When you’re first contacting someone, it’s better to be more formal than you need to be, just to be on the safe side. [1] X Research source Keep in mind that, although email is a casual form of communication, if you’re writing one in a business situation, it still should follow the format of a formal written letter.
You can also use “To Whom It May Concern” if the email is especially formal and you don’t know the person’s name. However, this greeting can be off-putting to some people.
For example, you could write, “My name is Jessica Hills, and I am the marketing director for XYZ Company. " You could also include how you know the person: “My name is Robert Smith, and I’m in your marketing class (Marketing 101 that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon). " If you already know the person and have written them before, you can use the first sentence as a greeting. For instance, you could say, “Thank you for getting back to me so quickly,” or “I hope you are doing well. "
For example, you could write, “I’m writing to ask for your assistance with a marketing problem,” or “I’m writing to you because I’m having trouble in class, and I was hoping you’d have suggestions for extra material I could read to help. "
