When you’re emailing clients or prospects, you may begin with the traditional opener, “hope you are well.” It’s polite. It’s professional. But it’s also generic and doesn’t necessarily inspire the recipient to continue reading your note.

So, how can you make your email stand out while still conveying a professional tone? We’re sharing a few alternatives from the Proofed.com blog in this issue of PromoPro Daily. Read on for some considerations to keep in mind when varying your intro.

Consider your purpose. Why are you reaching out to a client or prospect? This can help guide the opening line you use. For example, you might say:

• “It was great to connect with you at the luncheon yesterday.”
• “I enjoyed your presentation at the breakout session.”
• “Thank you for getting me the information I needed so quickly.”

Show some consideration. If you know the other person is going through a busy time or experiencing challenges outside of work, acknowledge their situation in your verbiage. The Proofed post points out that if you say “hope you are well,” you may give the impression that you haven’t been paying attention to their situation. So, consider saying something like:

• “Hope your week is going better.”
• “How are you getting on?”
• “I’ve been thinking about you.”

Tie in the season. The weather is easy to talk about, but your client or prospect may not be experiencing the same kind of weather as you. So, use the season instead. Some suggestions from the Proofed blog include:

• “How are your holiday preparations coming along?”
• “I expect this is a busy time for you.”
• “I hope you enjoyed a relaxing holiday.”

Pay attention to the news. Think back to the beginning of the pandemic. You had to adapt your email intros and closings to reflect the changing situation. Showing that kind of awareness doesn’t have to be confined to pandemics, the post says. For example, you could say:

• “I hope you have not been badly affected by the snowstorm I read about in your city.”
• “I heard about the wildfires in your area and hope you are keeping safe.”

Make it personal. If you already have a rapport with the person you’re emailing, consider using more conversational language. For instance:

• “Hope all is well with you and the family.”
• “How’s life in the city?”
• “How was your trip to the mountains?”

If you usually begin your communication with “hope you are well,” try mixing up your language with the suggestions above. You just might see your email response rate improve as a result.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: The Proofed.com blog. Proofed helps business teams scale their content creation through proofreading and editing services.