While we focus on crafting the perfect email, we often overlook one crucial aspect: the sign-off.
The way you end your message is just as important as the content itself. A professional email closing can set the right tone, encourage responses, and leave the recipient with a positive impression.
Let’s look at some simple tips and examples to help you wrap up your emails like a pro!
How To End an Email Professionally (+Examples)
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Is an Email Sign-Off?
An email sign-off is the closing line or sentence to conclude an email just before your signature. It ends the conversation, invites a response, or provides other call-to-action forms.
Depending on the context of your communication, a well-chosen sign-off conveys respect, warmth, or professionalism.
For example, in a professional email, you might end with ‘Warm regards,’ followed by your name, which balances formality and approachability.
A friendly ‘Cheers’ or ‘Talk soon’ might be more appropriate sign-offs in more informal emails, setting a relaxed tone for future interactions.
What should every email closure include?
The email closing should include some elements to ensure effective communication.
You need to include:
- Personalized email sign-off phrase: A courteous and appropriate phrase that suits the tone of the email. For example, ‘Best regards,’ ‘Sincerely,’ or ‘Thank you’
- Your name: Always include your first name and, in more formal contexts, use your last name
- Position and company (if applicable): This is particularly important in professional emails, where identifying your role helps establish your authority
- Contact information: This may include your phone number, additional email address, or any other relevant contact method, particularly in a business setting
- Personalized signature: Optionally, a customized email signature template that includes your digital contact card, company logo, or any legal disclaimers, as per your company policy
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhy Email Closings Matter
Email signoffs provide context and communication clues. They show attention to detail and set the tone for further conversation.
While the main body of the email is the most important part, the closing helps tie it all together and create an impression. It helps establish a perception of you and your message for the reader.
Here are a few more reasons why email sign-offs matter:
1. Helps create lasting impressions
How you end your email sets the tone for future communication. It should match the context of the overall email and your relationship with the receiver. The right email sign-off leaves a positive and lasting impression on the recipient.
For instance, ending an email with ‘Looking forward to your thoughts!’ leaves the recipient feeling valued and encourages a prompt reply.
2. Reinforces tone and intent
Your sign-offs underscore the intent of your message and clarify the desired next steps.
For instance, ending with ‘Please review the attached file at your earliest convenience’ indicates urgency and the action required from the recipient.
3. Impacts email marketing KPIs
Your email sign-off directly influences essential email marketing KPIs such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
A well-crafted email closing reinforces your message and encourages recipients to take desired actions.
Summarize this article for me pleaseExamples of Professional Email Closings
Choosing the right words to conclude your professional emails is crucial, as it reflects professionalism and impacts your recipient’s perception.
Below are examples of appropriate professional email sign-offs to consider using in various business contexts:
1. Formal closings (for business or first-time contacts)
When you first contact someone professionally or send a professional email, you must get the sign-off right to establish your relationship with them. This applies whether you are emailing a client or a senior colleague.
Tools like ClickUp Brain are particularly helpful in crafting these crucial email elements. By using AI, ClickUp Brain assists in generating context-appropriate, polished email closings that enhance the professionalism of your communications.
It also ensures that your email reflects the appropriate tone and formality for first-time interactions.
Example #1: Best regards
‘Best regards’ is commonly used as a polite and professional email closing to new and familiar contacts. It balances warmth and professionalism without being overly formal.
Here’s how ClickUp Brain helps you generate an email with a similar ending.
Additionally, ClickUp Docs helps store and manage templates for professional email sign-offs, streamlining your workflow and maintaining communication consistency. You can directly use AI to generate emails inside the docs.
All you need to do is:
- Create a new document from your ClickUp Workspace
- Double-click on the document
- Select the ‘write with AI’ option
💡 Pro Tip: Want more from your automated email campaign? Set a drip campaign with the top 12 drip campaign templates!
- Then, write your prompt and define clearly how you want to end it
- Once ClickUp Brain generates the email, click on the insert button, and the text will be pasted into your ClickUp Docs without much hassle
Example #2: Sincerely
‘Sincerely’ is traditionally used to conclude formal communications. It is ideal for first-time interactions or significant business correspondence, signaling respect and a straightforward, earnest approach.
