How to end an email politely: professional examples

Writing a professional email comes with a set of unofficial rules. It's not like an email to a friend, filled with emojis and freewheeling grammar. Every element should be polished and thoughtfully planned. Even the ending, where all you do is write your sign-off and name, needs consideration. We'll cover the basics of how to end an email, including the following: 

• Why is it important to end an email well?
• What should an email sign-off include?
• How to end an email
• Tips for how to end an email
• Email closings to avoid
• Summary
• FAQs

Why is it important to end an email well? 

An email ending, or sign-off, is a single word or brief phrase followed by your typed-out signature. Placed on its own line, it comes at the end of your email, after your message body. How you end an email can show respect, gratitude, or friendliness. It can point to the next steps you want the reader to take. Or it can just be a simple way of finishing an email so the recipient knows there's nothing left to read.

What should an email sign-off include? 

An email sign-off includes the following things:

• A complimentary close: This is the word or phrase used to signal the sign-off. Again, you'll put it on a separate line.
• A comma after the sign-off: The comma formally separates the sign-off from your signature.
• Your signature: The signature is just your name, typed out. It'll go on a new line.
• Optional details: In some cases, you may want to provide other details after your signature, such as your title or contact information.

You can also use a professional email signature that features your name, job title, contact details, and company. This gives your email a more polished look.

How to end an email 

There are five basic types of email closings: general, respectful, grateful, friendly, and personalized. It's good to have a basic understanding of each one if you want to know how to end a professional email with the right tone. Below, we discuss each category and provide some email sign-off examples that fall under each one.

General

General sign-offs are about ending the conversation in a positive tone. Examples include:

• Sincerely
• Warmly
• Always
• Be well
• Until next time

Respectful

Respectful sign-offs show you admire the recipient or hold them in high regard. You might want to use these when you write to a higher-up or a client, but they're also good for general purposes as well. Here are some examples:

• Best/kind/warm regards
• Best/kind/warmest wishes
• All best
• At your service
• Respectfully

Grateful

A grateful sign-off expresses thanks for something the reader has done or will do. You might use this sign-off if you need the reader to complete an action or if they have already finished the task. Some examples:

• Thanks ever so much
• Many thanks
• Much appreciated
• With gratitude
• Gratefully

Friendly

Friendly casual sign-offs are informal and are usually the lighthearted side of business correspondence. They're best for emails to co-workers you're close to. Here are some friendly ways to sign off on an email:

• Cheers!
• Hope this helps!
• Have a great day/weekend/holiday/break
• Take care
• Best

Personalized

Personalized sign-offs are for specific situations. Sometimes you can personalize a sign-off by adapting one from the other categories. For example, you might show personalized gratitude by writing, "Many thanks for [something the reader has done for you]." Or you can be as specific as you want. For example, after arranging a meeting on a Tuesday, you might say, "Looking forward to Tuesday." With personalized sign-offs, it's completely open to your situation. Just make sure you use the right tone for the context.

Tips for how to end an email 

There are no hard-and-fast rules on how to end a business email, but there are best practices you can follow. Below are some tips to ensure you send the right message with your email sign-off. Not all of them work for every situation, so use your best judgment to decide which ones to use and when.

Choose the appropriate tone

Adding some emotion into your email closing could help you achieve the effect you want. But you don't want to go overboard, or else you may come off as insincere, sarcastic, or mean-spirited. Balance is the key, and determining what's appropriate largely depends on the email's context.

Put some thought into your signature

Will you type out your full name or a shortened version? Will you use a prefix like "Mr." or Ms."? How about a formal title after your name? These decisions can affect how the reader views the message that comes before your sign-off. Do a quick read-through of your message to help you decide the best signature for your tone.

Remember to include contact information if necessary

If your message includes a call to action, you may want to add other ways the reader can get in touch with you. You can also add links to your professional website or company site. Unless you've set up your email account so that it displays your phone number and extension with every message, provide those details after your signature.

Proofread

The last thing you want is to end your email with a typo. In some cases, a misspelling can change the entire meaning of your sign-off ("Best washes"? "Chairs"?). Plus, a study in 2019 showed bad grammar and misspellings can put you in a negative light. Avoid all of that by proofreading your entire email before you send it.

Email closings to avoid 

Now you know what you should do when you write a sign-off, but you'd do well to understand what to avoid when a closing line as well. Here are some additional tips about common no-nos when it comes to email closings:

Using an excessively informal/unprofessional sign-off

Remember what we said earlier about balance? While you want to appear friendly and approachable, you shouldn't assume you're best friends with your reader. As a rule of thumb, unless you know for a fact that you're on friendly terms with your email's recipient, avoid overly informal or annoying email sign-offs such as:

• Later
• Stay awesome
• Peace out!
• Kthanksbai!

Using too many exclamation points or emojis

While using too many exclamation points may be fine on Facebook, it's not acceptable in business correspondence. The one exception may be when you're sending an email to a colleague that you're friendly with.

The same thing pretty much goes for emojis. Strike them from your professional emails, including your sign-offs, unless the recipient is someone you know well, or it makes sense in the context.

Sending the wrong message

Some email closings come off as brusque, flippant, passive-aggressive, presumptuous, or even arrogant. You don't want to imply such messages when you sign off on your correspondence. Here are some examples of sign-offs to avoid entirely:

• Hope that makes sense: This seems to imply that you aren't confident in the reader's ability to get the message.
• Good luck: Half of the time, when people say "good luck" in real life, they truly mean that they wish good fortune on another person. The other half of the time, they're being sarcastic. In an email, there's no guarantee the reader will interpret your message optimistically.
• Blessed day: It's best not to assume the reader will be OK with the religious or spiritual undertones in this sign-off.
• Love: This is too intimate for business emails. A business email is not a love letter.
• Just your name: Some people forgo the complimentary close. Instead, they write a dash, followed by their name or initials. This is the email equivalent of waving someone off as you walk away. It's as though you couldn't be bothered to look at the other person and say goodbye.

Summary 

Ultimately, ending an email professionally is about understanding what is appropriate for the context. While there are some hard-set rules (no spelling mistakes or punctuation errors) and general best practices (avoiding emojis and exclamation points), the rest depends on factors like the recipient and the occasion.

Whatever the case may be, all well-closed emails do have at least one thing in common: They convey a sense of sincerity. Genuineness is what ensures that your emails leave a good impression.

FAQs 

1. What is the best sign-off for a formal email?
   ⁠The best sign-off for a formal email is the one that is appropriate for your objective and audience. If your objective is to show that you're thankful, you probably want to use a sign-off like "Respectfully" or "With gratitude".In contrast, if your email discusses a project or includes a call to action, you might use something like "Looking forward to your thoughts" or "Eagerly awaiting your response." This will encourage further communication if matters need to be discussed further.
2. Can I use emojis in my email closing line?
   ⁠In a formal business email, you should avoid using emojis. It isn't appropriate when you're trying to maintain a professional tone. However, if your reader is a friendly colleague or an easygoing client, emojis may be acceptable. You have to understand the nature of your relationship with the reader and use your good judgment.
3. Is it OK to use a creative email closing in a professional email?
   ⁠It most certainly is, so long as it helps you achieve your main objective and maintains an appropriate tone. A creative email closing could also help you make a lasting impression if you get it right, especially since billions of emails are sent all around the world every year. Just make sure it'll make sense to the reader and that it follows the general rules of professional emails.