100 Email Opening Lines, Phrases, and Sentences for Any Situation

"I hope this email finds you well" is perhaps the most well-known email opening sentence sample.

These starting words have found their way to your inbox likely too many times. And you probably use some version of the sentence yourself almost automatically when writing emails yourself.

There's, however, more than meets the eye when it comes to email opening phrases. "What opening line in an email means then?" you might ask.

The opening line –  also known as the opening phrase or opening sentence – is the beginning sentence of an email right after the greeting. This first line is essential for setting the tone of the email. It also helps you to catch your recipient's attention.

When deciding on the opening, the most important thing is to consider who's the recipient, what kind of relationship you have with them, and what you want to achieve with your message. You should also know that the email opening and closing phrases come in pairs – in other words, you should match how you start and end the email. 

It's good to have plenty of these phrases in your toolkit not to have to spend time thinking – or googling them – on the spot. In this blogpost, we use our combined experience of over 35 years of email writing, as part of over 150 email writing guides we've produced - to show you how to write opening lines that will make the best impression. And on top of that, we have compiled a list of the 100 best email opening lines.

These examples span across different categories such as formal, polite, professional, business, friendly. We also cover common types of mails such as cold, sales, and follow-up emails. Lastly, we have to throw a couple of curveballs with examples of informal and funny email opening phrases.

By the time you've read through this blog post, you should have a good opening line for any email right at your fingertips. So, instead of obsessing over how to start an email, enjoy these 100 samples and don't forget to try MailMaestro, our AI email writer.

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MailMaestro can help you draft a professional opening line email in a matter of seconds. One of our standout features is the Improve existing email option. You can input your draft and MailMaestro's AI email assistant will refine it, making it more professional, concise, and compelling.

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Formal email opening lines

Formal emails are the ones you send to your professors, government officials, and at times to businesses. They are characterized by accurate grammar, punctuation, and spelling and adhere to email format and etiquette.

Many of us don't need to send formal emails that often, but these are some of the most important occasions to get the formality for the opening sentence just right. Examples of these situations include when applying for a job or trying to conduct business or handle personal matters with officials and when trying to establish a connection with a company that you are not in business with yet.

Especially if the company is in an industry known to be formal and hierarchical. Below ee put together the best formal opening lines that will do the job in any such situation. So consider bookmarking this blog post for future reference.

1. I hope this email finds you well.
2. I hope your day so far has been pleasant.
3. I hope you are having a wonderful day.
4. Your prompt response is much appreciated.
5. I am writing to you in relation to...
6. Thank you for contacting us at <company name>
7. Further to our earlier exchange...
8. I am extending a hand for partnership…
9. Allow me to introduce myself.
10. It is great to hear from you.

Polite email openings

There are many shades of politeness, but when it comes to emails, you should try to come off as polite no matter what.

The best way to be safe than sorry is to try to put yourself in the recipient's shoes and try to think about how they perceive your message and its first phrase. Being respectful and considerate, however, doesn't have to mean being formal.

In fact, formalities can come off as stiff and make you seem uneasy to approach when not constituting an official or important occasion.

Our advice is not to get hung up on finding a polite opening to your emails. Just follow good manners and write like you wish to be addressed if the situation were the other way around. The best email opening sentences for polite emails include the following examples.

When in doubt, use one of these, and you can't go wrong.

1. I hope this email finds you well.
2. I hope your week has been great so far.
3. Good morning/afternoon/evening.
4. I hope your week started well.
5. Thank you for the timely response.
6. Thank you for getting in touch with...
7. I'd be eager to get your advice on...
8. I'm writing to...
9. Allow me to introduce myself briefly.
10. It's great to hear from you.

Professional email openings

Opening a professional email can be tricky. It's challenging to navigate various interpersonal relationships we all have at the office and with external stakeholders to land on the best way to open a professional email as the email's first sentence can be anything from formal to friendly.

One practical strategy is to use 'mirroring'.  It refers to matching your opening line (as well as other conventions and the language) with whatever the recipient has used in their previous conversation with you.

This is not always possible, and the rule of thumb is to err on the more side of things to start the email and new relationship on the right foot. Once you get to know the person, it becomes easier to adjust the tone of your emails accordingly, including just the right first words.

