Professional Email Templates: 20+ Examples You Can Copy

A good email gets read, understood and answered. This hub gives you professional email templates you can copy, paste and adapt in seconds — for follow-ups, meeting requests, thank-you notes, job applications, resignations, payment reminders, cold outreach and customer apologies. Each one is a starting point, not a script: swap in the brackets, trim what you don’t need, and keep your own voice.

Before the templates, a short primer on what makes a professional email work — because the structure matters more than the exact words.

What makes a good professional email

The best business emails share the same skeleton. Master it once and every template below becomes easy to adapt.

• A specific subject line. Tell the reader what the email is about and, ideally, what you want. “Quick question about the March invoice” beats “Hello”.
• A proper greeting. Match the formality to the relationship: “Hi [Name],” for most, “Dear [Name],” for formal contexts.
• One clear purpose. Say why you’re writing in the first sentence or two. Don’t bury the point.
• Short paragraphs. Two or three sentences each. White space makes email scannable.
• An explicit ask. Tell the reader exactly what you need and by when. Ambiguity creates delay.
• A clean sign-off. “Best regards,” or “Thanks,” plus your name and, when relevant, your role and contact details.

Keep it brief. A professional email respects the reader’s time — most should fit on one screen without scrolling. For the bigger picture on writing email that performs, see our email marketing guide.

Follow-up templates

Gentle follow-up (no reply yet)

Subject: Following up: [topic]

Hi [Name],

I wanted to follow up on my note from [day] about [topic].
I know things get busy, so I'm bumping this to the top of
your inbox.

Is this something you'd be able to look at this week? Happy
to answer any questions.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Follow-up after a meeting

Subject: Thanks for your time today

Hi [Name],

Thanks for meeting earlier — I enjoyed the conversation about
[subject]. To recap the next steps:

- [Action 1] — [owner]
- [Action 2] — [owner]

I'll [your next action] by [date]. Let me know if I've missed
anything.

Best,
[Your name]

Meeting request templates

Requesting a meeting

Subject: 30 minutes to discuss [topic]?

Hi [Name],

I'd like to set up a short call to talk through [topic /
goal]. I think we can [benefit to them] in about 30 minutes.

Would [option A: day/time] or [option B: day/time] work for
you? I'm happy to adjust to your schedule.

Best regards,
[Your name]

Proposing an agenda

Subject: Agenda for our [day] call

Hi [Name],

Looking forward to our call on [day] at [time]. To keep it
focused, here's a quick agenda:

1. [Item one]
2. [Item two]
3. Next steps

If you'd like to add anything, just reply and I'll fit it in.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Thank-you templates

Thank-you after a meeting or interview

Subject: Thank you

Dear [Name],

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me about [topic /
role]. I especially appreciated [specific detail], and it
left me even more enthusiastic about [outcome].

Please don't hesitate to reach out if any further information
would be helpful.

Kind regards,
[Your name]

Thank-you for help or a referral

Subject: Really appreciate it

Hi [Name],

Just a quick note to say thank you for [what they did]. It
made a real difference, and I'm grateful you thought of me.

If I can ever return the favor, please let me know.

Best,
[Your name]

Job application templates

Application email with attachment

Subject: Application for [Job Title] — [Your Name]

Dear [Hiring Manager / Name],

I'm writing to apply for the [Job Title] position at
[Company]. With [X years / relevant experience] in [field],
I'm confident I could contribute to [team / goal].

A few highlights:
- [Achievement or skill 1]
- [Achievement or skill 2]

My CV and cover letter are attached. I'd welcome the chance
to discuss how I can help [Company].

Thank you for your consideration.

Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Phone] | [Email] | [Portfolio/LinkedIn]

Following up on an application

Subject: Following up: [Job Title] application

Dear [Name],

I recently applied for the [Job Title] role and wanted to
reiterate my strong interest. I'm excited about [specific
aspect of the company or role].

Please let me know if there's any further information I can
provide. I'd be glad to make myself available for a
conversation.

Kind regards,
[Your name]

Resignation templates

Standard resignation

Subject: Resignation — [Your Name]

Dear [Manager's Name],

Please accept this email as formal notice of my resignation
from my role as [Job Title] at [Company]. My last day will be
[date], in line with my [notice period].

I'm grateful for the opportunities I've had here and for the
support of the team. I'll do everything I can to ensure a
smooth handover before I leave.

Thank you for everything.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Brief resignation (warm)

Subject: My notice

Dear [Manager's Name],

I'm writing to let you know I've decided to move on, and my
last day will be [date]. This wasn't an easy decision —
I've valued my time on the team.

Happy to discuss the transition whenever works for you.

