Writing a friendly reminder can sometimes be tricky. You don't want to seem too pushy or impatient, but it's important to get your message across. Use a friendly tone in your email, greet kindly and don't use too harsh terms. Cover the necessary topics in your reminder email so that the recipient knows what you want. Make sure your email contains no errors so that you appear not only friendly, but also professional.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Striking a friendly tone
Step 1. Greet the recipient
In business situations you should use a standard salutation such as 'Dear Sir/Madam'. However, e-mails are also increasingly adopting a more personal tone. Some types of salutations in an email help you set a friendly tone from the start:
- Dear Jan
- Hi Jan
Step 2. State how you know the recipient
If you're just giving a reminder, your message may come across as a bit cold. Mention your personal connection to the recipient by saying something about your friendship and shared experiences. This can be:
- How are you?
- How is it going at school?
- Last weekend was very nice
- When was the last time we spoke, a month ago?
- That journey we took together was amazing! We need to do that again soon.
Step 3. Use gentle expressions
This is especially important for the "reminder" portion of the email. If it's been a while since you've interacted with the recipient, it may be appropriate to provide an apology or apology for not contacting the recipient until now because of the reminder. Some examples of gentle expressions are:
- I know it's been a while since we spoke, but I'd like to remind you of…
- It's been so hectic with the new baby so I haven't emailed you for a long time, but just wanted to remind you that…
- I know you've been busy, so I didn't mean to bother you, but I'd like to send you a reminder…
Step 4. Be polite
If the reminder email is important, it's easy to come across as too direct. Remember that the recipient also has things going on in his or her life. Don't forget to say "please" and "thank you" and to use equivalent expressions. You can use polite phrases such as:
- Sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to make sure…
- As soon as you have time I would like to receive an answer to this e-mail…
- Thank you for taking the time to reply to this reminder.
- I look forward to your reaction.
Part 2 of 3: Covering the necessary topics
Step 1. Use a subject line
You don't have to come up with a witty subject line. One that is clear and direct is the most helpful. This lets the recipient see the purpose of the email at a glance. Some common options for a friendly reminder email are:
- Just checking
- A reminder regarding…
- Upcoming trip/outing/etc.
- Number of participants for the trip/event/etc.
Step 2. Don't forget to mention the reminder itself
When you try your best to appear friendly and polite, it can be easy to forget something important, such as the memory itself. Give your reminder at the beginning of the email just after the salutation and short personal note. For example:
-
'Hi Ben, It's been a while since we've spoken. How are your wife and children? Mine keep me pretty busy, but I just wanted to check with you that…'
- 'Hi Grandma, I've wanted to send you a message for a while. Sorry, I've been very busy. I just wanted to remind you about our lunch date…'
Step 3. Be concise
In general, polite language has longer expressions. For example, the phrase "Work harder" is more polite than "It's a good idea if you work a little harder." Although polite, these long expressions make it difficult to understand the central message of your email.
Use a simple structure in your email. This could be something like: Salutation (opening) → Personal note about relationship → Reminder → Farewell greeting (closing)
Step 4. Remove any unnecessary information
With every sentence and every part of the sentence, ask yourself 'Is this necessary?' In some cases, "necessary" can mean "necessary so that my email doesn't come across as cold." Delete unnecessary pieces in the email.
In general, adverbs (such as "very," "really," "really," "extremely," and "definitely") can be removed to make your message more concise
Step 5. Close the email with a goodbye greeting
With a farewell greeting you say goodbye to someone. Farewell greetings include, for example, "Sincerely", "Sincerely", and "Best regards". After your farewell greeting, your signature follows. However, these general goodbyes can come across as impersonal. You can also try something like this:
- Your friend
- Greetings
- Best
- I wish you a nice day
- Tikkie, you're him
- I look forward to your reaction
Part 3 of 3: Making sure you have a flawless email
Step 1. Proofread your email
Even a quick scan of your email once or twice can pick up many simple errors that crept into it when you wrote it. After you're done composing, proofread your email for spelling mistakes and grammar.
- Many email providers have a free grammar and spell checker. The quality of this depends on your email provider. In some cases, these checks are not very accurate.
- Don't forget to check your subject line, your salutation, and your farewell greeting (closing). It's easy to forget these and focus only on the body of your email.
Step 2. Read your email out loud
If you're writing an important email, or want to be extra friendly or polite to someone, read your email out loud from start to finish. Does it sound like a normal conversation? If so, your email is ready to send.
Rewrite sentences or passages that sound awkward. Use common sense when evaluating this. This varies from person to person, depending on your speaking style
Step 3. Have someone else look at the email
For important communications, such as for business purposes, you may want someone else to look at the reminder before you send it. Writing a concise email takes little time and can help you spot even the smallest mistakes.
- Check your online messaging service. Send a message to an online friend asking something like "Hi, can you read this short email I have to send?" It only takes a minute.'
- Don't forget to show your gratitude to someone who checks your email. After all, they're doing you a favor.