Email Salutations: Ultimate Guide 2026 (100+ Examples)

Part 1: Understanding Email Salutations

What is an Email Salutation?

An email salutation is the opening phrase that greets your recipient before you deliver your message. It typically appears on its own line after the subject line and before the email body, serving as your first direct communication with the reader.

While many people confuse salutations with closings (like “Best regards” or “Sincerely”), this guide focuses specifically on opening greetings—the phrases that start your email conversation. Think of the salutation as the handshake of digital communication: it establishes tone, demonstrates respect, and sets expectations for the interaction ahead.

The anatomy of an email salutation usually includes three components: the greeting word (Hi, Hello, Dear), the recipient’s name or identifier (John, Ms. Smith, team), and punctuation (comma or exclamation point). Together, these elements communicate volumes about your relationship, intent, and professionalism.

The psychology behind greetings runs deeper than mere convention. Humans are hardwired to assess social hierarchies and relationships quickly. Your choice of greeting triggers immediate associations: formal greetings activate professional schemas in the recipient’s brain, while casual greetings signal familiarity and peer relationships. This cognitive priming affects how your entire message is interpreted.

Neuroscience research on first impressions shows that people form initial judgments in less than 100 milliseconds. In email, your salutation is often the first personalized element a recipient encounters, making it a critical component of that instant assessment. A mismatched greeting creates cognitive dissonance—if your greeting says “casual” but your request says “formal business transaction,” readers feel the disconnect even if they can’t articulate why.

Why Email Greetings Matter

The data on email salutations reveals patterns that every professional should know. Boomerang’s analysis of response rates found that certain greetings consistently outperform others:

Emails starting with “Hi” or “Hello” followed by a first name achieved response rates between 30-35%, significantly higher than generic greetings. These personalized, professionally neutral salutations strike the optimal balance between friendliness and formality.

Conversely, emails with no greeting at all saw response rates drop by 25% compared to those with appropriate salutations. Recipients perceived these messages as impersonal, spam-like, or disrespectful. Even a simple “Hi there” proved better than diving straight into your message.

Overly formal salutations like “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam” performed worst of all, with response rates 45% lower than personalized greetings. Modern professionals view these phrases as lazy, outdated, or indicative that the sender hasn’t bothered to research their recipient.

The stakes are higher in professional contexts. A survey by Grammarly found that 83% of professionals judge their colleagues’ competence based on writing quality, with greetings being a key signal. Wrong salutations don’t just reduce response rates—they damage your professional reputation.

For sales teams, the impact multiplies. When sending cold outreach at scale, even a 5% difference in response rate translates to significant pipeline changes. If you’re sending 1,000 emails per month, the difference between a 25% and 30% response rate means 50 additional conversations—potentially worth tens of thousands in revenue.

The professional perception extends beyond immediate recipients. Internal emails with inappropriate greetings can undermine your credibility with leadership. A too-casual greeting to an executive might suggest poor judgment, while an overly formal approach with peers can make you seem out of touch with company culture.

The Evolution of Email Salutations

Email greetings have transformed dramatically since the 1990s, reflecting broader shifts in workplace culture and communication norms. Understanding this evolution helps contextualize current best practices and anticipate future trends.

In the early days of business email, professionals borrowed directly from formal letter-writing conventions. “Dear Mr. Smith” and “To Whom It May Concern” dominated corporate correspondence. Email was viewed as simply a faster delivery method for traditional business letters, not a fundamentally different medium.

The late 1990s and early 2000s saw gradual casualization as email volume increased. Responding to dozens of messages daily made lengthy formal greetings feel burdensome. “Hi” and “Hello” began displacing “Dear” in many contexts, especially in internal communications and ongoing email threads.

The 2010s accelerated this trend dramatically. Tech companies, particularly Silicon Valley startups, championed informal communication as part of their cultural identity. “Hey” became acceptable in many business contexts. Even traditionally conservative industries like finance saw partners and senior executives signing emails with their first names only.

Cultural shifts toward flat hierarchies, remote work, and global teams further eroded rigid formality. When your “colleague” might be in Tokyo, Mumbai, or São Paulo, insisting on Anglo-American formal conventions seemed increasingly arbitrary. Gender-neutral salutations gained importance as workplaces embraced inclusivity.

Today’s email landscape reflects this evolution. Most business communications fall into the “professional but not overly formal” category. However—and this is crucial—formality hasn’t disappeared. It’s become contextual. The same person might use different salutations for their boss, their direct reports, their vendor, and their college friend, all on the same day.

Modern trends continue evolving. Emojis in greetings remain controversial but increasingly common in creative industries and casual contexts. Voice-to-text technology produces greetings with different patterns than typed emails. AI writing assistants suggest salutations based on context, potentially standardizing certain approaches.

The pandemic accelerated email communication changes. With Zoom fatigue and endless virtual meetings, people crave efficiency in written communication. Unnecessary formality feels wasteful. Yet simultaneously, the loss of in-person interaction made intentional relationship-building in emails more important, including thoughtful salutations.

