Business English Writing

Subject line

Your mail should include a subject line. This is what people see when they browse through their inbox and it is often the only clue people will get as to what the email is about. Make sure the subject line is meaningful and descriptive - don’t just put Hello. Messages without subject lines are also more likely to be identified and tagged as SPAM or deleted before being read by the recipient. If you are replying to a message but are changing the subject of the conversation, change the subject too - or better still, start a new message altogether.

Don't use the words URGENT or IMPORTANT in the subject line of an email – your recipient may have many such emails to deal with. If your message really is urgent or important email is not the correct communication method to be using in the first place; the telephone is probably better.