Crafting the perfect email or letter signoff is an art that takes thought and care. How you end your written communications conveys the subtle meaning that impacts the impression you leave with the reader. Using appropriate thanks or regards sign-offs helps build professional relationships, express courtesy, and leave a positive final impression.
This article covers tips for effectively using thanks and regards in sign-offs for formal business letters and more casual emails. You’ll learn when to use different signoff phrases, how to vary your sign-offs while maintaining professionalism, and 50 excellent examples of formal, friendly, appreciative and personalized sign-offs. Mastering signoff best practices helps you reflect your personal brand, communication style and cultural awareness in written correspondence.
Why Are Email and Letter Sign-Offs Important?
Signing off an email or letter with care has significance beyond a simple farewell message. Four key reasons sign-offs matter include:
A. Leaving a positive final impression
A thoughtful signoff creates a positive association and feeling to conclude the written communication on a high note. This shapes the lasting impression you leave with the reader.
B. Conveying professionalism and courtesy
Proper signoff etiquette conveys professionalism, respect and cultural awareness. This applies to both formal business letters and more casual emails.
C. Building and maintaining relationships
Personalized, friendly sign-offs help form connections and relationships with recipients over extended correspondence.
D. Reflecting on your personal brand and communication style
Varying your sign-offs allows your authentic written voice, brand and style to come through while maintaining professionalism.
Tips for Using Thanks in Sign-Offs
Knowing when and how to express thanks in email and letter sign-offs appropriately helps strengthen positive connections.
When to use thanks in sign-offs
Common situations where thanks sign-offs are appropriate include:
- Expressing gratitude for assistance, information, or consideration: Thank the recipient when concluding requests for help, information, support or special consideration.
Example: “Thanks again for providing the detailed sales statistics I requested.”
- Acknowledging a favor or kind gesture: Express gratitude for any extra effort, gift or act of personal generosity offered.
Example: “Thanks so much for the thoughtful gift basket you sent over.”
- Concluding a request or inquiry: Wrap up outstanding requests and inquiries with appreciation.
Example: “Thanks in advance for your insights on the proposal.”
How to vary your ‘Thanks’ sign-offs?
Avoid repeating the same thanks signoff in every email. Instead, incorporate variety while maintaining professional appropriateness:
- Using adjectives: Descriptive adjectives before thanks add emphasis and warmth. For example, “Many thanks for getting this scheduled so quickly.”
- Combining thanks with other phrases: Blend thanks with additional relevant phrases. For instance, “Thanks for your patience and all your hard work getting this wrapped up.”
Maintaining a professional tone with thanks
Keep formal business thank you signoffs simple and professional. Overly personal or effusive language risks seeming insincere or intrusive. Save very personal phrases for close contacts only.
Tips for Using Regards in Sign-Offs
Including regards in sign-offs conveys professionally polite respect. Use the following tips when including regards:
When to use regards in sign-offs
Common situations for regards sign-offs include:
- Formal business communications: Regards convey polite respect in concluded formal requests, proposals, documents and data.
- Introducing yourself or making initial contact: First impressions matter, so include regards when reaching out to new professional contacts.
- Concluding a professional discussion or update: Wrap up work-focused conversations and status updates formally.
How to vary your regards sign-offs
Vary your formality, warmth and semantics when using regards while maintaining appropriateness:
- Using adjectives: Inject additional meaning through descriptive adjectives like “kindest” or “warmest” regards.
- Combining regards with other phrases: Blend regards together with relevant phrases like “thanks” or “appreciation” for emphasis.
Choosing the appropriate level of formality
Assess the existing professional relationship, corporate culture and communication medium to determine the right formality level for your regards signoff in any given situation. When in doubt, err towards more formal.
20 Best Sign-Offs for Emails and Letters
Now that we’ve covered tips on using thanks and regards in sign-offs, here are 50 excellent examples of professional, friendly, appreciative and personalized sign-offs:
Professional and formal sign-offs
- Sincerely
- Best regards
- Regards
- Respectfully yours
- Kind regards
Friendly and informal sign-offs
- All the best
- Take care
- Have a great day
- Until next time
- Talk to you soon
Appreciative sign-offs
- Thanks for your consideration
- We appreciate your help
- Thank you in advance
- Many thanks again
- Our sincere thanks
Personalized sign-offs
- Have a nice weekend
- Happy Monday
- Wishing you well
- appreciate our partnership
- It was great catching up
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Signoff
With all the above tips and examples in mind, there are a few key factors to keep in mind when deciding which thanks or regards signoff is appropriate for a particular email or letter:
1. Relationship with the recipient
Use sign-offs respectfully of your existing rapport, history, and level of familiarity.
2. Purpose and context of the communication
Consider if this is an initial outreach, quick check-in or formal proposal to match formality levels in your closing.
3. Company culture and industry norms
Every organization and industry has slightly different cultural standards for signoff expectations pegged to their general professionalism policies and communication styles. When in doubt, start more formally until you have better visibility into organizational norms and adjust accordingly.
4. Personal communication style and preferences
While respecting other factors, choose sign-offs that allow your genuine written voice to come through for more meaningful and engaging professional communications that still maintain appropriateness.
Common Signoff Mistakes to Avoid
While exercising your own signoff style, keep the following faux pas in mind:
1. Using overly casual or informal sign-offs in professional settings
Avoid unprofessional or intrusive sign-offs like “hugs” and “xoxo” in formal business communications unless you have a pre-established precedent of using such intimate phrases with close contact.
2. Overusing the same signoff for every communication
Recipient relationships and communication purposes vary, so sign-offs should as well. Avoid repetitive regards and thanks sign-offs when possible.
3. Using inappropriate or offensive language
Seemingly small word choices can carry unintended cultural meanings, so vet signoff language carefully to avoid inadvertent offence. When unsure, keep phrases simple and neutral.
4. Forgetting to include a signoff altogether
The abruptness of a missing signoff risks seeming terse. Quickly double-check for signoff inclusion before hitting send on written communications.
Conclusion
Though they may seem like short afterthoughts, email and letter sign-offs carry significance, when crafted intentionally for each recipient, thanks and regards signoffs professionally convey positive impressions, relationship building, and your personal brand. Consider context, relationships, and communication styles when varying your signoff approach to achieve more engaging, dynamic, and courteous professional communications.
FAQs on Using Sign-offs in Emails.
Q1. How do you sign off an email professionally?
A1. Professional email sign-offs convey formality and courtesy and reflect your personal brand. Examples include “Regards”, “Best wishes“, and “Sincerely”. Match formality to context and relationship with the recipient.
Q2. What is the best regards mean?
A2. “Best regards” is a warm yet formal email and letter signoff conveying polite respect. It effectively concludes both professional and personal communications with positivity.
Q3. What does warm regards mean?
A3. “Warm regards” communicates friendship and care as an email or letter signoff. The friendly adjective “warm” personalizes the formality of “regards” to build connections between sender and recipient.
Q4. What is the meaning of my regards?
A4. “Convey my regards” means politely communicating respect, well wishes and gratitude on the sender’s behalf when speaking with or writing to someone they know or have a relationship with. This asks the messenger recipient to relay the sender’s sentiments.
Q5. What is a signoff in an email?
A5. An email signoff is the closing phrase and sender’s name at the end of an email message, conveying farewell, regard, respect, or thanks. Examples of signoffs include “Sincerely”, “Best regards”, and “Thank you”.
