In the professional world, email is the most commonly used means of communication between employees and clients alike. Writing a clear, concise email is arguably one of the best skills you can build to strengthen relationships across the company, effectively communicate with clients and potential customers, and drive more engagement to your content, site, or product page.
There are dozens of business emails you can write over the course of your career. Whether you're following up on a previous purchase, sending a cold email to reach out to an influencer, or deploying product launch messaging, knowing how to write for each specific scenario is important.
Many people new to email marketing go online and search for business email examples to spark their interest and get their creative juices flowing. In this article, we've outlined 20 business email examples for you to take inspiration from and understand the format each one should follow.
What is a business email?
A business email is an email message that typically uses a professional tone and format and is exchanged between individuals or organizations to communicate a variety of messages. They can be used to communicate with clients, customers, suppliers, colleagues, and other stakeholders and are also used for tasks like sending inquiries, placing orders, scheduling meetings, providing updates, and exchanging important information related to your business.
A typical business email includes elements such as:
- A formal greeting
- A clear and concise message
- A professional closing
- An email signature, usually including the sender's contact information, the company name, address, phone number, and sometimes a link to book a meeting with them
Business emails are an essential communication tool in the corporate world and carry the right message to the right person with the right tone. You can send them as an initial cold email or craft an email sequence that'll nurture your loyal customers to see you as a trustworthy and worthwhile brand to invest in. An effective business email will look different based on what the purpose of the message is. Here are 20 different business email examples you may use.
This article is part of our Perfect Email series. Click here for a complete guide on how to write an email, templates for different types, and formatting tips to boost your engagement.
20 business email examples
When sending a business email, the structure and flow of your message matter. After all, communicating over email is completely different than delivering your message in person. Let's take a look at what each of these business email templates should look like.
Note: These are formal email formats for each type of email. If your brand voice allows, get creative and add more personality to each element. You can also A/B test subject lines and email content to see what really resonates with your customer base.
Professional introduction email
Subject line idea: Hi [recipient's first name]! Let's connect
Hi [recipient's first name],
Nice to meet you! My name is [your name] and I'm reaching out because I recently [reason you found them (came across their LinkedIn profile, saw their post, read an article they wrote, watched a webinar they hosted, etc.)]. It really resonated with me.
I was impressed by [aspect of their post, article, video, speech, an accomplishment they shared, etc.] and I wanted to introduce myself. I'm a [job title] at [your company], where we help our loyal customers address [business problem]. It seems like there's an opportunity for us to collaborate in the future. I'd love to exchange ideas and see if teaming up makes sense for both of us.
If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, let's put some time on the calendar for a quick chat and stay connected for future opportunities. Talk to you soon!
Thanks in advance,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Event follow-up email
Subject line idea: [recipient's first name]! Thanks for attending [event name]
[Recipient's first name],
Thank you for attending [event name] and making it a true success. I enjoyed speaking with you about [topic you talked about] and learned a lot about [what they taught you]. Your insight was incredibly valuable and I'd love to continue the conversation.
I'd love to keep sharing my learnings with you and hear yours as well. I'm sure we can continue to learn a lot from each other. Are you available this week for a short call or coffee meetup? The best times for me are [days and specific time frames you are available], but I'll happily accommodate you if your schedule is tight. Let me know what you think!
Talk soon,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
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Professional email appreciating the customer
Subject line idea: [recipient's first name], thanks for being such a great customer
Hi [recipient's first name],
I wanted to reach out and express how grateful we are to have you as a customer. Choosing [your product or service] means a lot to us, and we're so happy you're [finding success/enjoying the product or service]! Customers like you make [doing your field of work] so rewarding.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We take your feedback very seriously and want to make sure your experience is as easy as it can be.
Thanks again!
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Formal survey email
Subject line idea: We value your feedback. Share your thoughts so we can keep improving!
Hello [recipient's first name],
We appreciate your business and value your honest feedback on [your product or service]. Since you've had some time to test things out, we'd appreciate you filling out a short survey about your experience and how you think we can make [product or service] better in the future.
Click here to begin the survey [survey link or button]
Your answers will remain confidential and not be shared with anyone but our internal team. Your feedback is a crucial ingredient to help us continue to improve your experience.
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
ActiveCampaign has hundreds of integrations available, including survey integrations like SurveyMonkey, Survicate, Typeform, and more. Click here to learn more about our integrations and the things you can accomplish with each once integrated into your ActiveCampaign account.
Thank you email
Subject line idea: Thanks for all your help!
