When you email new customers or suppliers you want your message to be formal and professional.

You want to give them a good impression of your company.

There are 7 small changes you can make to your email to do this.

You can change some of the informal phrases to formal words:

1) Request

To ask for something.

• Informal: "I'm writing to ask for a chat about our new products."

• Formal: "I am writing to request a meeting with you to talk about our new line of coffee machines."

NOTE: I'm is informal and I am is formal.

2) Inform

To let you know about something.

• Informal: "I'm writing to let you know that our prices are going to increase."

• Formal: "I'm writing to inform you that our prices will be increasing from next Tuesday."

NOTE: the formal version of the sentence is always longer than the informal one.

3) Confirm

To let someone know something

• Informal: "I'm writing to let you know that your order has been placed."

• Formal: "I'm writing to confirm that your order, number 234, has now been placed in our system."

NOTE: A formal email will often contain more detail.

4) Obtain

To get something

• Informal: "I'm writing to ask for a copy of your recent catalogue."

• Formal: "I would like to obtain a copy of your catalogue, dated April 2026."

NOTE: "I would like to..." is a formal and very polite way to ask for something.

5) Contact

To get in touch with someone

• Informal: "I want to get in touch with someone about my order."

• Formal: "I am looking to contact someone about an order that was placed recently."

NOTE: "an order that was placed" is in the passive voice. We use this in formal emails instead of saying "an order that I placed."

6) Prefer

To want one thing instead of another

• Informal: "I want to see someone at your office and not talk to them over the phone."

• Formal: "I would prefer to meet your representative in person rather than conduct a phone conversation."

NOTE: using words like 'your representative' or 'your colleague' is more formal than just saying 'someone'.

7) Assure

To make a promise to someone.

• Informal: "I promise your order is going to be on time."

• Formal: "I assure you that the order you placed with us last Tuesday will be delivered on time."

NOTE: 'will be' is a more formal way of saying 'is going to be'.

With these modifications you can change an informal email into a more formal one.

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The lessons were completely adapted to tasks I have to do at work. 

Whenever she saw that I was struggling with something, extra attention was paid to it. 

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