Do you know what I just spent way too long doing? Scrolling through all of my sent messages.

I realized two very important (and slightly embarrassing) things:

One: I send way too many emails. I mean way too many.

Two: I start nearly every single one with “I hope you’re doing well!” Seriously. Every. Single. One.

Has anyone ever been full of more hope than me?

Do you find yourself as stumped as I do? You’re in luck. I’ve rounded up 40 different email greetings you can use to kick start your message. Because, let’s face it—nobody actually means “Happy Monday!”

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Good afternoon

Good morning

How are you?

Hope this email finds you well

I hope you enjoyed your weekend

I hope you’re doing well

I hope you’re having a great week

I hope you’re having a wonderful day

It’s great to hear from you

I’m eager to get your advice on…

I’m reaching out about…

Thank you for your help

Thank you for the update

Thanks for getting in touch

Thanks for the quick response

Congratulations on [recent accomplishment]

How did [recent project] turn out?

I hope you enjoyed your [event or vacation]

I loved Your recent [photo/article/social media post]

I was just laughing the other day about [inside joke]

I was just thinking about you and [shared memory]

It was great to see you at [event]

This [article/video/GIF] made me think of you

[Mutual Contact] recommended I get in touch with you

Happy “Not Monday”

Hello from the other side

Here’s the good news: Only [number] more days until Friday

Hope you’re surviving another workweek

I hope you’ve had your coffee already

It’s me again

I’ll keep this short

I’m sorry if this Message sabotaged “inbox zero” for you

Just what you want: another email!

It’s important to keep in mind that not all of these opening lines will be appropriate for every email you send. An important client or your boss, for example, will probably require something from the “formal” category. But, a close colleague or long-time friend? Well, he or she might get a kick out of a funny greeting that strays from the tried and true standards.

At any rate, there’s no need to follow in my footsteps and begin every single one of your messages with the same greeting. Now that I have this list pulled together, you can bet I’ll be using it as inspiration for all of my emails—and, I think you should too.