This guide outlines steps and tips for how to close emails, with suggestions for the most important parts: the final paragraph and the salutation at the end.
We write countless e-mails every day – and yet most of them don’t know exactly how to say goodbye. Some greetings always work. Some of them, on the other hand, are best avoided altogether. Nice, best, friendly, warm or even kind greetings? What’s the best way to close emails, especially at work?
ALSO READ: How to write an email subject line
How to close emails
From ‘Sincerely’ to ‘Thank you very much’, here are the best tips on how to close emails. Get to know your contact, tailor your signature to match the level of relationship between you. Keep your emails professional.
With ‘kind regards’ or ‘regards’, you are on the safe side in professional e-mails. “These are the two most neutral variants,” says coach and etiquette expert Jennifer Bonneau. If you are writing to an addressee for the first time and do not yet have a confidential or informal relationship with him, it is better to use this variant – nowadays, by the way, without the “with” in front of the friendly greetings. Bonneau, on the other hand, advises against the ‘best’ greetings that are often used for how to close emails: “There is no such thing as ‘best’ greetings.”
On the other hand, only those who open their e-mails in this way should say goodbye with kind or warm greetings – i.e. with the confidential “Dear” or a casual “Hello”. However, it is best for professionals to leave the step to this level to the person they are talking to and then follow suit, advises Bonneau. This is especially true if it’s a supervisor or an important customer.
How to close emails: Don’t try to be cute
Adjectives or cute embellishments are similarly difficult: “Sporty greetings from sunny Florida,” Bonneau cites an example. Many people try to use it to give their emails a personal touch. “But that usually goes wrong,” says the expert – just like a “good morning” as a greeting. After all, the sender doesn’t know when the recipient will read the email.
“And if you’re writing back and forth for the eighth time a day, you can leave it out altogether or just quickly put ‘regards’ and your abbreviation underneath,” she says.
How to close emails: the final paragraph
At the end of the e-mail there is still the space for courtesies as well as a short information about the next steps and then the farewell. Make the farewell the same as the greeting in the tone that is appropriate.
Before you say goodbye in a professional email, make sure to wrap up the content with a concluding paragraph. After all, depending on the purpose of the message, the last paragraph can serve to thank the recipient and/or make a call to action, inviting the contact to discuss the subject further.
A good final paragraph allows you to humanize the email, expressing gratitude for the attention of the person reading the message and highlighting your willingness to continue the conversation. It also serves as a polite reminder to the recipient that you would really like to receive a response. Examples:
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please feel free to contact me again if you have any questions.
If you have any questions, please contact: …
Thank you in advance for your kindness.
I’m looking forward to the appointment.
I look forward to meeting you in person.
Or in more detail:
“I hope you will agree that my experience, enthusiasm, and love for animals make me a great candidate for the position. I am available through the contact channels I have listed below and will be happy to answer your questions. Thank you for taking the time to evaluate my application.”
How to close emails: the salutation
So now, let’s get down to the last words — the salutation with which you will sign off.
Leave a space between the last paragraph and the closing. Include the final salutation, put a comma at the end, add a space, and type your full name below that.
Sincerely
Bobby Fischer said that the opening of E4 chess (pushing the king’s pawn two squares) was “better by the test,” meaning it was predictable, expected, not surprising, and yet excellent.
The same can be said of “Sincerely,” which is probably the most common way to end an email and is never inappropriate. The only occasions to avoid “Sincerely” are when sending a more casual message to someone you know. In this case, the farewell sounds very formal.
Yours sincerely
This is a friendly way of saying that you want the best for the recipient.
Regards
This has become an accepted way to sign off professional emails, but is better used when you already have a relationship with the recipient.
Kind regards or Warm regards
As with ‘regards’ this is common and accepted for how to close emails, but better used when you are just starting the professional relationship.
Cordially
Another traditional method for how to close emails, “Cordially” is a good option for ending a professional email, although it may seem a bit old-fashioned.
Respectfully
Undoubtedly, closing “respectfully” is a very formal way to end an email, and because of this, it is not always indicated. However, it can be useful in emails where you really want to emphasize your respect for someone.
Perhaps you are sending an email to complain about a defective product or to express an opinion that may differ from the one presented by the recipient. In these cases, “Respectfully” can help send a signal that, despite any disagreement, your message is sent respectfully.
Thank you / Thank you in advance, thank you very much
These are ideal options for how to close emails when you’re making some sort of request or waiting for the recipient to do something for you. However, bear in mind some recipients in the workplace might find this ‘passive aggressive’ as it makes the assumption that they are going to automatically do whatever you request.
How to close emails: What to avoid
1. With Love / Hugs
Remember that you want to end your email in a friendly way, but not intimately. Avoid terms that have come up with displays of affection or a closeness that doesn’t exist. Therefore, use more professional closings for this type of message.
3. Have a blessed day
Avoid religious-sounding expressions or self-help-inspired messages for how to close emails. These do not sound professional.
4. I’ll talk to you later
You can use this in an email exchange between friends, or even with some professional contact with whom you talk frequently, but otherwise, avoid the expression, because it has a very casual connotation.
5. No sign-off
An unsigned email is unacceptable in almost all professional messages. The only exception to this rule is if you’re working closely with someone and you’re exchanging several short emails, which create a kind of “chat,” as if it were messages on your phone.
How to close emails: Tips on capitalization, punctuation, and signature
Whichever signature you choose, capitalize only the first word (i.e., write “Thank you very much” and not “Thank you very much”).
End your signature with a comma: “Sincerely,” “Thankful,” etc. Then, add a space and type your name just below.
If you’re writing to someone you don’t know, use their full name. But if and when they start emailing back more often, you can just use their first name, to create a sense of closeness.
It’s also possible to create an automatic signature that contains your full name, occupation, email, phone number, and perhaps a website that showcases your work. If you have a full email signature with contact information at the bottom, you can usually start by using just your first name.
Conclusion
With these tips for how to close emails, you should be able to sign off any email in the most appropriate way!
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