Subject lines, greetings and sign-offs
The small conventions that make a message look professional before it is read.
Readers decide whether to open and trust a message in the first second. Subject line, greeting and sign-off do most of that work, and they are the easiest marks to lose in a writing test.
Subject lines
- Say what the message is about and, if there is one, the action: "Refund processed: order 48213" or "Leave request: 6–7 November".
- Keep it under eight words. Mobile screens cut the rest.
- Never leave it blank or use "Hi" or "Urgent" alone.
Greetings
"Dear Ms Okafor," for customers and anyone you have not met. "Hi Daniel," for colleagues. Use the name they used to sign their message. If you do not know the name, "Dear customer," is better than "To whom it may concern".
Sign-offs
"Kind regards," or "Best regards," for customers; "Thanks," or "Best," for colleagues. Then your name, role and team on separate lines. Avoid "Cheers" and "Yours faithfully" in most business contexts; the first is too casual, the second too formal for email.
Formatting
- One blank line between paragraphs. No indentation.
- Bullet points for three or more items, not for a single sentence.
- Bold only for a date or amount the reader must not miss.
In the writing test, the greeting and sign-off are two of the checks. They take ten seconds and are never worth skipping.
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