Looking for a Special Start to an Email? Avoid This Opener

Avoid the overused phrases and try these email starters instead. Getty Images Facebook Twitter LinkedIn In this story Root out clichés • Canned phrases don’t impress • Some alternatives • 

Other nonstarters

An email from someone I didn't know recently landed in my inbox.

It started, “I hope this finds you well.” I get this type of email introduction from people all the time, and it’s really annoying.

I considered responding, “Actually, I’m not well. Last week I had a medical procedure that went badly, and I ended up in the hospital. Want to hear more?” I thought better of that reply

because my wry humor also would not have made a good first impression.

Your first email to someone is all about making a positive initial encounter to avoid being sent to Windows' Recycle Bin or Apple’s Trash can. The first emails, created in August 1965, were

limited to a little more than 300 characters and spaces because disk space was scarce and expensive.

The previous paragraph almost hit that limit.

The contents of those first emails have been lost to history. But I’m willing to wager that they were more akin to the first phone call’s “Mr. Watson, come here” than “I hope you are

well.”

— Cheril Clarke, Phenomenal Writing consulting firm

I’m not the only one who finds these more modern email openers irritating. When Catharine Hamm was travel editor at the Los Angeles Times, she dreaded receiving those emails from prospective

contributors and their publicists.

“It is by God’s grace that I am well, but what if I weren’t?” she asked. “I’m sure I would be even more upset.”

Related: We All Have a Story to Tell

As an opener, “I hope you are well,” is benign. You could argue that the writer is trying to be polite. It's brief, not even approaching the old Twitter's original 140-character limit.

So why is that short sentence so irritating?

“These phrases have become the digital equivalent of a fake smile,” says founder Cheril Clarke of Phenomenal Writing, an Atlanta-based communications consulting firm. “They seem thoughtless

and autonomous. Most messages aren’t written with the recipient in mind, and this phrase reminds us of that. Worse, if someone truly isn’t doing well, this email feels disconnected and

self-serving.”

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Then what is an alternative?

“When crafting an email, every word counts,” whether you’re looking for a professional connection or a friendship, says Bethany Skorik, an etiquette coach and founder of the Charming

Diplomat based in Marinette, Wisconsin. An opening line should address the matter at hand.

Some examples from Skorik:

“I’m looking forward to working with you.” This expresses interest in future opportunities and sets the tone for a business collaboration.