What is the purpose of your email? Before writing an email, it’s important to know the reason why you’re writing the email. It’s easier to construct your message if you have the end goal in mind. It will set the mood, tone and other aspects of your message, which will determine the clarity of your email.

Whether you’re trying to set up an appointment or grow your network, always know the purpose of any email.

What is the subject? When you know why you need to send an email, next determine your subject to catch the attention of your reader from the get-go. If you have a referral source, feel free to include the referral in the subject line to give the email a sense of higher priority.

It’s important to note that you should only address time-sensitive issues by email when those emails are sent to specific people who regularly respond in a timely manner. (If something qualifies as urgent, don’t send your email to the sales department.)

In the event that you need to address multiple concerns in an email, you can include the number of items in the subject line that will be covered to get the reader’s attention.

What is the content? This is where you can start creating the draft, and include everything you want to convey. After the first draft is complete, review it so that you can make changes and highlight the most important topic(s) in your email. Did you get your point across in a business-focused tone? If not, you can always make revisions until the message is appropriate.

How do you close it? Don’t get too personal when closing your email. It’s acceptable to use a simple “Sincerely” or “Thank you” rather than a phrase like “Have a great day.”

Don’t forget to add in your contact information, including all the relevant hyperlinks related to your email. This makes it easier for the reader to get back to you and process your request.