Email Salutations That Boost Deliverability in 2025

Your email's first few words can decide its fate—will it land in the inbox, or be doomed to spam? Understanding email salutations that boost deliverability isn’t just about politeness; it’s about sender reputation, tone, and trust. In today’s post-spam-filter era, how you greet your reader could mean the difference between engagement and oblivion.

In this guide, we’ll explore the art and science behind effective salutations. Whether you're sending cold outreach, professional updates, or promotional emails, these email greeting etiquette insights—straight from Mailkarma’s playbook—will help you reach the inbox more often.

Why Email Salutations Matter in Deliverability

First Impressions Count—Even in Cold Emails

That first line of your email? It’s prime real estate.

Think about how you feel when you open an email that begins with “Hey friend” from someone you’ve never met. Skeptical? Annoyed? That’s exactly what your recipients feel too.

In the cold email world, greetings set the tone. And tone affects trust. That’s why understanding email salutations that boost deliverability is more than a nice-to-have—it’s a must-have.

Relationship Between Open Rates and First-Line Content

The first line of your email often shows up right after your subject in preview panes. This line, which usually includes your salutation, determines whether someone clicks or skips.

A well-placed “Hi Sarah,” beats a generic “Greetings” or “To whom it may concern.” When the greeting feels human and relevant, recipients are more likely to open—and keep reading.

Salutations as a Spam Filter Signal

Spam filters look at more than just content—they assess your entire email behavior. Salutations included.

Words Spam Filters Watch For

Phrases like:

• “Dear Sir/Madam”
• “Warm Greetings”
• “Greetings of the Day”

…are red flags. They show up often in mass-blast spam, especially from unknown senders with poor domain reputation.

Spam filters, like those monitored by Mailkarma’s systems, tag these as spam trigger phrases. So using them in your cold outreach or B2B email introductions could kill your campaign before it starts.

How Formal/Informal Tone Affects Inboxing

Using “Hi [First Name]” signals personal effort. Using “Yo” or “Hey there” might be cool in Slack but can feel sloppy in email—especially in business.

Your email tone and language should feel intentional. Too stiff? You sound automated. Too casual? You sound careless. Mailkarma recommends sticking with “Hi,” “Hello,” or a clean “Hey [First Name]” when you're unsure.

Best Practices for Writing Email Salutations

Choose the Right Tone for Your Audience

Email salutations that boost deliverability are always audience-first.

When to Use “Hi,” “Hey,” “Hello,” or “Dear”

• “Hi” – Perfectly safe for most emails.
• “Hey” – Works if you already have rapport.
• “Hello” – Slightly more formal, but still warm.
• “Dear” – Acceptable in B2B or formal emails—but not in cold outreach.

B2B vs B2C Email Tone Tips

For B2B, use “Hi” or “Hello [First Name]” to strike a balance between friendly and respectful.

For B2C, “Hey [Name]” can work—but only if your brand voice supports it and you’ve engaged before.

B2B email introductions should never feel robotic. Authenticity gets you through the filter and into the inbox.

Personalization Is a Trust Signal

Use First Names or Full Names?

First names are more human and conversational. “Hi Jordan” feels warmer than “Dear Jordan Smith.”

Full names can feel cold unless you're addressing a formal complaint or sending official documentation.

Avoiding Bulk-Greeting Language

“Hi there,” “Hello friend,” “Hey team”—these scream copy-paste. They also trigger cold email greeting alarms.

Instead, use email personalization to pull in real names, locations, or other relevant details.

Keep It Clean and Simple

A clean greeting = clean inboxing.

Avoid Emojis, CAPS, or Exclamation Marks

“HELLO!!!” or “Hi ” may seem friendly—but spam filters hate them. Caps, emojis, and excessive punctuation are surefire signs of low-quality senders.

Clean Formatting = Higher Trust

Keep your fonts standard, spacing clear, and layout easy to skim. Mailkarma’s data shows that emails with clean formatting see up to 22% higher inbox placement.

