10 Best Alternatives to “I Hope This Email Finds You Well” (2023)

The opening to your email is important. It can dictate whether or not your reader will continue to read the email. Or whether or not the reader will consider the email SPAM or not. Opening with “I hope this email finds you well” can lack personalization and lack professionalism.

But why is this the case? And what are some alternatives that you can use instead? Let’s jump right into these questions that you have.

Why Your Email Greeting Is Important

The greeting to your email can dictate the entire tone for the reader. Because we are interpreting human tone or communication tone through text, the reader has to decipher what the email is about.

If you’re writing a professional email, professional letter, or even cover letter, you want to start your writing with something that’s going to make the reader feel as though you are speaking to them.

For some people, they opt to use “I hope this email finds you well.” That tone, unfortunately, indicates that the email may be a negative one. Is that the case? Is this a negative email? If it is, maybe decide to use an alternative so that the reader decides, even in the face of a negative email, that it’s worth it to respond to your requests in the email.

SPAM and This Phrase

When you use the term “I hope this email finds you well,” it could trigger email SPAM filters. Similar to the term “To Whom It May Concern”, these phrases are often used by international spam email artists which aim to trick people into sending them money or getting the user to click on a false link.

Because of that, email protocols like GMAIL or Microsoft Outlook have decided to check for these phrases and place them into SPAM folders and let the user decide whether or not it’s a valid email.

But for you, the sender of the email, this is unfortunate. You want your email to be read. And most likely, you want a response from the recipient.

To ensure that, try using some of the alternatives listed below instead.

10 Best Alternatives to “I Hope This Email Finds You Well”

Try using one of these professional alternatives to begin your email or greet your reader.

• Hi [Name]
• Dear Mr. Smith
• Good morning
• Good afternoon
• Good evening
• Hi all
• Hi there
• Email regarding [topic]
• Morning everyone
• Afternoon everyone
• Evening everyone

Any of these alternatives will be better than “I hope this email finds you well” — if you address a single person, it’s best to address them by their name. It will sound more formalized and could be best for your professional email.

In terms of best choices to go with, if you’re addressing someone in a professional email and it is a single audience (the email is only being sent to one person), use the following:

Dear Mr. Smith

If you’re addressing a group of people, a particular favorite is to use a greeting that indicates the time of day you sent the email. For example:

Good evening everyone

This is simply a nice way to start an email and will address the group without the need of having to address each recipient in the email thread.

What Scenarios Should You Never Use This Greeting For

There are a few scenarios where you should never use this greeting. The first would be if this scenarios is a cold email or an email introduction. If that’s the case, you should never use “I hope this email finds you well” or “I hope you are well.”

The second scenario is sending an email to a recruiter or future employer. You should absolutely try to personalize your email greeting so that it sounds friendly, personable, and shows interest in developing a business relationship.

What If I Don’t Want To Use A Greeting?

Not using a greeting is absolutely okay. In fact, for those with who you may already have a relationship or those with who you may have already corresponded in the past, no email greeting may be preferred.

By having no email greeting, you are saving the reader valuable time. And you are getting right into the meat of the message. If your email is less than 300 words, without a greeting, that is a healthy and communicative email.

If you feel like the email you’re sending may apply to some of these factors, skip your greeting altogether.

Don’t Forget Your Salutation

When you’re finished with your email, don’t forget to think about how you end your email as well. This can ensure that both your greeting and your solution or end to your email align. By having these two entrances and exits to your email message, you can help to mitigate any misinterpretation of the message you’re sending and ensure that the reader desires to respond to the requests that may have made in your message.

"I Hope This Email Finds You Well" FAQ

Common questions regarding business emails.

Why are email opening lines so important?

They're a great way to start the conversation. And act as "small talk" between you and the reader. This sets the tone for the entire email.

Should I used "I hope you had a great week" as one of my opening sentences or opening lines?

It's not a bad introduction for informal email correspondence. Use when you've already spoken to the person you're about to email at least once.

What about "I hope this letter finds you well"?

It is the same greeting as I hope this email finds you well. Ideally, you wouldn't use it when emailing a letter or writing a formal message of any kind.

Why is this such a bad greeting for formal communication?

It lacks professionalism and can potentially imply that you don't hope the email finds the person well.

Should I use this sentence when sending an email to a friend?

It lacks personality. If you don't love your friend, then sure, you can use it. But if you appreciate them, try something with more personality and customization.

What about "I hope you are in good health" as a greeting?

It's not great. I would avoid this.

What if I'm inquiring about a job? What greeting should I use to stand out in their inbox?

Use their name! Or the name of a mutual contact like one of their coworkers. This builds some immediate trust that your email is legitimate.

Should I start the email with a question?

It's still best to use their name, then ask them a question. Like, "Hey, didn't we run into each other on social media? I'm @hey on Twitter.

Additional Business Letter Resources

• Learn how to end a professional letter, business letter, or cover letter - How To End A Letter: Examples Of Salutations, Closings, Sign Offs
• Learn how to address a cover letter in a professional and effective manner - How to Address a Cover Letter and Find a Managers Name to Use
• Learn how to properly include your contact information on your resume or cover letter - Including Your Contact Information On A Resume Or Cover Letter
• Discover ten best alternatives to using the email greeting, "I hope this email finds you well" - 10 Best Alternatives to “I Hope This Email Finds You Well”
• Learn how to start a professional email and get 20+ examples to use by business scenario - 50 Ways to Start a Professional Email (By Scenario)
• Learn how to write a letter of interest that is short, impactful, and guarunteed to get your employer to open your resume - Writing a Letter of Interest by Email (+ Examples)
• Learn how to write a reference letter - 2 Reference Letter Examples and How to Write Yours

More Alternatives to Common Phrases

• Sincerely
• Hello Everyone
• Thank You For Your Consideration
• Thank You For Your Time
• Best Regards
• Warm Regards
• I Hope This Email Finds You Well
• Dear Sir or Madam