Whether blogging is your full-time gig or your 5-9 after your regular 9-5, it’s important to always appear professional to others in our industry. And since most of our contact is done via email, maintaining that professionalism via email is of the utmost importance. Running their own personal bloggers plus working here at The Blog Societies, co-founders Cathy and Jessica have seen it all when it comes to email etiquette and have compiled their own list of do’s and don’ts before you hit send on that next email message. So like we said, whether you’re blogging from your couch or a fancy office, here are 6 simple ways to always appear more professional via email.
How To Appear More Professional As A Blogger Via Email
1. Respond to emails in a timely manner, no matter what.
Even if you’re working a full-time job, you should set a goal to answer emails in a certain amount of time. A good tip if you aren’t able to answer within 24 hours, is to set up an auto-response that you received their message and that you will respond in X amount of days.
If you’re out of town, or just out of the office working on a big project, you should set up an out of office letting people know that you’re away from your computer and when you will return.
2. Don’t Say “Hey Girl”
When addressing recipients in your emails, be sure to NOT use terms like babe, hun, sweetheart, sweetie or “hey girl”. Just use their first name, it’s the most professional way to do it. If you don’t have their first name (at least TRY to search for it) just start the email with “hello” or “whom it may concern”.
3. Skip The Emojis!
Keep emojis for your texts with friends! Leave these out of professional emails with brands and your peers.
4. Skip the insane signatures.
There’s no need for a large graphic of your logo, or even a graphic of your actual signature at the bottom of an email. Instead just include a simple signature that includes your full name, blog, and email and call it a day.
5. Use a branded email.
Instead of signing up with Google and leaving @ gmail.com at the end of your email address it is smart to invest in the $10/month to have your blog name as the email address. You can then customize it with your first name. Like us at The Blog Societies, we have jessica@theblogsocieties.com and also a general one like info@theblogscoetieis.com This will not only make you look more professional but also make you look less spammy than having an @ gmail.com email. Plus, if you ever add an employee to your business (or an intern) you can then set them up with an email as well.
6. Keep it short and sweet.
Whether you’re writing a pitch email, a follow-up email or just sending over a collaboration recap, there’s no need to send emails that have paragraphs upon paragraphs. You can also download our FREE pitch templates in our Library (exclusive to Members!) here!
