Short answer: Thank them, express genuine enthusiasm, then state a specific number or range backed by your research and value, and end warmly and open. "I'm thrilled about the offer. Based on my experience and the market for this role, I was hoping for $X - is there room to get there?" Email gives you time to word it calmly, which is an advantage.
Negotiating over email feels less nerve-racking than doing it live, and that's exactly why it works - you can be warm, specific, and confident without your voice wobbling. The key is to anchor a real number and justify it, not to apologize for asking.
Lead with genuine excitement so the whole message reads as "I want this, let's make it work", not "I'm unhappy":
"Thank you so much for the offer - I'm really excited about the role and the team."
This sets a collaborative tone before you get to the number.
Vague asks get vague answers. Name a figure, backed by research and your value:
"Based on my experience and the market rate for this role, I was hoping for a base closer to $X."
Put your target near the bottom of any range you give, so there's room to land where you want.
One line of reasoning makes the number feel earned, not plucked from air - relevant experience, a specific skill, or a competing offer if you genuinely have one:
"I'd be bringing five years of exactly this work and the vendor relationships that come with it."
Close in a way that invites a yes, not a standoff:
"Is there flexibility to get closer to that? I'm keen to make this work."
You're opening a conversation, not issuing an ultimatum.
"Hi [name], thank you so much for the offer - I'm genuinely excited about the role. Based on my experience and the market for this position, I was hoping for a base closer to $X. I'd be bringing [one line of value]. Is there room to get there? Really keen to make this work."
Money emails are where tone matters most - too meek and you undercut yourself, too blunt and it reads as a demand. Paste your draft into Rewrite It Better for a version that's confident and warm at once. And the interview playbook that gets you to the offer is our Interview Ready course. (Negotiating a raise in your current job? See how to ask for a raise.)
Write a salary negotiation email by opening with enthusiasm, anchoring a specific researched number, justifying it in one line, and closing warm and open. Email lets you word it calmly - use that.
Open with genuine enthusiasm, state a specific number or range backed by research and your value, justify it in one line, and close warmly and open. Email gives you time to word it calmly, which is an advantage over doing it live.
Once you have an offer on the table, anchoring with a specific researched number (target near the bottom of your range) works in your favor. Before an offer, it's fine to ask their budgeted range first.
One line is enough: relevant experience, a specific in-demand skill, market rate, or a genuine competing offer. A brief justification makes the figure feel earned rather than plucked from air.
Yes - and it's often easier than live, because you can be warm, specific, and confident without nerves. Many companies expect some negotiation, so a polite, well-reasoned email is completely normal.
Confident and warm at once. Too meek undercuts you; too blunt reads as a demand. Lead with enthusiasm, state the ask clearly, and close in a way that invites a yes rather than a standoff.
Real situations, before/after examples, and a quiz. Chapter 1 is free.
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