Example #3: Kind regards
‘Kind regards’ offers a warm yet professional closing suitable for initial and ongoing business interactions. It conveys a friendly tone while maintaining a level of formality.
Read More: Learn how ClickUp revolutionizes your marketing campaign management through comprehensive tools and strategies.
2. Semi-formal closings (for colleagues or ongoing conversations)
Not all emails are formal, even in a professional setting. A semi-formal approach works great in an ongoing email thread or when emailing colleagues across the company. It eliminates stiffness in a conversation, introduces familiarity, and retains the gravitas of the situation.
Example #1: Thanks
‘Thanks’ is best used to express gratitude concisely. It is perfect for acknowledging a colleague’s assistance or response within an ongoing thread.
Example #2: Best
‘Best’ is one of the most versatile and casual email sign-offs. It is ideal for routine emails where you wish to maintain a professional yet relaxed tone with familiar colleagues.
Example 3: Take care
‘Take care’ adds a personal touch to your correspondence. This sign-off is great for ending conversations on a warm note, especially when you have established a friendly rapport with the recipient.
3. Casual closings (for familiar peers or team members)
When emailing someone you have a close working relationship with, it is best to go for casual sign-offs to reinforce confidence and maintain a comfortable rapport.
Example 1: Cheers
‘Cheers’ is an upbeat and friendly closing, ideal for emails to peers with whom you share a comfortable rapport. This ending adds a touch of informality and warmth to the conversation.
Example 2: Talk soon
‘Talk soon’ implies an ongoing conversation and anticipation of future interactions. It is perfect for emails with colleagues you frequently engage with, conveying a promise of continued dialogue. Add it to the emails automatically forwarded while you’re unavailable.
Example 3: All the best
‘All the best’ is a heartfelt and positive closing suitable for ending communications on an encouraging note. This email ending is especially great for expressing support or good wishes for your teammate’s endeavors.
💡 Pro Tip: Organize your inbox by handling high-volume emails with 10 effective email management strategies to boost productivity.
Summarize this article for me pleaseBest Practices for Ending an Email Professionally
When ending an email, choosing a great email sign-off that reflects your email’s tone and respects your relationship with the recipient is essential. This ensures your email communicates effectively and leaves a positive impression.
1. Make clarity your best friend
Be brief with your closing statements. Your email sign-off should stay on the main body of the email. It should signal the end of the conversation and have only the necessary information.
2. Know context is everything
When selecting your email closing, it’s important to consider the context of your message.
For instance, a formal business email may require more professional email sign-offs, such as ‘Sincerely’ or ‘Best regards.’ While a casual internal note may allow for something friendlier, like ‘Thanks’ or ‘Take care.’
Always match your closing to the tone and formality of the situation. The right closing reinforces the context and relationship for the recipient.
Email management tools simplify this process by helping you organize and manage your communications according to context and priority. They ensure that each email is appropriately tailored and timed.
You can build your entire email management ecosystem on a one-in-all platform like ClickUp.
Let’s look at some specific features that ClickUp offers:
I. Utilize ClickUp Brain for tailored email closings
While multiple AI writing tools, both paid and free, are evolving daily, the key to AI writing is context. ClickUp Brain has your company’s context, writing style, and more.
With ClickUp Brain:
- Enhance your email writing process by suggesting context-appropriate closings
- Maintain the correct tone across different types of emails
- Make sure your brand consistency remains intact, and your communications are cohesive
💡 Pro Tip: To further refine your email crafting skills using AI, check out our guide on How to Use AI to Write Emails.
II. Optimize workflows with ClickUp Docs
ClickUp Docs simplifies the process of drafting and customizing email closings to fit various contexts. With its intuitive interface, create professional templates for formal, semi-formal, and casual communications.
This ensures that your email closings align with the tone of your message and enhance your overall communication effectiveness. Ultimately, ClickUp Docs helps you maintain consistency and professionalism in every email you send.
