The salutations we use to start an email affects the response rate, according to a recent analysis of 300,000 emails. While omitting a salutation on follow-up replies seems to be increasingly common, you are best off including an opening, at least in your initial email.
Source: Quartz, January 22, 2018.
Perhaps we should move past the era of formal salutations, as messages that struck a more informal, conversational tone from the start got more responses. Consider these suggestions:
- Always use an opening!
- If you’re writing an email where formality isn’t expected, start your message with “Hi,” “Hey,” or “Hello.”
INSIGHTS: The author references formality as likely to be cultural, so before you jump off the Dear Sir/Madame greetings, watch how emails come to you from your colleagues and customers.