentence or two at the opening of your email to show you’re familiar with the recipient’s work, like this: 80 Shades of Green last week! I’m sure it’s thrilling to have the product of your creative labors out in the world. There are a couple of caveats here. First, don’t use a personalized opener unless it actually relates to the topic you’re writing about. It would be awkward to congratulate someone on the publication of their recent novel if you were writing to offer them a deal on life insurance. (Unless maybe they write murder mysteries. There may be a hook there.) And also, don’t make your message too personal. Saying you read an article is one thing, but mentioning the beach vacation photos you saw on Instagram will come off as creepy. I love this opener. It, and the number of paragraphs in the email I see before me, tells me that the sender values my time and made an effort to keep things short and sweet. There’s just one rule with this opener—if you’re going to use it, you’d better actually be brief. Don’t promise to keep it brief and then go on for paragraph after paragraph. The sender may wonder whether you actually know the definition of brief. If you’ve met the recipient before, it never hurts to say so. Perhaps you connected briefly at a conference. Even if the recipient seems unlikely to remember, the fact that you did remember goes a long way toward establishing a rapport. Once again, this approach works best if your previous meeting is relevant to the topic at hand. If you met at a conference and exchanged words about marketing strategies, and you’re emailing now to ask the recipient to review your new app for marketers, you’re connecting the right dots. That won’t be the case, however, if you’ve only bumped into each other in a coffee shop and exchanged some small talk about the weather. If you really think a small talk opener fits your audience best, give it a whirl. But if you’re looking for an alternative to “I hope all is well,” or “I hope you’re doing well,” consider something a little more personal: The more familiar you are with the recipient, even if you know each other only through email exchanges, the better this works. In my opinion, the most important rule of email communication is this: don’t force it. If you’re trying too hard to be personable or clever, your recipient will almost always see through your attempts. When I write an email, even if it’s for a mass emailing campaign, I’m always thinking of my intended recipient and their persona. I smile as I write (seriously, it’s a little creepy) and write as though I’m having a face-to-face conversation with them. How do you professionally say I hope you are doing well?I hope this email finds you well. This alternative is more traditional than “hope you're doing well,” which makes it appropriate for a more formal setting. ... . Hope all is well. ... . I hope you're having a good week. ... . How are you doing? ... . Other variants on the phrase.. How do you ask someone to review a document?Please take a look and let me know what you think of this draft. I'd like to receive detailed feedback on this version of the document. I'd appreciate it if each of you can take a few minutes to review and comment on the report. What can I say instead of hope you are well?Some synonyms and near synonyms for I hope you're doing well include: I hope all is well. I hope this email finds you well. I hope you are having a good week. How do you say just checking in professionally?Alternative phrases to “just checking in”. Hope you're doing well!. Wanted to touch base with you.. Checking up on how things are going.. I thought I'd reach out and see how you're doing.. Dropping in to see if you need any assistance.. Making sure everything is going smoothly for you.. |