Best,
[Your name]

Client follow-up and payment reminder templates

Friendly payment reminder (before due date)

Subject: Reminder: invoice [#] due [date]

Hi [Name],

A quick, friendly reminder that invoice [#] for [amount /
project] is due on [date]. You can find it attached for
convenience.

If you have any questions about it, just let me know — happy
to help.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Overdue payment reminder

Subject: Invoice [#] — now past due

Hi [Name],

I wanted to flag that invoice [#], due on [date], is now
outstanding. I'm sure it's just an oversight.

Could you let me know when I can expect payment, or if
there's anything holding it up? I'm happy to resend the
invoice if useful.

Thanks for your help,
[Your name]

Client check-in

Subject: How's everything going with [project]?

Hi [Name],

Just checking in on [project / deliverable]. Is everything
working as expected on your side?

If there's anything you'd like to adjust or any way I can
help, I'm here.

Best,
[Your name]

Cold outreach and prospecting templates

A strong cold email is short, relevant and about them, not you. Lead with a reason you’re reaching out, offer something useful, and make the next step tiny.

Cold outreach (problem-led)

Subject: [specific result] for [their company]?

Hi [Name],

I noticed [specific, genuine observation about their
business]. We help [type of company] with [outcome] — for
example, [brief, credible example].

Would it be worth a quick 15-minute call to see if there's a
fit? If not, no worries at all.

Best,
[Your name]

Cold outreach (referral / mutual connection)

Subject: [Mutual contact] suggested I reach out

Hi [Name],

[Mutual contact] mentioned you're working on [topic] and
thought we should connect. I work with [type of company] on
[area], and I think there could be some useful overlap.

Open to a short call next week? Either way, glad to be
introduced.

Best,
[Your name]

Cold follow-up (no reply)

Subject: Re: [original subject]

Hi [Name],

I'll keep this short — just floating my last note back to the
top in case it slipped past. If [outcome] isn't a priority
right now, I completely understand and won't keep nudging.

Worth a quick chat?

Best,
[Your name]

Disclosure: some links are affiliate links; they don’t affect our recommendations. If you send cold or bulk outreach at scale, a dedicated sending platform like Brevo{.affiliate} helps you manage lists, opt-outs and deliverability properly.

Apology to a customer templates

When something goes wrong, acknowledge it plainly, take responsibility, and say what you’re doing about it. Avoid over-explaining or shifting blame.

Apology for a service issue

Subject: We're sorry about [issue]

Hi [Name],

I'm sorry for the trouble caused by [what happened]. That
isn't the experience we want you to have, and I take full
responsibility.

Here's what we're doing: [specific action / fix]. [If
relevant: here's how we'll make it right — refund, credit,
replacement.]

Thank you for your patience, and please reply directly to me
if anything is still not resolved.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Role]

Apology for a delay

Subject: Update on [order / project] — and an apology

Hi [Name],

I want to apologize for the delay with [order / project].
The new expected [delivery / completion] date is [date].

I understand this isn't ideal, and I appreciate your
patience. If this timing causes a problem on your end, let me
know and we'll find a solution together.

Best regards,
[Your name]

How to adapt these templates well

• Personalize the first line. A single specific detail signals a real human wrote this for them.
• Cut ruthlessly. Remove any sentence that doesn’t move the email toward its purpose.
• Make the ask unmissable. One clear request, ideally with a deadline or a simple choice.
• Match the formality. Loosen the language for warm contacts; tighten it for formal ones.
• Proofread the brackets. Nothing undermines a professional email like a stray [Name] left in place.

Used thoughtfully, these templates save time without making you sound like a robot. Keep a small library of your favorites, refine them as you learn what gets replies, and let the structure do the heavy lifting.

FAQ

How long should a professional email be?

As short as it can be while still being clear. Most professional emails fit on one screen — a greeting, one or two short paragraphs of context, an explicit ask, and a sign-off. If it’s getting long, consider whether a call or a document would serve better.

What’s the best subject line for a professional email?

A specific one that signals the topic and, ideally, the action needed. “Following up: March invoice” or “30 minutes to discuss the Q3 plan?” tell the reader exactly what to expect, which improves open and reply rates over vague lines like “Hi” or “Quick question”.

Should I use a formal or casual greeting?

Match the relationship. “Dear [Name],” suits formal or first contact and applications; “Hi [Name],” works for most ongoing professional relationships. When unsure, lean slightly more formal — it’s easier to warm up over time than to walk back over-familiarity.

How do I follow up without sounding pushy?

Keep it brief, assume good faith (“I know things get busy”), and give an easy out. One or two polite follow-ups spaced a few days apart is reasonable. Always restate the ask clearly so the reader can act without re-reading the original thread.