Part 2: Types of Email Salutations

Formal Email Salutations

Formal greetings communicate respect, professionalism, and adherence to traditional business etiquette. While less common than in previous decades, specific situations demand formal salutations.

Dear [Name] remains the gold standard for formal email communication. Use it when writing to senior executives, government officials, professors, sending job applications, or initiating contact with potential clients in conservative industries.

Example: “Dear Ms. Rodriguez,” works perfectly for a first-time email to a potential client at a law firm or financial institution.

Greetings serves as a neutral formal option when you want professionalism without the old-fashioned feel of “Dear.” It works particularly well for group emails requiring formality.

Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening add time-specific formality, but require careful consideration of time zones.

To Whom It May Concern and Dear Sir or Madam are technically formal but practically obsolete. Better alternatives include “Dear Hiring Manager,” “Dear Customer Service Team,” or “Hello [Department Name] Team.”

Professional Neutral Salutations

This category represents the current mainstream of business email communication.

Hello [Name] stands as the safe, professional default. It works in virtually any business context and rarely offends.

Example: “Hello Jennifer,” works equally well whether Jennifer is a CEO, customer service representative, or potential business partner.

Hi [Name] represents the slightly more casual end of professional communication. It’s become the dominant greeting in modern business emails, particularly in tech, marketing, and creative industries.

Example: “Hi Marcus,” perfectly suits a follow-up email to a prospect you met at a conference.

Casual and Informal Salutations

Hey [Name] has crossed from personal into professional email in many industries, but requires careful judgment.

Hi there serves as a friendly alternative when you don’t have a name.

Group Email Greetings

Hi everyone and Hello everyone work well for team emails and group discussions.

Hello team and Hi team create cohesion and shared identity.

Hi [Name] and [Name] personalizes small group emails.

Gender-neutral group greetings are essential. Avoid “Hi guys” or “Ladies and gentlemen.” Stick with “everyone,” “team,” “all,” or “folks.”

Part 3: Choosing the Right Salutation

Factors to Consider

Selecting the appropriate email salutation requires analyzing multiple contextual factors: relationship with recipient, industry and company culture, purpose of email, and geographic and cultural context.

Salutations by Recipient Type

Bosses and supervisors require reading organizational culture and individual preferences.

Colleagues and peers typically warrant “Hi [First Name],” for most peer communication.

Clients and customers vary by role, seniority, and relationship stage. “Hello [First Name],” or “Hi [First Name],” strikes the right balance for first contact.

Cold outreach recipients: “Hi [First Name],” or “Hello [First Name],” work best.

For cold outreach at scale, tools like La Growth Machine help maintain personalization across email and LinkedIn channels. When sending personalized sequences to hundreds of prospects, automation ensures proper name insertion and consistent greetings across platforms.

Job applications demand formal greetings: “Dear Hiring Manager,” “Dear [Title] [Last Name],” or “Dear [Department] Team.”

Part 4: How to Address Recipients Correctly

Using Names Correctly

Getting your recipient’s name right is non-negotiable. Double-check spelling, especially for names with multiple common variants (Sara vs Sarah, Jon vs John).

Titles and Honorifics

Mr., Ms., Mx. represent standard titles. “Ms.” is the default for women in professional contexts. “Mx.” serves as a gender-neutral option.

Dr., Prof., Rev. should always be used when applicable.

Unknown Recipients

Alternatives to “To Whom It May Concern” include:

• “Dear Hiring Manager”
• “Hello [Department] Team”
• “Dear [Company Name] Support”

Research tactics: Check company website, LinkedIn, call the company, or check press releases.

Gender-Neutral Approaches

Use full names without titles when uncertain: “Hello Jordan Smith,” avoids the Mr./Ms. question entirely.

Part 5: Email Salutation Do’s and Don’ts

Common Mistakes

Misspelling names is the most damaging mistake.

Wrong gender assumptions create awkwardness.

Overly casual in formal situations reveals poor judgment.

Outdated phrases like “To Whom It May Concern” make you seem out of touch.

Punctuation errors: Use a comma after the greeting: “Hello Jennifer,”

Best Practices

Always use a greeting – data shows greetingless emails receive 25% lower response rates.

Match the recipient’s tone through mirroring.

Consider time zones when using time-specific greetings.

Proofread carefully before sending.

Personalize whenever possible – improves response rates by 20-35%.

Part 6: Advanced Email Communication Strategies

Email Follow-ups

Maintain consistent tone in follow-ups. If your first email started with “Hello Sarah,” don’t shift to “Hey Sarah” unless the relationship has changed.

Scaling Personalized Email Outreach

Automation without losing personal touch requires careful balance. Failed mail merge attempts like “Hi [FIRST_NAME],” immediately identify emails as automated spam.

