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Love More

Mar 14

Written By Jeff Shibasaki

Write emails that signal professionalism — with a capital “P”. Use this adaptable framework to craft clear, concise, and error-free business emails people will actually enjoy reading.

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Robot sitting at a desk with a laptop under a night sky while explaining the basics of professional business emails.

patchOS Love More card, an @ symbol tile about writing a smashing business email, and a man holding luggage saying he prefers text messages.

Robot explaining that email is still the main tool for communication, while a character asks how long a “jiffy” is.

Step 1 card introducing “Decide the tone” with a panel explaining how tone depends on the recipient and situation.

Formal email tone example showing two professionals looking at a phone and a robot explaining when to use formal tone.

Informal email tone example showing coworkers looking at a tablet and a robot explaining friendly internal communication.

Casual email tone example showing two people looking at a tablet and a robot explaining quick friendly messages.

Step 2 card “Add a salutation” with a panel explaining that greetings set the tone and an example message saying “Hi Kate”.

Examples of email salutations categorized into formal, informal, and casual greetings.

Email compose window showing a message draft while a robot suggests pressing Enter twice for a line break.

Step 3 card “Introduce yourself” with a panel explaining how to start with a short introduction or a friendly pleasantry.

Cards titled Introductions and Pleasantries with lists of best practices and example opening lines for emails.

Email compose window with a short introductory message while a robot suggests pressing Enter twice for a line break.

Step 4 card “State your purpose” with a panel explaining why clarity matters and a character announcing good news on a laptop..

Cards titled Reasons and Best practices with example phrases for clearly stating the purpose of an email and a “Power Boost” graphic.

Email compose window showing a message that clearly states the reason for emailing while a robot suggests a line break.

Step 5 card “Provide more detail” with a panel explaining how headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs help organize information.

“Do & don’t” card listing email writing tips and mistakes to avoid with a “Strong Signal” graphic.

Attachments card with examples of how to reference files in an email and a character realizing they forgot to attach a document.

Email compose window showing a message with bullet points and attachments while a robot suggests a line break.

Step 6 card “Close the message” with a panel explaining that clarity and warmth help encourage a reply.

Response expected card listing formal, informal, and casual phrases used when requesting a reply.

Response not expected card listing formal, informal, and casual phrases used when no reply is needed.

Email compose window showing a completed message closing while a robot suggests pressing Enter twice for spacing.

Step 7 card “Add a sign off” with a panel explaining how to choose a closing phrase that matches the tone of the email.

Sign-off examples organized into formal, informal, and casual closing phrases.

Email compose window showing a completed message with a closing sign-off while a robot suggests adding line breaks before the signature.

Step 8 card “Add your signature” with a panel explaining how signatures vary for formal and informal situations.

Signature best practices card with a robot explaining that a signature reinforces professionalism and credibility.

Signature examples showing formal, informal, and casual email signature formats.

Email compose window displaying a full email with a detailed professional signature block.

Step 9 card “Add a subject” with a panel explaining how to summarize the email using a short subject line.

Subject line best practices and examples showing short descriptive email subjects.

Email compose window showing a completed message with the subject line “Tokyo Visit – October”.

Step 10 card “Proofread” with a panel reminding writers to check spelling, grammar, and clarity before sending.

Robot suggesting the use of AI tools for proofreading alongside logos for ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grammarly.

Email compose window showing a completed message with subject line and signature ready to send.

Step 11 card “Add email address” with a panel explaining that the recipient’s address should be entered last to avoid sending too soon.

Email compose window showing the recipient email address added to the message.

Step 12 card “Send” with a panel explaining that many email services allow undoing a sent message for a few seconds.

Email compose window highlighting the send button while a robot prompts the user to click send.

Robot using a laptop under a night sky celebrating sending a professional email.

patchOS promotional card encouraging readers to reboot their habits with patchOS.

Keep coming back. You’re not alone. 🤓💪

Want help putting this into practice? Explore Patch Picks

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https://jeffshibasaki.com

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