Hey [recipient's first name],
I wanted to thank you again for your help on [project, initiative, etc.]. Your insights and support over the last [time frame] have been invaluable and helped us to [achievement]. That's no small feat, and we couldn't have done it without you.
[Insert information about sending them a gift if applicable to the situation] We appreciate your collaboration and can't wait to see what comes of this! Thanks for being a great partner.
Best,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Thank you emails can be very personal emails and will look different for many different reasons. Maybe you're sending a thank you to a first-time client, a loyal customer, or a business owner you're working with. Make sure to tailor your emails to make sense for your specific use case.
Event invite email
Subject line idea: You're invited to [your event name]
[Recipient's first name],
You're hereby invited to [company]'s annual (if applicable) [event name]!
At [event name], we [succinctly describe the event, who attends, what happens, and what special guest speakers will be there].
We hope to see you there! If you can make it, consider sharing this post [sharable post to LinkedIn or another social media platform] to let your network know you'll be attending.
Click here to RSVP [button to sign up]
See you at [event name]!
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Guest post outreach email
Subject line idea: I'd like to write an article for your blog
Hi [recipient's first name],
I've been a fan of the [their company name] blog for a long time and have looked to your articles when in need of useful tips and relevant [industry] information. I'd love to contribute to the blog and write an article for you. If you're open to collaborating, I can adhere to your blog guidelines, style guide, and brand tone to really nail the essence of [their company].
Here are some of the articles I've written for other blogs:
[Insert link to article one]
[Insert link to article two]
[Insert link to article three]
If you're interested, I'd like to jump on a quick call to talk about how I can meet your blog's requirements. If needed, I can draft up an initial outline to get started. Let me know what you think!
Excited for our collaboration,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Affiliate partnership email
Subject line idea: We know your audience will love this
Hi [recipient's first name],
I'm reaching out to talk about a potential partnership between you and [your company]. I'm [your name], a [job title] from [your company], and a huge fan of your website/account/online presence. I love the products you review and the down-to-earth energy you bring to each post.
We have a product that would fit right in with your personal brand. It's the [give a description and short summary of product or service]. If this interests you, I'd love to get some time together and discuss how we can work together.
We'll send you a free sample of the product, and you'll earn a [number or percent] commission for every sale you help us make. Here's the link to our affiliate site that'll give you a bit more information on the process we follow.
We hope to hear back from you soon! Please let me know if you have any questions.
Talk soon,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Products/services pitch email
Subject line idea: I think I can help you out
Hey [recipient's first name],
My name is [your name] from [your company]. I'm a huge fan of your company and the work you do there. [Add more context on why you like the company and what they do that you admire]
I noticed that there's a gap I can help you fix. [Your company] is the perfect solution to help companies like yours [describe what your product or service can help them address]. If you want some real proof, take our customer's word!
[Insert a few snippets from real customer reviews or a relevant case study]
If this is something we can help you with, I'd love to set up some time for us to talk in more detail. Even giving me a thumbs up would be great. Once you respond, I can send you a calendar invite, and we can get the ball rolling.
Sound good? Let's do this,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, professional email address]
Client onboarding email
Subject line idea: Ready to get started? Open me
Hi [recipient's first name],
Thank you again for choosing us to help you [their problem/why they hired you or bought your service]. We're excited to get you started!
As promised, I put together a project plan on [preferred project planning tool they use]. When you have a second, please take a look at the pre-onboarding checklist I've included and fill it out before our next meeting on [next meeting date].
Once you've filled out the information, we'll refer to this project plan as our main source of truth for any updates or changes to your onboarding and introduction to the product. I'll also need login details for you and your team to create new accounts and access the tool. Once provided, I can send over invitations and get everyone inside the platform.
I'm looking forward to walking through the platform on [day]. If you have any questions beforehand, please don't hesitate to ask! I'm dedicated to making your experience as seamless as possible.
See you soon!
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Feedback request email
Subject line idea: Help us elevate your experience
[Recipient's first name],
We hope you're enjoying [product/service]. In order to continue improving, we're asking our customers for their honest feedback. Will you help us out and fill out this short feedback form?
[Include form link or button here]
Be as honest as possible, and if you have ideas you think will make our product/service better, please include those as well! We take our customer's feedback seriously and work to continuously improve your experience.
Thanks in advance,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Blog post promotion/link exchange email
Subject line idea: I loved your blog on [topic]
Hi [recipient's first name],
I hope you're well. I'm reaching out after reading your article on [topic] [include link] to tell you how well-written it was. I liked how you [include details or aspects of the blog you found most interesting and useful].
I wrote an article on [similar/adjacent topic] that I not only think you'll enjoy, but know your audience will find it useful as well. Would you consider linking to it in your article? I'd be happy to include a link to your article on [company] blog.
