These Are the Best and Worst Ways to Start an Email

“Many people have strong feelings about what you do to their names and how you address them,” Barbara Pachter, a business-etiquette expert, tells Business Insider. “If you offend someone in the salutation, that person may not read any further. It may also affect that person’s opinion of you.”

We had Will Schwalbe, coauthor of “Send: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better,” and Pachter weigh in on a handful of common email greetings.

The perfect way to start an email will depend on whom you’re writing to, but in general, when you’re writing a business email to someone you don’t know well or at all, the experts say there’s one safe choice — and a bunch you should usually avoid:

Read more: 22 email-etiquette rules every professional should know

WINNER:

'Hi [name], ...'

If you want to make it a little more formal, you can always use the person's last name: "Hi Mrs. Smith, ..."

"The reason I like this one is that it's perfectly friendly and innocuous," says Schwalbe.

It's also Pachter's favorite. She says it's a safe and familiar way to address someone, whether you know them or not.

So when in doubt, go with "Hi."

GREETINGS TO AVOID IN MOST SITUATIONS:

'Hey!'

This is fine to use with your friends, but the very informal salutation should stay out of the workplace. It's not professional — especially if you're writing to someone you've never met, says Pachter.

Schwalbe agrees: "I can never get out of my head my grandmother's admonition 'Hey is for horses.'"

Also avoid "Hey there." It tells the person, "I don't know your name, but if I try to sound cool and casual, maybe you won't notice."

Read more: 21 unprofessional email habits that make everyone hate you

'Greetings, ...'

This is a good backup to "Hi, [name] ..." if you don't know the recipient's name. But you should always do whatever you can to find out that information.

'To whom it may concern, ...'

The recipient might think, "OK, this doesn’t concern me ... I don't need to continue reading."

It's also a cold and very impersonal way to start an email message.

'Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. [last name], ...'

The "Dear" family is tricky because it's not always terrible or wrong to use, but it can sometimes come off as a bit too formal.

'Dear [first name], ...'

Again, it's not the worst greeting in the world, but it's a little old-fashioned.

'Dear friend, ...'

"If you don't know my name, or can't be bothered to use it, we probably aren't friends," says Schwalbe.

'Dear [Job Title]'

Granted, addressing your email to the position your recipient is better than going with 'To whom it may concern, ...' — it shows that you put in some effort.

But it still reads as extremely generic. And if you're already putting in effort to figure out what the position of the person you're addressing is, you'd be better off going the extra step and figuring out who that person is. All it takes is a little more sleuthing.

Read more: The email habits of Tim Cook, Bill Gates, and 16 other successful people

'Dear Ma'am'