Emails are an inevitable part of modern life. Whether you’re sending emails for business or job hunting, the fact remains that you’ll need to deal with them on a daily or even hourly basis.
Because of this, you need to put care and time into the ways that you send an email. Then, you also need to think about how to end an email, too.
Here are the best email sign-offs you can use to keep your communications professional. We’ll also talk about why it’s so important to have an email signature if you’re sending one for business.
1. Why You Need a Good Email Ending
There are a couple of reasons why you need a good email ending:
- Not having a proper sign off can come across as rude or overly casual.
- If you’re emailing someone for business, you want to impress upon that person that you’re a professional.
- If you’re emailing a company about a job posting, there’s a high chance that your email will be forwarded to the appropriate hiring manager. You want to impress upon those third parties that you’re a professional, too.
A good email sign off can also increase your chances of getting a response to that email. A call to action—such as “Thank you for taking the time to read my resume, I look forward to hearing from you”—can act as a prompt.
When you’re writing a sign-off, a good email format should consist of:
- A closing line, usually one that expresses some sort of gratitude or a call to action.
- A closing salutation, such as “Best Wishes,” “Sincerely,” or “Regards.” The type of email sign off that you use depends on the context of the email and how long the email thread is.
- Your full name below the closing salutation. This will make it clear who is sending the email.
- At the end, you should put your email signature, which should include your contact information, website link, and socials (if applicable). This is so the person reading the email knows of additional ways to reach out.
Note: Make sure you think about what sort of email signatures matches your communication style. The closing remarks have to mirror the situation in terms of professionalism and tone. They also have to sound authentic to you and your “voice.”
2. Different Types of Email Sign Offs and When They’re Appropriate
Before you decide on an email closer, use context clues to figure out what sort of tone you need to set in your email.
- Is this a brand new business that you’re contacting?
- Does the start-up business have a casual way of communicating?
- If it’s not casual, is this an older, well-established business or service, like a governmental office?
- Do you know the person you’re directly contacting?
- Have you emailed them before?
Different sorts of businesses require different kinds of emails. It’s always safer to act professionally, but on the flip side, you don’t want to run the risk of sounding too stiff or out of touch.
You also need to decide on the length of your email ending. For example, an introductory email is going to require a more in-depth call to action. An email thread with your coworkers can be casual.
Let’s talk about email sign-offs, and how to end an email depending on the situation.
Common Ways to End an Email That Work Well
Best or Best Wishes
- Any variation on the word “Best” is usually a safe bet. It’s a common email sign off and proper for both casual or formal settings.
- However, a study by Boomerang noted that this response has a lower than average response rate. So keep that in mind when you’re using “Best Wishes.”
In context, this sort of email closing would read similar to this:
Best Wishes,
Full Name
Sincerely
- “Sincerely is another common way to end an email. It works well for formal business situations.
- “Sincerely” would be a good way to end an email when you are applying to a new job with a company. It reiterates that you are being sincere in your desire to reach out.
- You’re also being sincere in your hope that you hear back from the other person. Thus, it comes across as authentic.
In context, this email closer would read similar to this:
Sincerely,
Full Name
Regards
- “Regards” runs the risk of coming off as too stiff. If you’re emailing someone in a formal business situation, however, “Regards” works fine.
In context, this email closer would read:
Regards,
Full Name
Other common ways to end an email that works well:
- Respectfully
- Many Thanks
- Warm Wishes
Once again, remember to match the mood and tone of the correspondence when it comes to picking out the email sign off that works best. These outside factors will affect your success rate.
A Note on “Cheers”
While “Cheers” is a likely way to get a response, there also seems to be conflicting reports on its overall effectiveness.
Essentially, “Cheers” can come off as too casual, especially in an introductory email. It’s also best to match it to your speaking and communication style, to have it read as authentic.
Common Ways to End an Email That DON’T Work
We also need to point out a few ways that you should never end your emails.
Your Friend or Yours Truly
- Unless this is a personal email and the individual on the other end is literally your friend, this is disingenuous. “Yours Truly” is simply too informal for most business settings.
Sent from my iPhone
- Often used as the stale end of online jokes, “Sent from my iPhone” is the modern equivalent of a poorly thought out post-it note on the refrigerator. It looks tacky and last minute.
Take Care
- “Take care” can cause anxiety in the recipient of the email, according to Business Insider. It can also imply there is something wrong with the recipient, potentially health-related. This will lead to a lower response rate.
3. The Importance of an Email Signature
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the end of a professional email should have an email signature attached.
We’ve already talked about what you should include in this signature, but we want to stress that the signature is important because it’s essentially your public face. It’s how other people will form their first impression of you, especially if you’re working remotely.
Think of a good email signature like dressing for the job you want. You need to put your best foot forward during that job interview. The worst thing you can do is come across as sloppy, either in your appearance or behavior.
End Your Emails With Confidence
Emails take up a large chunk of our professional lives. Unfortunately, they’re something we’ll always need to deal with. If you have a general template for your emails figured out, however, you’ll be able to write them quicker.
If you want to learn more about efficient emailing, here are some tips on how to write the perfect professional email.
Read the full article: The Best Way to End an Email Professionally
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