Modern outreach platforms combine automation with personalization safeguards. When managing multi-channel campaigns across email and LinkedIn, tools like La Growth Machine ensure consistent appropriate greetings across platforms while maintaining personalization at scale.

A/B testing greetings provides valuable data on what works best for your specific audience.

Multi-Channel Communication Consistency

Professional communication spans email, LinkedIn, and other channels. Maintaining consistent greetings across these touchpoints at scale requires integrated tools.

Cultural Considerations

Global business demands awareness of different cultural norms. North American culture embraces casual communication; European and Asian cultures maintain formality longer. When uncertain, err toward formality.

Part 7: Industry-Specific Guidelines

Corporate/Finance: Maintain formal greetings longer.

Tech/Startups: Casual communication is normalized. “Hi [First Name],” works from first contact.

Healthcare: Professional titles matter. Always use “Dr.”

Legal: Conservative formality prevails.

Education: Formal greetings to professors.

Creative fields: Casual greetings are acceptable.

Part 8: Email Salutation Examples

Job Application:

“Dear Ms. Rodriguez, I’m writing to apply for the Marketing Manager position…”

Cold Sales Email:

“Hi Jennifer, I noticed your company recently expanded…”

Customer Service:

“Hello Customer Support Team, I’m experiencing an issue…”

Internal Team:

“Hi team, Quick update on the project…”

Client Proposal:

“Hello Marcus, Thank you for discussing your needs…”

Follow-up After Meeting:

“Hi Sarah, Great meeting you at the conference…”

Introduction Email:

“Hello Dr. Chen, My colleague suggested I reach out…”

Thank You Email:

“Hi Jennifer, Thank you for taking the time…”

Urgent Request:

“Hi Marcus, Need your quick input…”

New Client:

“Hello Ms. Williams, Welcome to [Company]…”

Re-engagement:

“Hi Sarah, We connected last year about…”

Complaint:

“Dear Customer Service, I’m writing to address…”

Networking:

“Hello Dr. Martinez, I’m researching [topic]…”

Announcement:

“Hi everyone, I’m excited to share…”

Vendor:

“Hello [First Name], I have questions about…”

Executive:

“Good morning Ms. Chen, I wanted to brief you…”

Peer Collaboration:

“Hi Jennifer and Marcus, Let’s coordinate…”

International:

“Dear Mr. Tanaka, Thank you for considering…”

Follow-up No Response:

“Hi Sarah, I know you’re busy, following up…”

Conclusion

Mastering email salutations pays dividends throughout your professional career. The right greeting opens doors, builds relationships, and communicates respect. The wrong one closes opportunities.

The principles are straightforward: personalize when possible, match recipient’s formality level, consider cultural context, and proofread. But application requires judgment, practice, and attention to evolving norms.

Modern professional communication extends beyond single emails to multi-channel sequences across email, LinkedIn, and other platforms. Maintaining consistent, appropriate greetings at scale requires strategic thinking and the right tools.

As workplace culture continues evolving, greeting conventions will keep changing. Stay attuned to shifts in your industry. Pay attention to how people greet you. Test different approaches and measure results.

Ultimately, your email greeting is your first impression, relationship signal, and professional calling card. Make it count.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is “Dear” too formal for modern business emails?

“Dear” remains appropriate for formal contexts like job applications, first contact with senior executives, academic correspondence, and conservative industries. However, it’s often unnecessary for routine business communication. “Hello [Name],” or “Hi [Name],” work better for most modern contexts.

Can I use “Hey” in a business email?

“Hey” works in casual workplace cultures after establishing rapport. Never use “Hey” for first contact or in conservative industries. Boomerang’s research shows “Hey” reduces response rates by 7% compared to “Hi.”

How do I address someone when I don’t know their gender?

Use their full name without gendered titles: “Hello Jordan Smith.” Check LinkedIn profiles for pronouns. Never guess at titles based on name assumptions.

Should I match my greeting to the recipient’s time zone?

Only use time-specific greetings when certain of recipient’s time zone. Otherwise, use time-neutral greetings like “Hello” or “Hi.”

What’s the best greeting for a group email?

“Hi everyone,” and “Hello team,” work well. Avoid gendered language. For small groups, list names: “Hi Jennifer, Marcus, and Sarah.”

Is it okay to skip the greeting in rapid email exchanges?

Yes, after 2-3 exchanges in the same thread on the same day. Always reintroduce greetings when starting new topics or after time gaps.

How do I handle email greetings when using automation?

Use personalization variables carefully and test thoroughly. Ensure fallback logic for missing data. Clean your data to avoid formatting issues. Modern outreach tools help prevent “Hi [FIRST_NAME]” errors.

Should cold emails use first or last names?

Cold emails generally perform best with first-name greetings: “Hi Jennifer,” outperforms “Dear Ms. Rodriguez,” in most North American contexts. Test both approaches with your audience.

How formal should I be with international clients?

Research cultural communication norms for recipient’s region. Generally err toward formality with international clients. Asian and European business cultures maintain formality longer than American culture.