21 Great Opening Sentences for Any Type of Email

How often do you check your email during the day? How often do you find yourself having to write an email?

The answer to both those questions is probably “a lot”. Email is now a major way that people from all walks of life communicate.

A quick check of your inbox will probably yield several emails of different types that you have to respond to. There could be a nice friendly email from a family member, a quick reminder from a coworker, or maybe a quick one from a business you inquired with.

Just as there are many different types of email, there are also many different email opening greetings that you can use. Some responses, however, are more appropriate for certain situations than others. 

When beginning an email, you need to be mindful of the impression that you give. You don’t want to be too formal when answering a family member, for example, but neither informal in a professional email. 

To help you appropriately begin all the different emails you get, here are some good opening sentences for emails and some handy tips on when and with whom you should use them.

1. Hello/Hi 

When looking for email opening greetings, be it for a formal or informal message, you can’t go wrong with basically saying “hello”.

2. Greetings!

This is another way to say hello. This type of salutation isn’t usually heard in conversation anymore but it’s appropriate as an opening sentence for an email.

3. Dear…

Writing “Dear” and then the recipient’s name is the classic way to begin any written correspondence. This is still commonly used today and can be used as an email opening sentence. It’s rather formal and even “old-fashioned” however, so you might want to go with something more casual and warmer if you are writing an email to a friend.

If even greater formality is needed, you should add an honorific, like “sir” or “madam”.

4. To whom it may concern

This is another formal opening sentence that can be used for almost all forms of written correspondence, including emails. This is especially appropriate for professional emails.

This is also a good opening to use if you are making an inquiry or request from a business or establishment where you don’t have a specific contact person. For example, if a company’s website has an email address for inquiries but doesn’t name a contact person, just use this as an email opening sentence.

5. Good morning/afternoon/day

You can always open your email by using one of these greetings. Take note that these greetings are kind of time-sensitive, make sure you use to appropriate one. 

So, good morning if you are writing the email in the morning. Good afternoon if you are writing the email around 1 pm till around 5 pm. A good day is a good option to choose that is appropriate for an email that is written and sent during “business hours” or anytime there is daylight.

Take note, if an email is work or business-related, it is properly sent during business hours. Refrain from sending such emails during the evenings.

6. How are you?

You can always open your email by politely inquiring about someone’s state of being. As is often the case when “how are you” is uttered in conversation, “how are you” in an email is usually taken as just another way to politely greet someone and not really a request for a report on someone’s health.

7. I hope this email finds you well

This opening sentence is a variant of the greeting “I hope you are doing well” which is similar to “how are you”. It’s actually a pretty traditional way to begin a written correspondence but specifically tailored to the “modern” way of sending messages via the specific medium of the email.

You can also simply use “I hope you are doing well” as an opening sentence for an email.

8. I hope you are having a great week

This is another one of those opening sentences for emails that is a bit time-sensitive. It asks how someone is and conveys your good wishes. However, because of the phrase “a great week” it’s implied that you are sending the email in the middle of a workweek.

Try to use this email opening greeting on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.

9. I hope you enjoyed your weekend

If you are writing an email on a Monday, at the beginning of the week, this is a great email opening greeting.

It does three things, greets the sender, acknowledges the time the email is being sent, and conveys your good wishes.

10. I hope you’re having a good/wonderful day

This is one of those warm and cheerful email opening greetings that is appropriate to use at almost any time of the day. 

11. It’s great to hear from you

This is one of those email opening greetings that are appropriate to use when you are responding to an email that has been sent to you.

12. I’m eager to get your advice on. . .

This is a good opening sentence for an email that you are about to send a superior if you need some clarification or advice on a work-related matter. 

You can also use this if you are seeking to consult with an expert in a certain field. For example, if you are reaching out to a professor of history because you want to interview them for a project.

13. I’m reaching out about. . .

This email opening greeting is similar to “I’m eager to get your advice on”. You use this to start an email where you have a question about something and you believe the person your emailing is best qualified to give you an answer.

You can also use this to inquire about an item or a service that a business is offering. You open your email with this greeting then ask your question. For example, if you want to buy a bicycle but are unsure if what they are offering is a mountain or a road bike, you write “I’m reaching out about the bikes you offer. Do you have mountain bikes?”

14. Thanks for getting in touch

If you are responding to an email that someone sent, this is a good opening line. You can use this if, for example, you emailed a business asking a question and they responded to you but you have additional questions.

15. Thanks for the quick response

Similar to “thanks for getting in touch”, you can use this phrase if you emailed someone with an inquiry and they responded but you want to ask a follow-up question. It can also simply be used to acknowledge someone’s response.

16. Can you provide me with an update on. . .

This is an email opening greeting that is often used in a work or business setting. You can use it to ask a co-worker about their progress on a request you made. 

This opening phrase is also often used by persons in management or supervisorial position to ask a subordinate about their progress on a project that was assigned to them.

It can also be used by a customer following up with the delivery of an item or a service. For example, if you ordered a set of books from a certain store and you are wondering when you will receive them, you can say “Can you provide me with an update on when I can expect delivery?”

17. I’m checking in on. . .   

This is similar to “can you provide me with an update. . .” but is a little less formal. You are asking about the status of a project.

18. I’m getting back to you about. . .

If you are writing an email to someone because they emailed you first, you can use this opening sentence for emails. This is appropriate to use if you are responding to an emailed inquiry or question. You are writing them the email because you are prepared to answer their question,

19. Congratulations on. . .

One other reason that you might be writing someone an email is because you heard that they accomplished something and you want to congratulate them. This is the appropriate email opening greeting to use to start such an email.

20. I was just thinking about you

This is a warm and friendly way to begin a chatty email to a friend or beloved family member.

21. This made me think of you

If you want to share something with a friend via email, you can use this as your email opening sentence. You can say this to start then add what you want to share.

For example, if you ran into a nice photo of you and your best friend during an event, you can write this and attach the photo. Or if you read an article online that you know your sister would love, you write this and then copy and paste the link.