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Formality is hinted at throughout this document, but it was never explicitly called out.
Mirroring provides a good amount of depth on how to respond, but in the event that you've never communicated with the person before (aka The Perfect Cold Email) I haven't provided much depth behind formality.
It's a balance.
Not just in the figurative sense. The data tells us if you're sending an email it's best not to be to formal or too casual. You want to straddle the middle.
Being overly formal will make the other person feel as though you are either unsure and uncomfortable... or faking confidence. Meanwhile being overly casual will come across as disrespectful, curt, or crass.
How do you strike the balance?
<aside> 💡 Emojis: I'm personally pro-emoji, but please don't overuse them. It's like a nice spice to a dish. In the right situation it ads a perfect dash to a reply or a note. Miss the mark and it comes off as awkward. 🙃
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Do your research before you reach out.
Do they look a bit more old school? What industries have they worked in? How do they talk online? These can all give you killer clues on how formal vs. informal you can be.
A fun catch that I've found with this: The person works at a services company (ex. an ad agency). You'd think an ad agency is fairly informal, but you have to think about their personal backgrounds, company culture, and who they sell to.
If you client is in finance, your culture is going to reflect that. Your tone should take a more polished formal tone.
Again, Lavender can help. We track formality and point out which sentences have you off balance. If you need some extra resources on this, I included a quick guide below that covers the most common triggers.