Let me know what you think!
Thanks in advance,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Lead magnet promotion email
Subject line idea: Our [lead magnet] can help you [address pain point]. Download now!
Hi [recipient's first name],
We know [little blurb on the challenges they may face and the pain points they run into]. This is why we created the [name of lead magnet]. This [type of lead magnet] includes [information included inside] and will help you [how it addresses their challenges].
Click here to download the [lead magnet name] completely free!
Plus, if you share it on [social platform of choice], we'll send you a [number or percentage] discount code valid through [date]. Share it now to learn [findings found inside the lead magnet] and grab yourself a little discount code while you're at it.
A win-win!
Thanks for downloading,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, professional business email address]
Lead magnet follow-up email
Email subject line idea: Don't miss out on our free [lead magnet type]
[Recipient's first name],
I noticed that you didn't download our [lead magnet name]. I really think you can get some value out of it, so I wanted to bump it back up to the top of your inbox.
Click here to download it for free (really) [link or button to download]
We hope you enjoy it!
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, professional business email address]
Re-engagement email
Email subject line idea: Yoo-hoo! Did we lose you?
Hey [recipient's first name],
I noticed that you haven't opened or read our emails in a while. That's okay. Everyone is busy these days.
But we wanted to reach out again because we're going through our email list and removing inactive subscribers. We don't want you to be removed if you don't want to be!
Click the link below if you're still there. We're ready for you to come back. In fact, we might even have a little gift for you if you reply.
Hoping you're doing well,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Product launch email
Subject line idea: It's finally here! Meet [product launch name]
Hi [recipient's first name],
We're excited to announce that we've officially rolled out [product name or feature inside platform]!
[Product or feature name] was designed to [blurb about what it'll help them achieve and why it's important now]. To learn a bit more, we've put together a blog post that details everything.
We've had our beta testers using it for months, and here's what they have to say:
[Include snippets and testimonials here]
Reach out to your [your company] representative if you have any questions. We also have live chat here [link] that will be able to answer your questions no matter the time of day.
Looking forward to you getting your hands on this!
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Discount offer email
Subject line idea: Don't miss out on your special discount inside
Hi [recipient's first name],
Thank you for being such a great customer of [company name]. We're able to do what we do because of people like you. As a thank you, we're sending along a discount coupon just for you!
Use this code [code] at checkout to get [discount %] off your next purchase. The code is good for all products on our site. Ready to shop now? Click here [insert or include button to site]
This discount is only valid through [date at end of the discount period] so act fast! Thank you again for your continued business. We appreciate it!
Thank you,
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, email address]
Newsletter email
Depending on how personalized your newsletter gets, this format may not entirely make sense for you. Some newsletters are a roundup of blog posts, industry news, and product news that companies send out to their customers on a regular basis. Some newsletters are more niche, containing tips and tricks for a specific field. Some are internal. Some are external.
Get creative and mold this business email template into something that'll work for your newsletter.
Subject line idea: [Newsletter title name] - [date]
[Recipient's first name]! We have your newsletter roundup.
Last week, we [include any product launches, feature updates, and content you sent out last week]
Here are the highlights from this week:
[Title of first article with link]
[Article description]
[Title of second article with link]
[Article description]
[Title of third article with link]
[Article description]
[Insert tips and tricks section, product highlights, company updates, upcoming features, etc.]
See you on [insert next time frame you'll send the newsletter]!
[Email signature: your name/team/company]
Podcast invite email
Subject line idea: Podcast opportunity - Let's talk!
Hi [recipient's first name],
I've had the pleasure of listening to your podcast [recent time (last night, last week, etc.)] and learned a lot about [topic they discussed]. I especially liked your view on [topic].
I run a podcast as well called [podcast title with link] and thought it would be beneficial to both of us to collaborate. Would you be interested in being interviewed by me about [topic]? We can find some time and talk through the general structure of the episode if it's something you're interested in.
I recently uploaded an episode about [relevant topic to the recipient] and interviewed [other guest]. Our conversation was incredible, and I feel ours would be the same.
Let me know what you think!
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, business email address]
Influencer outreach email
Subject line idea: We'd love to partner with you!
Hi [recipient's first name],
My name is [your name]. I'm a [job title] from [your company] and I wanted to send you a quick email about your content. I've been following you for [time frame] and admire the loyal following you've built over the years. I see how you share useful tips, tricks, and products and I thought this was a great opportunity for me to introduce myself.