Email Salutations That Hurt Your Deliverability

Overly Casual or Sloppy Openers

Avoid:

• “Yo”
• “Hey there”
• “To whom it may concern”

These either feel lazy or outdated. Your recipient will tune out—or worse, mark it as spam.

Spammy or Overused Lines

Phrases like:

• “Dear Sir/Madam”
• “Warm Greetings of the Day”
• “Good Day to You!”

They’re classic spam openers and usually signal automation.

Mailkarma Tip:

Avoid templates that look like mass blasts. Always humanize the greeting, especially in outreach campaigns. One-size-fits-all openers get flagged fast.

Cold Outreach and Mailkarma’s Deliverability Principles

How Greetings Fit into Mailkarma’s Email Infrastructure Approach

Salutations are part of a bigger ecosystem.

Pairing a humanized salutation with technical setups—like DKIM, SPF, and proper headers—makes your email more trustworthy.

Mailkarma’s tools check if your domain, IP, and headers are aligned—and that your greeting isn’t undoing all that backend setup.

DKIM/SPF + clean greeting = better inbox placement.

Pairing Your Salutation With a Strong First-Line

Your greeting pulls them in. Your intro keeps them.

Avoid robotic intros like:
“I hope this message finds you well and you’re having a great quarter.”

Try this instead:
“Hi James, saw your latest LinkedIn post about hiring. Quick thought on that…”

Real Mailkarma-Tested Intro Examples

• “Hi Anika—noticed your team’s hiring designers. Mind if I share a quick idea?”
• “Hello Marcus, your recent product launch caught my eye—congrats!”

These intros respect the recipient, show context, and keep things moving.

Examples of High-Performing Email Salutations

Professional Examples That Pass Spam Filters

• “Hi [First Name],”
• “Hello [Name], hope your week’s going well.”
• “Hey [First Name]—quick question”

All tested by Mailkarma and found to land better inbox placement across outreach campaigns.

Outreach-Ready Openers with a Personal Touch

For marketers:
“Hi Rachel—saw your recent campaign for [Brand]. Impressive!”

For recruiters:
“Hello Chris, quick note about a candidate I think you’ll love.”

For founders:
“Hey Priya—read your post on team scaling. Thought this might help.”

When you pair the right email opening lines with smart personalization, you don’t just get noticed—you get read.

Conclusion: Small Greetings, Big Impact

The smallest part of your email might just be the most important. Whether it’s a cold outreach or a professional newsletter, your salutation sets the stage for everything that follows.

Email salutations that boost deliverability are clean, respectful, and personalized. No tricks. No fluff. Just the kind of human tone spam filters and real people love.

With Mailkarma.ai you can go beyond guesswork. Their platform actively monitors your domain reputation, salutation formatting, and even intro effectiveness—helping you land in inboxes, not spam folders.

Ready to fix your greeting game? Start optimizing with Mailkarma.ai today and see what smart email infrastructure really looks like.

Tools Mentioned

Mailkarma – Real-time email infrastructure analysis that helps your outreach land where it matters: the inbox.

SPF & DKIM Checkers – Used alongside greeting testing to ensure technical alignment.

A/B Testing Platforms – Used to test greeting variations and first-line intros to measure engagement.

FAQs

Does using “Dear” affect my deliverability?

Yes, especially in cold emails. It's seen as outdated or formal, and often associated with mass-blasted spam.

Is it okay to use emojis in greetings?

Avoid them. They can trigger spam filters and feel unprofessional in most B2B settings.

What’s the best salutation for cold emails?

“Hi [First Name]” is the safest and most effective for cold outreach.

Should I personalize greetings in bulk campaigns?

Absolutely. Bulk greetings like “Hi there” can tank your open rates. Use smart personalization wherever possible.

Can a poor email salutation cause my email to go to spam?

Yes. Spam filters analyze tone and language. Overused or spammy greetings increase your spam risk.

Can I use the same salutation across cold and warm email campaigns?

Not ideally. Cold campaigns require more personalization. Warm campaigns allow more flexibility—but never get lazy.