1: Don't omit the subject line. Your email will have a lot of competition, and the recipient will often use the subject line to decide the order the emails are read. The subject line is the "hook" and needs to be compelling and pertinent to the subject matter not hello.

2: Change the header to correspond with the subject. If you reply to a sender but the email is on a different subject, it can be difficult for a recipient to find the relevant information when trawling through their inbox later on. Give them a hand by flagging up what each message is about.

3: Personalise your message. Email is informal but still needs a greeting. Messages without one may appear cold, impersonal and unprofessional.

4: Account for tone. When you are face-to-face with someone, 90 per cent of the message is non-verbal. Email, obviously, has no body language, so words need to be chosen carefully.

5: Check spelling and grammar. While informal, email is still a professional tool. Check it over before sending and don't rely on a spellchecker.

6: Don't write War and Peace. Email is meant to be brief if you need to go into fine detail, meet up or call.

7: Remember others may see your email. Once it has left your outbox, there is no guarantee where your email will end up. Don't use email to send anything you wouldn't happily see reproduced in a newspaper or newsletter.

8: Include a signature. Always finish with your name and add contact information such as a phone number. The easiest way is to create an automatic signature.

9: Don't expect an instant response. Email is not an interruption people check and deal with their messages when it suits them. If you need a quick response, phone instead.

10: Don't complete the To: line first: If you put the address in first, a slip of the finger or pressing enter too quickly can send the message before it's finished. Putting the address in last means you can check spelling, grammar, and that all attachments are present.