At [your company], we [blurb of what your company makes, sells, produces]. We'd love for you to share [product or service and what it does (include product link)] with your audience. I'm sure your audience would love to see you talk about it.
Let me know if this is something you'd be interested in. We'll send you a sample of [product or service] and can help in brainstorming how you can introduce it to your audience.
Talk to you soon!
[Email signature: your name/company, phone number, business email address]
Business email best practices
Crafting a professional email is an invaluable skill when communicating with coworkers, employees, clients, your customer base, and potential clients. Cold emails are never very exciting to receive, so if you're reaching out for the first time, there are a few things you can do to make sure you get your point across.
You want to make sure you're writing a powerful message that has a clear goal for the reader to take action on. Here are some of the most important practices to incorporate into your business emails.
Write a powerful subject line
The subject line is the first thing your recipients will see.
Keep it casual and friendly but enticing enough that they'll want to click on it and see what you've got to say. It should grab attention and spark interest. What about your message is the most interesting aspect? Do you have a special offer? Is there a new feature you're introducing? Are you reaching out to suggest a collaboration?
Call these things out in the subject line. You only have so much room, so find a way to make the message short and powerful.
Need some inspiration? Try our free email subject line generator.
Want to recapture lapsed customers? Read our article on the best re-engagement email subject lines.
Personalize the email
Think of a time when you received an email you knew was sent to hundreds, maybe thousands of people.
They're not too engaging, right? Email blasts have their purpose, but if you're writing a business email, personalization can go a long way and make the recipient feel like you're talking to them, not their entire email list.
Note: As shown above, you can use personalization tags to use a recipient's first name, location, and other personal details. If you're sending an email to many people, ActiveCampaign can help you dig even deeper and build a relationship by personalizing more aspects of the email sequence.
The first step in personalizing your emails is to collect quality information from your recipients. A great example would be using ActiveCampaign forms. You can send a form to your email list and ask for additional information like their interests, what challenges they're facing, what topics they're interested in, etc. This gives you information you can add to their contact record inside ActiveCampaign and sort contacts based on specific things.
For example, let's say you own a candy shop. When you collect information on your email list, you'll know which customers like specific types of candy, and you'll be able to send them information and discount codes for that type.
When creating your forms, consider where your contacts are in the acquisition process. For example, someone simply signing up for your newsletter may be interested in your product but may not be willing to share a ton of information. For that reason, newsletter forms are generally short, requesting only the basic information.
Another way ActiveCampaign enables you to collect more data is site tracking. Site tracking enables you to see what your identified contacts are up to on your website. Once you’ve collected a contact’s information through a form or a link click in an email campaign, you can see what pages they visit the most frequently on your site, giving you insight into what they're interested in and what email communication would be most impactful to them.
Keep it short and provide value
This one's pretty easy. Keep your email short, or as concise as it can be given the circumstance, and have a clear objective. If you want them to download a lead magnet or click on a link to take them to a specific landing page, make that clear. The design of the email makes a difference. Including a button that stands out from the text will automatically draw the reader's eye toward it.
Leave out any irrelevant information altogether. If you have a lot to say, consider crafting a longer chain of emails you can slowly feed to that specific audience or, include a link to a blog post or landing page with more information. If they want to learn more, they'll click. But overall, try to keep your message short and sweet.
Segment your audience
If you're sending your email to multiple people or a group of people (let's say a newsletter or product launch email), you'll want to be sure you're sending it to the right people who are primed to take action. This is where you can use segmentation.
In ActiveCampaign, you can segment your audience into different groups and send different emails to each. By tracking things like click-through rate and email deliverability rate, you can tell which customers are engaged and which may need a bit of re-engagement to get them interested again.
By segmenting your email list, you can send emails to customers who are ready to receive them. The data collected on their contact record will help you know how far along they are in their customer journey so you can know what kinds of emails your team should craft in the first place. This not only improves your efficiency but elevates the customer experience and lets your customers know you care about them as an individual.
ActiveCampaign's library of 250+ business email templates
Using marketing automation software like ActiveCampaign, you can send many different types of professional business emails. (Not all, but a lot!) Automating your email process can save you time and energy, giving your team the bandwidth to focus on things like strategy and driving revenue.
Whether you're messaging a prospective client or a group of loyal customers, sending a blog post promotion email, or contacting an influencer to boost your brand's social proof, the key takeaway is that you can write and send a myriad of business emails using email automation software.
Ready to save time and energy?
Sign up for a free trial today (in the box to the right →) and start using ActiveCampaign's advanced marketing automation capabilities to send professional, stylish business emails today.
Inspired? Take a look at over 250+ email templates you'll be able to use.