Here are some professional email opening sentence samples that will make the decision easier for you.

1. I hope this email finds you well.
2. I hope you are having a great week.
3. I hope you are having a great day.
4. Thank you for reaching out to us.
5. Thank you for the prompt response.
6. I could use your advice on...
7. I'm contacting you about…
8. To follow up on my previous email...
9. Allow me to briefly introduce myself.
10. It's is good to hear from you.

Opening sentences for business emails

How do I start a professional email for my business?

Well, the starting words of a business email give an ever-important first impression. Similarly, they are crucial for keeping existing customers, partners and vendors engaged.

Your approach to business email openings should follow the same rules and conventions as with other professional emails. However, business etiquette today is more liberal than it used to be.

This means you can take more liberties with the business email opening lines and phrases.

The expectation to this might be when you are in business with government or city officials. It's also good to note that business email etiquette differs from country to country.

So you should do your due diligence before embarking on a new business relationship with companies or people from different parts of the world.

You might be surprised by how formal some cultures are. As you'll soon notice, good business email opening lines are similar to what we covered in the last part.

However, you should pay close attention: something as small as using contractions can make a difference (and sometimes you're sending emails to multiple people).

1. I hope this email finds you well.
2. I hope you are having a great week.
3. I hope your day has been great.
4. Thank you for the quick response.
5. Thank you for getting in touch with...
6. I'm writing to inquire about...
7. I'm hoping to get your advice on...
8. I'm following up on my previous email on...
9. My name is… and I work for...
10. I'm glad to hear from you!

Friendly email opening lines

For many of us, the daily emails are all at the friendly end of the spectrum. Perhaps it's internal mail to a colleague or back and forth with a long-term client.

In these situations, it's good to relax a little while keeping things competent. However, it can be a delicate balance sometimes – especially with the opening phrases. While many workplaces are more casual these days, you should still keep professionalism front and center.

Friendly email opening lines move to a slightly more casual direction from the polite examples. These examples still pass the bar for any email correspondence with professional connections you have an existing relationship with. 

1. How are you?
2. Thanks for your help with...
3. I'm hoping to get your advice on...
4. It's great to hear from you!
5. This article/video made me think of you!
6. Thanks for reaching out.
7. Thanks for the quick response.
8. I loved your recent <social media post/blog post>!
9. It was great to meet/talk to you! 
10. I hope you enjoyed your holiday/day off!

Sales email opening lines

We are sorry to let you down; there's no silver bullet when it comes to opening phrases for sales emails. This is because there are so many different products or services to sell and prospects to approach.

Best sales email opening lines ​​lead with value, earn credibility, and intrigue interest to make a great first impression. Busy professionals in decision-making positions receive tons of sales emails. So you should also demonstrate that you've made an effort to get to know their business and are not about to waste their time. Writing email openers is a craft that sales professionals hone throughout their careers.

The good news is that practice also makes perfect with this skill. If you are just starting out in sales or looking for new inspiration, here are some email opening lines for sales.

1. I'm sure you've noticed <Competiror> has begun using <your product> – have you given a thought to the benefits of the <product category> to your business?
2. I really enjoyed your blog post on <topic> – we will start implementing the advice already this week. 
3. I know most of the companies in your industry struggle with <pain point>, I have an <idea/solution>
4. How are you working on achieving <business goal/KPI>?
5. Wouldn't it be great if you could <key outcome/improvement>? 
6. If this sounds like a great idea, then <your product> is exactly what you need.
7. How important would it be for your business to <achievement>?
8. You can quickly determine if this is relevant by reading the <word count> summary below:
9. I've been following your company and was wondering how you deal with <key challenge>.
10. We recently worked with <company in the same industry> and helped them do <results>.
    

Cold email opening lines

The opening line for a cold email has one – and only one – goal. To get the recipient to read whatever comes next.

It's the single most crucial part of the email structure right after the subject line. There are loads of tried and true approaches among the people who send lots of outreach emails. They include finding a commonality between you and the recipient, referring to a recent event in the career or business of the recipient, leading with a compliment, and intriguing their interest.

As good cold emails should always be personalized, finding the right opener requires learning the basics. After that, you can start to apply them to different situations and recipients. However, these examples represent some of the best cold email opening lines. They thus offer a great starting point for writing any cold outreach.

