You want to address more than one person in your email salutation. But what’s the best way to do this in your particular context?
Fret not! In this article, we’ll show you how to greet multiple recipients in a variety of circumstances.
Can I Address Multiple People in an Email?
It’s perfectly okay to address multiple people in an email.
In fact, this is often preferred in a busy work setting. After all, it’s far more efficient to get a message across to multiple parties in one go rather than reaching out to each person separately.
If an email is directed at multiple people and there is no main recipient, you can simply add each of their email addresses in the “To” area.
If your email is mainly for a specific person, but you believe it would be helpful for another person to also see the content of it, you can add the other person in the “CC” section.
This would ensure that they are sent a “carbon copy” of the email. In this instance, all recipients would be able to see who received a copy of the email.
Your next question may be how to address multiple people in an email without them knowing.
The “BCC” section stands for “blind carbon copy” and allows you to send a copy to an additional party secretly.
Therefore, you can use this option to conceal some of the recipients of your email from the main recipients.
So, we know that it’s normal for people to send an email to multiple recipients, especially in a professional context.
However, our next question is how one ought to greet the multiple recipients of an email at once.
Below, you’ll find a list of suitable ways to do just that!
9 Ways to Address Multiple People in an Email
Check out these 9 examples of how to address an email to multiple people:
- Dear All
- Hi Team
- Greetings Everyone
- Dear Colleagues
- Dear Students
- To My Fellow [Job Title]
- Dear Staff
- Dear [Name], [Name], and [Name]
- To Whom It May Concern
1. Dear All
The most common way to address multiple recipients in an office or school setting is Dear All.
This phrase is very suitable if you are sending out a general announcement email to the entire office.
The inclusion of “all” lets each recipient know that the information in this email is relevant to them regardless of their rank or department.
In addition, this phrase is suitably formal and professional for most, if not all, settings.
It is also very tonally neutral, meaning you can use it whether your email is purely informative or more serious in nature.
Have a look at how we’ve used this phrase in a sample email:
Dear All,
Due to maintenance in our IT department, you may experience some interruptions on our server.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Sincerely,
Louisa Fischer
2. Hi Team
Another way to start an email to multiple recipients is with the phrase Hi Team.
This phrase is a touch more informal and casual. Moreover, the use of “team” implies that your email is addressed to a smaller group of colleagues with whom you work closely.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be appropriate to use this greeting in a general email to your workplace or the student body at large.
However, it is perfectly appropriate to use this more casual salutation in an email to your department at work.
This phrase has a friendly tone, so you should only use it if you have developed a friendly rapport with each of the recipients.
For instance:
Hi Team,
I’m going on a supply run this afternoon.
Can anyone think of any additional materials we may need for the project?
Best,
Sally
3. Greetings Everyone
If you’re looking for a more formal greeting to include in an email to your employees or staff at work, a great option is Greetings Everyone.
This phrase is polite and professional but also exhibits an authoritative tone. This works well if you are the boss or a senior member of your organization.
In addition, the term “everyone” makes this salutation suitable across departments or even offices. Therefore, you can use it in an email that has a wide reach in your company.
Check out the email example below:
Greetings Everyone,
Please be reminded that our flexi-time scheme will be implemented as of next week.
Regards,
Maya Slate
4. Dear Colleagues
Dear Colleagues is another example of how to begin a formal email.
However, this alternative works best if your email is being addressed only to members of your team that are equal to you in rank.
In short, this phrase suits an email to your coworkers.
However, it uses a less casual tone than Hi Team, making it a better option if you don’t know all of the recipients particularly well.
Let’s see an email sample that includes this phrase:
Dear Colleagues,
Please see the attachment below for details about this week’s company event.
Regards,
Rosa Benitez
5. Dear Students
If you want to address a large group in an email, such as the student body of a college or university, you can use the most relevant title for that group.
In this case, the appropriate salutation would be Dear Students.
This phrase is most appropriate for an informative email letting students know about any events or happenings on campus.
However, this phrase is very versatile. Thus, you can use it when providing encouragement ahead of the exam period or to call for action from the student body.
In short, you can use this phrase as the dean, headmaster, or any other staff member at a school.
Therefore, let’s see it in an example:
Dear Students,
As the term comes to an end, I would like to wish each of you a splendid festive season and the best of luck for the January exams.
Sincerely,
Dean Lena Scheer
6. To My Fellow [Job Title]
To My Fellow [Job Title] is a polite email opening that you can use when reaching out to members of your industry or people in your department at work.
As this phrase includes the word “fellow,” this alternative would best suit a situation where you are addressing your equals.
After all, it would generally seem strange to address your boss or any superior as your “fellow.”
This phrase has a rather friendly and light tone. However, it still comes across as suitably professional in case you don’t know every recipient personally.
See the email example below:
To My Fellow Designers,
Our logo for the new launch has officially been approved by the client.
Great work, everyone!
Regards,
Nasim
7. Dear Staff
You can use the phrase Dear Staff when issuing an informative email to your workers at your office, business, or work site.
In other words, this salutation works best if you are the boss or manager at your organization and are addressing the people employed under you.
This phrase comes across as suitably formal, which helps to maintain professional boundaries in your workplace.
However, it is appropriately polite as well.
Therefore, let’s see this phrase in action in an email sample:
Dear Staff,
I have just been informed that a storm has been predicted for tomorrow afternoon.
We will be closing the site at noon in preparation.
Regards,
Gary Quinto
8. Dear [Name], [Name], and [Name]
If you want to address two people in an email, or even three or four, you can generally get away with setting out each of their names individually.
Once your number of recipients reaches five or more, it tends to be seen as a group email, and one of the other greetings on our list is probably a better option.
Nevertheless, let’s look at how you might address an email to three recipients with the salutation Dear [Name], [Name], and [Name]:
Dear June, Ayona, and Finn,
I have attached the minutes from our last meeting below for your consideration.
Kind regards,
Seth
9. To Whom It May Concern
You can use the formal phrase To Whom It May Concern when you want to address multiple people in an email or a letter.
However, it is also perfectly suitable to use this phrase if you think there is only one recipient.
Essentially, we use this phrase in formal correspondence when we do not know the name of the person who will be reading our email or letter.
Obviously, if we do not know who the precise recipient is, we also don’t know whether one or multiple people will look at our message.
Therefore, to whom it may concern is a safe option regardless of the number of recipients.
For example:
To Whom It May Concern,
I am a recent graduate from the Nevada School of Law, and I am interested in an apprenticeship at your firm.
Sincerely,
Jacob Waithe
