You have just finished writing an email and you’re at the final step – a closing message. What exactly should you say to sign off the email? The email closing is just as important as the body of the email and you don’t want your email to go unnoticed simply because of those last few words. Ideally, you want to relay the message in the body of the email while also ending off with something that the receiver takes positively and can reply to.
Something important to remember when closing off our email is who is on the other end. If it’s a close colleague or friend, you’ll likely have different etiquette than if it’s a professional who you’ve never spoken to.
Here are some tips on the best formal email closings.
1. Thanks in advance/thanks/thank you
If your email involves a request, this is a good closing message to express gratitude. This response also sets an expectation – you’re thanking them for when they complete the request, not if.
A study by Boomerang found that emails with some variation of “thank you” had significantly more responses than emails with other popular closings. Specifically, “thanks in advance” had a response rate of 65.7%!
2. Regards
This is great if you want to keep it simple. It’s a generic professional email closing that doesn’t set any expectations and is straight to the point, while also proving to have a high response rate.
3. Cheers
“Cheers” is a more friendly and casual response, ideal for situations in which you have a relationship with the receiver of the email. The same Boomerang study found “cheers” to have the second-highest response rate after variations of “thank you”. Definitely worth using!
4. All the best
This is a good “go-to” sign-off email closing that you can use in both formal and informal conversations. It’s a simple, short, response that shows sincerity – guaranteed to be received well.
5. I appreciate your
It’s always good to express your appreciation when someone is helping you. This lets the receiver know you’re thankful that they’re taking the time out of their day to read and respond to your email.
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