7 mistakes you shouldn’t make when writing an email

By adminDecember 2, 2024April 2, 2025

Time to Read:-words

An email needs to be well written to ensure clarity and effective communication, especially in professional environments. Check out the main mistakes you should avoid when writing an email .

Emails should be easy to understand. The message should leave no room for miscommunication, and it should be clear for the intended audience. Besides, inadequate selection of words, grammatical mistakes, and lack of structure also need to be avoided.

The receiver of such emails would appreciate that the writer cares about proper communication and does not wish to have a blame in their dialogue. Proper writing also enables professionalism as well as grows one’s reputation.

What shouldn’t you do when writing an email

So much has already been said about the need to actually devote time and care to writing an email. But what should be avoided at all costs? The following is a list of the principal errors that are made and which must be avoided.

1 – Failing to focus on the writing and punctuation.

Always remember that, you are not sending a message to a friend on WhatsApp; there are punctuation, structure and guidelines that must be adhered to and an email is quite a formal document. Some auto-correct applications may just come in handy.

The recommendation is to use Google every time you successfully pick the proper letter arrangement in a word. Words with hyphens require special focus since they typically lead to spelling errors.

You can also look for a synonym website so that you don’t repeat a certain word excessively.

2 – Writing more than necessary

Though some emails would necessitate elaborative and longer text, do not go to the extremes of writing everything in elaborative and monotonous way. Keep it brief as much as possible ‘long messages’ because can retain the audience and make communication, ineffective.

It is thus better to compose a straightforward and shorter emails as it is clear and directs the recipients attention to key issues. When you get rid of superfluous details and concentrate on the most important matters, you save the other person’s time and the chances of prompt reply become high.

3 – Failure to include a subject.

A subject line in an email indicates out the sphere of discussion one wants to embark on even before sending the email. This factor is significant since it makes it possible for the audience to read the email and determine how important it is and how urgently it needs to be addressed.

However, in absence of a definite subject, and with such an indefinite subject line, the recipient of the email may not even read the email, the sender will not be able to understand what is important, or even disk it as junk.

However, one must bear in mind the fact that a good subject gives you an edge over lost and future missed emails.

4 – Forgetting the greeting and farewell

Unless the email is quick and to someone you are close to and know well, it is essential to leave a greeting and a farewell.

These elements are essential for demonstrating courtesy and respect.

The first part of a message establishes positive contact through proper greetings which lead to professional farewell statements that close it appropriately.

The appropriate openings for formal emails include “Dear” or “Dearest” with corresponding closures such as “Sincerely” or “Best regards.” First and last interactions in informal exchanges use “Hello” with the conclusion “Best regards.”

5 – Not specifying the reason for contact

If you don’t introduce yourself and explain the reason why you are contacting him or her, it is likely that your reader will become confused and respond ineffectively or without helping at all. When writing, ensure that the intention of your communication is stated at the beginning of the message, if feasible.

This allows the other party to comprehend the relevance of any information contained in your text more quickly, thus enabling them to return the favor in an appropriate and timely manner.

6 – Emailing the reader at an inappropriate time

Resist the urge to send emails in the evening or during weekends which are inappropriate unless there is a real necessity. Emailing clients or customers after hours may be intrusive since the receiver interprets it as though their private space is being invaded, making them feel uneasy and pressured to reply quickly.

Also, the chances of these emails being read appear slim given how many emails any person gets in a single working day alone.

It is advisable to send email communications that are more likely to reach the attention of the recipients during working hours. In other words, which days are most likely to receive a response between 9 AM and 5 PM?

7 – Do not review

Proofreading your email helps ensure that all information is correct and that your message is clear and well-structured. Always double-check everything before hitting “send.”