The crucial etiquette rules to address multiple people in an email. The appropriate form to send a polite email and avoid embarrassment.

Address multiple people in an email: what it means

When we send an email to more than one recipient, we must adapt email etiquette to address multiple people in the correct form.

• How to adapt the email salutation.
• The appropriate order and form to address multiple people in an email.
• The mistakes to avoid.

When you send an email to multiple people, follow the etiquette rules to address them in the appropriate form to avoid offending or upsetting the recipients.

Address multiple people in an email: etiquette rules

1) Limit the number of recipients

It is good email etiquette to limit the number of recipients. Including too many recipients risks diluting the effectiveness of your email, as the recipients may question what is expected from them.

Try to include only the people that must receive the information that you are sharing. If you only need to notify someone but do not need action from them, keep them in cc. 

2) Do not address people in cc

When sending an email to one or more recipients in cc, it is not necessary to address them or include them in the salutation. It is most appropriate to salute only the recipient in the “to” field.

3) How to address 4 or more people in an email

When addressing only one person in an email, we should state the person’s name in the salutation. While, when we write an email to a group of 4 or more persons, it is best to use a common salutation.

At work, appropriate group salutations are “Dear team”, “Hello team”, or similar. “Dear all” works too, but it is considered more formal. 

When you are addressing a group of friends, it is perfectly acceptable to use an informal or playful group salutation.

4) How to address 2 or 3 persons in an email 

When addressing 2 or 3 persons in an email, it is appropriate to use either method. We can address the recipients by using a common salutation or by stating each person’s name. 

• “Dear Anna, Bill, and Carl”.
• “Good morning Anna and Bill”.

Another option is to salute each person individually. For example:

• Dear Anna, Dear Bill.

However, this method is rather formal. Thus, it can be appropriate on formal occasions, such as writing a business email to a formal client.

5) Address multiple email recipients in the appropriate order

It is good etiquette to address and salute the email recipients in the appropriate order. The method for ordering the recipients can vary, as long as it is clear to the recipients. For example:

• Seniority. From senior to junior. This is appropriate in a professional email.
• By team or family group.
• Alphabetical. From A to Z, either last name or first name.
• A combination of the options above. 

Until recently, it was polite to address female recipients before the male ones. However, nowadays it is no longer appropriate to order the email recipients by gender.

6) How to address multiple people when replying to an email

When replying to an email, it is appropriate to use a salutation in the first reply. After the first reply, it is no longer needed to keep including a salutation. Doing otherwise risks sounding too formal and even annoying to some.

Address multiple people in an email: the worst mistakes

The Rude Index identifies and ranks negative behaviors. 

A high score (8-10) means that the behavior has the potential to trigger a conflict with others. A medium score (4-7) means that the behavior risks making you look inelegant and unsophisticated. Read more about the Rude Index and its methodology here.  

Avoid the worst etiquette mistakes: 

• 6/10. Addressing the recipients in a too formal or too informal form.
• 4/10. Including a salutation after the first reply.
• 4/10. Addressing multiple people without an order.

Resources

• How to ensure responses to a group email: answers.microsoft.com