How To Deal with the Salutation in an E-mail to a Prospective Client

Dear Jodee,

When I’m responding to freelance writing job ads, I don’t always have a contact name for the client. How do I handle the salutation?

Will Write for Money

Dear Money Writer,

E-mail is a little different from sending a letter by regular mail. People tend to be a little less formal when communicating in this manner. While that may be acceptable when you are sending a note to a friend or a family member, you will want to be more formal when you are communicating with a potential client.

If you have the name of a specific contact person, make sure that it is spelled correctly in the e-mail. (Copy and paste it into the body of the e-mail if you are concerned about being able to do so.)

In a situation where despite your best efforts you have been unable to find a specific name, then use a general greeting, like “Dear Sir or Madam.” You could even keep it really simple by using something like, “Good morning” or “Good afternoon.”

What should you avoid using as a salutation when you are sending an e-mail to a client?

Hey
Yo
How you doin’?
‘Sup

You get the idea. While the person you are making contact with may turn out to be a friend at some point, that is not the case yet. It’s better to err on the side of being a little too formal when sending an e-mail to a prospective client.

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Posted

January 19, 2011

Best of FWJ, Freelance Writing Advice Column

david

Tags:

Freelance Writing, freelance writing advice, freelance writing application, freelance writing e-mail

Comments

13 responses

Rob

January 20, 2011

Yo!
How’s that for a salutation? Not so great. Too formal, though, will make you sound like a non-native English speaker/writer. “Dear Sir/Madam” is like saying, “English is my second language but I’m trying to make you believe it’s not.”

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Jodee

January 20, 2011

Hey Rob! I understand your point but some people you may be corresponding with may be older or very traditional. “Dear Sirs” is a correct way to address a letter to a company but it comes across as sexist. Lately, I tend to go with Good morning or Good afternoon when sending an e-mail and I don’t know exactly who will be reading it.

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Hazel

January 20, 2011

I generally start emails with “Greetings:” if I don’t know a person’s name. It’s less time-sensitive.

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James Tennant

January 20, 2011

I always go in with Hello. Simple. Good morning or Good afternoon also works but Hello is about as basic and as neutral as it gets.

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Nan

January 20, 2011

Hello Jodee, Agree with you. Email to potential business contacts looks best when written in business style. What about the closing? Sincerely seems “too” traditonal to me. What’s an appropriate way to end email gig inquiry?

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Carol

January 20, 2011

I’m kind of old-school…because I’m kind of old(er)…but if I don’t know the person yet, I say, “Dear Mr. Smith.” I wait for them to tell me “call me Joe.” Or after they sign their reply email simply “Joe.”
If I can’t get a name, I write something like, “Dear Major Magazine editor”.
You’ll never be penalized for showing that respect, but you can turn people off by being too informal.

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Debra Stang

January 21, 2011

I’m never sure how to handle the dreaded salutation when I don’t have a name to use as a contact. I’ll usually just start the email with, “Hello,” and go from there.

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Jessica Mason

January 21, 2011

Thanks for this. This is one of those tiny issues I always struggle with. When you do have the name, should you always use Mr. or Ms. Lastname? What about Dear Firstname Lastname?

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Chris Van

January 21, 2011

I generally go with “Hello” as well, but I also been told this is too informal. I like the idea of “good morning” or “good afternoon,”
certainly something to try.

When in doubt I still think Dear Sir or Madam works best.

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1. James Tennant
  
  January 24, 2011
  
  Ending an email is always a tough one as well. I like “best regards” followed by my name and the link to my professional website. Again, can’t be penalised either way because its neutral and polite.
  
  Reply
  1. Nan
    
    February 11, 2011
    
    Thanks James Tennant. You validated what I believe is true. It is effective to close an email with courtesy and neutrality.
    
    Reply
Jerrick

March 24, 2011

formal or informal salutation is depend on the situation. Informal salutation mostly use in friendship or someone you know well. But when come to business purpose which may need to have record, than formal salutation is a need. Because if you use those kind of salutation to call someone, they may not honest to said that the email they do not receive and that email is not for him.

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Julia Alan

September 17, 2019

Generally I start with dear Sir/ madam.I think this is one of the honest way.

Reply