How to start an email

The first sentence

How to start an email, how to begin an email, and how do you start an email are the same question: what does the reader see before they decide to keep going. Put the point in the first sentence. Name the ask or the news. Then give the context they need to answer. A greeting is one line ('Hello Ada,'). It is not the start of the content.

Email starters that hide the point ('I hope this email finds you well', then a paragraph of background) make the reader hunt. You can be polite in the greeting and still lead with the ask. The subject line should match the first sentence. If the subject says 'question' and the first line is a story, the email gets deferred.

Openings you can adapt

A request: 'I am writing to ask for a 15-minute call about the lab section change.' A follow-up on an application, which belongs next to your job tracker: 'I applied for the analyst role on September 12 and wanted to check whether you need anything else from me.' A note after a meeting: 'Thank you for the time today. The decision I wrote down is that we ship the filter on Friday, and I own the draft.' That last one should match your minutes.

Do not open with an apology unless you are actually late. 'Sorry to bother you' tells the reader the email is optional. If you are writing a partner, say who you are in the first sentence if they do not already know, then the reason. Close with the single next step and a date.

How to set it up

1. Write the ask in one sentence. If you cannot, you are not ready to send the email.
2. Make that sentence the first line and the subject. They should agree with each other.
3. Add only the context required to say yes or no. Dates, the role, the amount. Not your whole history.
4. End with one next step. A date you will do something, or the decision you need from them.