Best Examples of Professional Email Greeting Examples (That Actually Work in 2025)

Real Examples of Professional Email Greeting Examples You Can Use Today

Let’s start with what you actually came for: real examples of professional email greeting examples you can drop straight into your messages.

Think of greetings as a sliding scale from formal to relaxed. Your goal is to land in the zone that matches your reader, your industry, and your purpose.

Here are several go‑to options, with context for when they work best.

Formal / Traditional greetings (for executives, government, legal, finance, or first contact when you’re unsure):

• “Dear Ms. Johnson,”
  Safe, respectful, and still widely used in corporate, academic, and government settings. Works well for job applications, proposals, or contacting someone much more senior.

• “Dear Dr. Martinez,”
  Use professional titles when they matter (doctors, professors, judges, military ranks). In academia and health care, skipping a title can come across as careless. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management and many universities still model this style in official correspondence.

• “Dear Hiring Manager,”
  Not perfect, but acceptable when you truly cannot find a name. Better: spend a few minutes on LinkedIn or the company site to locate the specific manager or recruiter.

Modern, professional-but-friendly greetings (for most business email in 2024–2025):

• “Hi Jordan,”
  The workhorse of modern business email. Professional, but not stiff. Fits internal emails, ongoing client relationships, and most B2B conversations.

• “Hello Taylor,”
  Slightly more formal than “Hi,” but still warm. Good for first-time outreach when “Dear” feels too old-fashioned for your industry.

• “Good morning, Alex,” / “Good afternoon, Priya,”
  Polite and time-aware. Works well for service roles, sales, and customer success. Just avoid guessing time zones; if unsure, skip the time and go with “Hi.”

Group and team greetings (when emailing more than one person):

• “Hi team,”
  Friendly and efficient for internal emails when you’re addressing your immediate group.

• “Hello everyone,”
  Great for cross-functional projects, larger groups, or when not everyone knows each other.

• “Good morning, all,”
  Slightly more formal, nice for leadership updates or company-wide announcements.

These are some of the best examples of professional email greeting examples because they balance clarity, respect, and a modern tone.

Best Examples of Professional Email Greeting Examples by Situation

Instead of memorizing one “perfect” line, it’s more helpful to have a few examples of professional email greeting examples ready for different scenarios.

Job Applications and Recruiter Outreach

When your email might be read by a hiring manager or recruiter, your greeting sets the tone for how serious and detail‑oriented you seem.

Stronger options:

• “Dear Ms. Patel,”
  Ideal when you know the person’s last name and are writing a cover email or following up on an application.

• “Hello Mr. Chen,”
  Slightly less formal than “Dear,” but still polished.

• “Hi Jordan,”
  Acceptable if the recruiter has already written to you using your first name or if the company’s culture is clearly casual (startups, creative agencies, some tech firms).

Real example of a full opening for a job email:

Subject: Product Manager Application – Referred by Dana Lee
Greeting: Dear Ms. Patel,
I’m writing to express my interest in the Product Manager role posted on your careers page. Dana Lee on your analytics team suggested I contact you directly.

This shows how examples of professional email greeting examples sit naturally inside a real message, instead of feeling bolted on.

Cold Outreach to a Prospect or New Contact

Cold emails are judged in seconds. Your greeting should feel respectful but not stiff.

Good options:

• “Hello Maria,”
  A safe default for first contact.

• “Hi David,”
  Works well in tech, marketing, and many B2B environments.

• “Good morning, Ms. Lopez,”
  Use if you’re reaching out to a senior executive or someone in a conservative industry like banking, insurance, or government.

Example of a cold outreach opening:

Hello Maria,
I came across your recent talk at the Austin Small Business Summit and was impressed by how your team scaled your online orders last year.

Notice how the greeting flows right into a specific, personalized first line. That combination makes even basic examples of professional email greeting examples feel thoughtful.

Internal Emails to Colleagues and Managers

Remote and hybrid work have made email a stand‑in for hallway conversations. Most teams now favor a relaxed, respectful tone.

For peers:

• “Hi Sam,”
  Simple and appropriate for almost every internal message.

• “Hey Chris,”
  Only if your team culture is very casual and you already have that rapport.

For managers or senior leaders:

• “Hi Morgan,”
  Works in most modern workplaces, especially if they sign their own emails with their first name.

• “Hello Ms. Rivera,”
  Better if your company is formal or you work in law, government, or traditional finance.

Example of an internal project email:

Hi Sam,
Quick update on the Q3 launch timeline below. Let me know if you’d like to review the draft with the marketing team this week.

Here, the greeting is short, but it still respects the relationship and context.

Customer Service and Client Support

Customer-facing roles often use email as the primary channel. The tone needs to be warm, professional, and clear.

Good greetings for support emails:

• “Hi Jamie,”
  Friendly and direct for one‑to‑one support.

• “Hello Alex,”
  Slightly more formal, good for financial or medical services.

• “Good afternoon, Mr. Harris,”
  Appropriate for sensitive situations where extra respect matters.

Example of a support reply:

Hi Jamie,
Thanks for reaching out about the billing error you noticed on your April statement. I’ve reviewed your account and here’s what I found.