With ClickUp Docs:
- Create templates for different email types
- Collaborate with your team in real-time
- Keep organized notes on each project
- Link your documents directly to tasks
III. Enhance your email efficiency with automation
ClickUp’s Email Automations feature can automate routine email responses or follow-ups based on specific triggers, such as task completion or project milestones. This enhances communication efficiency and helps maintain timely interactions without manual intervention, making it ideal for managing large volumes of email in project settings.
IV. Ensure your emails are professional and on-brand with various templates
ClickUp offers a range of templates designed to streamline and enhance email communication, ensuring consistency and brand alignment. Let’s look at some of the email-specific templates:
- ClickUp Email Automation Template: This template allows you to send automated emails from your ClickUp workspace to seamlessly manage email campaigns. Set conditions that send emails automatically, enhancing efficiency and consistency in communication
- ClickUp Email Campaign Template: Designed for managing and executing email marketing campaigns, this template helps you organize, track, and analyze your campaign strategies effectively, ensuring all campaign elements are aligned and on target.
ClickUp Email Project Management integrates your email directly into your project management workspace. This allows you to convert emails into tasks, assign them to team members, and track their progress within ClickUp.
It provides an effective way to ensure that no email slips through the cracks and that every communication is accounted for in your project timelines.
Besides, ClickUp’s leading outreach tools help you automate and personalize your networking emails, ensuring your semi-formal and casual email sign-offs always hit the right note.
Read More: Optimize your email marketing strategy from conception to execution with effective marketing campaign management tips and templates.
Summarize this article for me pleaseCommon Mistakes to Avoid When Ending an Email
Along with the Dos of email sign-offs, there are also some Don’ts. To ensure your email closes effectively, it’s important to keep the context in mind and avoid skipping or ignoring the sign-off altogether.
1. Know your context
Context is everything in any form of communication, especially email. When writing a closing statement, be careful of the level of formality of the email. To maintain a professional tone, avoid using casual phrases like ‘Cheers’ or ‘Talk soon.’
2. Don’t leave them hanging
Without a closing phrase, your email can feel abrupt. This can happen if your signature doesn’t automatically attach.
Make it a point to double-check to avoid this. Even in casual emails, something as simple as ‘Best’ or ‘Talk soon’ wraps it up nicely.
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhen to Use a Call to Action in Your Email Closing
If you need a response from your recipient, make it clear with a call to action (CTA). This helps guide them on the next steps. End your email with a polite request or suggestion to prompt a response.
For example:
- For feedback requests: ‘Looking forward to your feedback’
- For scheduling meetings: ‘Please let me know your availability’
Including a clear CTA in your sign-off encourages quicker responses, as the recipient will understand what’s expected—whether it’s setting up a meeting, answering a question, or providing feedback.
Summarize this article for me pleaseInclude a Professional Email Signature
An email signature is a must in a professional setting. It should include your name, title, company, and contact information. If you have very specific working hours, it should include that.
Examples of professional signatures:
Jane Doe
Marketing Manager | XYZ Company
jane.doe@xyzcompany.com
(123) 456-7890
John Doe
Senior Analyst | ABC Company | Available hours: 7 am to 3 pm (Monday to Friday)
doe.john@abccompany.com
(283) 756-8840
This structure gives the recipient all the right context clues to set the right expectations for the communication.
If you are a student, you should also include a signature, including your university ID and department, to ensure you can identify yourself correctly to the recipient.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe Bottom Line (Excuse the Pun😊)
A well-timed, contextually appropriate, and general email sign-off polishes your message and underpins your professional image. It fortifies the tone of your discourse to communicate your intent.
This pivotal element of email etiquette is indispensable in nurturing and sustaining business relationships, fortifying trust, and driving desired actions.
ClickUp, as an all-in-one productivity platform, empowers you to elevate email communication beyond mere information exchanges.
Ready to transform how you manage tasks, emails, and projects? Sign up for ClickUp today and redefine productivity, one email at a time.
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