It probably happens about once a month. It was more when I was on staff, but it still makes the same enraging impact now.
Hi lovely…
Hi lovely? Ah, this relaxed, informal, matey greeting at the start of an email must mean it’s from one of my dear friends… But no! It’s actually from a PR. Someone I’ve never met before in my life.
Someone who doesn’t realise that I’m actually an angry freelance harridan who is getting less lovely with every email that begins with the words, Hi lovely.
If you are a junior PR who thinks this is the right way to start an email, you need to have a little word with yourself. And that word is STOP. You’re in a business environment, not the hairdressers.
I also wonder at the team leaders who have not made it clear to their juniors that unless you know a journalist extremely well, appropriate and professional language needs to be used in business-related emails.
Otherwise it denotes carelessness.
You give the impression that you’re casual about your work and your clients. And that will not bring you or your company any benefits in the short or long term.
So my advice, unless you know the person you’re writing to very well indeed, is always assume they’re not lovely.