Customer-facing teams in regulated industries (health, finance, government) often receive training on written communication. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends clear, plain language in public communication, which pairs perfectly with straightforward greetings like these.

How to Choose the Right Example of a Professional Email Greeting

You now have several examples of professional email greeting examples to work with. The next step is knowing which one to use in the moment.

Think about three things:

1. Your relationship to the recipient
If you’ve never met, lean more formal at first:

• First contact: “Hello Ms. Nguyen,” or “Hello Taylor,”
• After they reply with a casual tone: you can shift to “Hi Taylor,” in your next message.

2. The industry and culture
A law firm partner and a startup founder will expect different vibes.

• Conservative fields (law, government, academia, traditional finance): examples include “Dear Judge Ramirez,” “Dear Professor Allen,” or “Good morning, Ms. Carter,”
• Creative or tech environments: best examples here are “Hi Jordan,” or “Hello Casey,”

Many universities and organizations share style guides that show how they expect staff to write. For example, Harvard University’s public affairs guidance emphasizes clarity and professionalism, which aligns well with simple, respectful greetings.

3. The purpose and weight of the email
As the stakes go up, formality usually should go up a notch too.

• For a quick internal update: “Hi team,” is fine.
• For a formal complaint, legal matter, or contract negotiation: “Dear Mr. Thompson,” or “Dear Ms. Clark,” is safer.

Once you get a reply, mirror the tone and greeting they use. If they sign with their first name and greet you with “Hi,” you can usually follow their lead.

Examples Include What Not to Do in a Professional Email Greeting

Sometimes the best examples of professional email greeting examples are the ones you should avoid. Here are patterns that regularly backfire.

Overly casual or slangy:

• “Yo,”
• “Hey there!!!”
• “Sup,”

These might be fine with close friends, but they can sound unprofessional or immature in business, especially in writing where tone is easy to misread.

Too generic or impersonal:

• “To whom it may concern,”
• “Dear Sir or Madam,”

These feel outdated and lazy now, especially when it’s easier than ever to find a name on LinkedIn or the company website. Use them only when you truly cannot identify a person.

Potentially biased or inaccurate:

• Guessing gender from a name and writing “Dear Mr.…” or “Dear Ms.…” incorrectly.

If you’re not sure, skip the title and use the full name instead:

• “Hello Taylor Morgan,”

This is one of the best examples of professional email greeting examples for ambiguous names because it shows respect without making assumptions.

Missing greeting entirely:

Jumping straight into the body (“Send me the report.”) can come across as abrupt or rude, especially across cultures. Even a simple “Hi Alex,” softens the tone.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies often model careful, respectful written communication because they work with diverse audiences; that same mindset works well in your greetings.

Updating Your Greetings for 2024–2025: Trends to Know

Email hasn’t gone away; it’s just changed. A few trends are shaping how people use the examples of professional email greeting examples you’ve seen so far.

Shorter, friendlier intros
With chat tools like Slack and Teams everywhere, people expect email to be clear and to the point. Long, flowery openings feel dated. A concise greeting plus one human line (“Hope your week is going well”) is usually enough.

Greater sensitivity to inclusivity
More organizations emphasize inclusive language. That affects greetings in two ways:

• Avoid assuming gender or marital status from names.
• Use titles only when you’re sure and when they’re relevant.

When in doubt, first-name greetings like “Hello Jordan,” are safe and respectful.

Global teams and time zones
If you work across countries, “Good morning” can be wrong as often as it’s right. When you’re not sure, “Hi” or “Hello” travel better.

Hybrid work and email overload
People receive more email, not less. Clear subject lines and straightforward greetings are a kindness. They help the reader quickly understand who you are and why you’re writing.

FAQ: Examples of Professional Email Greeting Examples

Q: What are some quick examples of professional email greeting examples I can use every day?
A: Reliable daily options include “Hi [First Name],” “Hello [First Name],” and “Good morning, [First Name],” when you know their time zone. For groups, “Hi team,” and “Hello everyone,” work well.

Q: What is the best example of a greeting for a formal business email?
A: For formal messages, especially first contact, “Dear [Title] [Last Name],” is still the best example of a classic, professional greeting. For instance, “Dear Ms. Johnson,” or “Dear Dr. Lee,” shows respect and care.

Q: Are there examples of greetings I should never use in a professional email?
A: Avoid slang (“Yo,” “Sup”), overly casual phrases (“Hey!!!”), and outdated, generic lines like “To whom it may concern” when you could find a name. Also avoid guessing titles or genders when you’re unsure.

Q: Can I use first names in professional email greetings?
A: Yes. In 2024–2025, first-name greetings like “Hi Jordan,” are standard in many industries, especially after you’ve already exchanged messages. If you’re writing to a judge, senior government official, or professor, stick with their title unless they invite you to do otherwise.

Q: How do I write an example of a polite greeting when I don’t know the person’s name?
A: If you absolutely cannot find a name, try “Hello,” plus the role or team, such as “Hello Customer Support Team,” or “Hello Admissions Committee,”. It’s more modern and specific than “Dear Sir or Madam,” and still professional.

If you save a small set of these examples of professional email greeting examples as templates, you’ll never have to stare at a blank “To:” line again. Pick the formality level, plug in the name, and let the rest of your message do the heavy lifting.