1. Just read your latest <blog> – loved the insights and hoping to apply some of your ideas soon!
2. Listened to you on <podcast>,  and I really enjoyed your takes on <topic>.
3. Congrats on the recent funding for <startup name>  –  you should be an exciting time ahead!
4. <Competitor 1>, <Competitor 2>, and <Competitor 3> have one thing in common. 
5. <Mutual connection> told me I should reach out to you because <reason>.
6. Saw you went to <school> – class of <year> here!
7. Are you having challenges with <strategy/tactic/process/KPI>? From my experience, it helps if you <learning>.
8. Just saw the case study you published with <customer> – it's incredible how you helped them to <results>.
9. Loved the <social media post> you shared yesterday on <topi> – immediately shared it to my team's Slack.
10. Did you know that the latest research shows that <interesting insight/statistic>?

Opening sentences for a follow-up email

The opening sentence in an email you sent as a follow-up on your previous email, meeting, call, or other communications should remind the recipient about you and the content of your last exchange.

Good opening email lines for a follow-up re-engage the recipient by providing value instead of just pushing the email on top of their emails. Although, at times, it's appropriate to give the person a gentle nudge with a friendly reminder.

There are many ways to start an opening sentence in an email, as there are emails to follow up on. Still, these samples offer phrases that everyone should have in their back pocket for different situations.

1. Just a quick follow-up to my previous email.
2. Did you already have time to review my previous email?
3. I'd like to add something to what we discussed earlier.
4. I wanted to float this back to the top of your inbox.
5. I know you get more emails than you have time to read, so thought to send a quick follow-up to my email in case it got buried in your inbox.
6. I know that you're probably very busy at the moment, but I  thought you wouldn't like to miss out on <purpose of the previous email>.
7. Would you be so kind as to provide an update on <topic of the previous email>
8. I wanted to circle back around to <topic of the previous email>
9. Although I haven't heard back from you, I'm convinced that <your proposition> would lead to great results for you.
10. Hope this doesn't sound weird, but I saw that you read my previous email and wanted to touch base with you about it.

Funny email opening lines

Good email starting lines are typically formal, professional, or friendly. But there's an exception to every rule.

When emailing to co-workers that you are so close with that reassemble more like a friend or family member than a colleague, hilarious email opening lines can be a great way to deepen the relationship further and lighten up the mood.

The power of humor at the workplace can lead to bonding, but remember that something funny to you isn't always funny to the recipient. So proceed with caution to make sure to adhere to email etiquette.

Find your inner comedian and lift the spirits in the workplace with these funny email opening sentence samples.

1. I hope the week was only mildly boring.
2. Just what you want: another email.
3. Happy Not-Monday!
4. I hope you're surviving another work week.
5. I promise this email isn't as long as the previous one.
6. Only <number> more days until Friday!
7. I hope your morning coffee was as strong as mine.
8. Sorry for sabotaging your inbox zero, but…
9. I promise that this is the last email you'll receive from me. This week.
10. Yep – you guessed right. It's me again.
    

Informal email opening sentences 

You've already learned that the most critical factor is considering the recipient when choosing the best starting sentence for your email.

The examples we've covered before have been workplace-appropriate. But let's make it very clear: informal email opening sentences should be reserved for your free time.

When communicating with our close ones the same rules and conventions do not apply. You shouldn't overthink the opening of an email for your friend or family member.

Here are some nice email opening sentences that you might have seen people using when they feel informal.

1. No opening sentence at all
2. Hope you good! 
3. How's it going?
4. Thanks for getting back.
5. Thanks for touching the base. 
6. Thanks for the help!
7. Could you help me with something?
8. Just checking in.
9. I meant to contact you about...
10. Nice hearing from you!
    

If you made it all the way here – congratulations!

You've now learned the 100 best email opening lines. With these opening phrases in your repertoire, we guarantee you won't be caught off guard with anything you need to send or reply to.

However, we realize it's impossible to internalize such a wide variety of email openers at once. That's why we suggest that you bookmark this blog post to reference these email opening sentence samples in the future.

While you are at it, why won't you share this article with your network and colleagues to receive better emails yourself?