Ending Sentences for Email

Email beginnings and endings are the biggest challenges for people. So I wrote about them in the latest issue of Better Writing at Work. This post is excerpted from that issue.

The last sentence of an email is like the last words of a phone call. They may be a quick signoff or a courteous close, depending on the formality of the communication.

Examples: 

• See you in Montreal!
• Have a great trip!
• I will email you in August to schedule lunch.
• Please call me with any questions.
• Thanks again for all your help with the artwork.
• Thank you for your business. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you.

Avoid continuously using "Have a great day!" or a similar expression as your closing sentence. It becomes meaningless with constant use, and it is a bad fit with email messages that communicate policies or announcements.

 

It is not wise to save any request for action or approval until the end. Email readers do not read to the end of a message when they believe they have gotten the main point already. 

 

For more about email, including subject lines, greetings, and closes (Best wishes, Cheers, etc.), subscribe to Better Writing at Work.

 

I will be traveling for a couple of weeks, so please consider this my ending sentence until early July.

 

Ciao!

 

Lynn

Syntax Training

 

P.S. When I proofread this post, I realized what a different tone I use in the e-newsletter and this blog. That should be the topic of a future post here!

Comments

[Sung Kyu Chun]

That is very helpful for me.
I have been working with Canadian lawyers for 5months. I have to write lots of emails to discuss deal structure.
Could you recommend proper begings of email as well?

[Murray Moman]

Dave Clarke on webworkerdaily.com also has some great thoughts on email endings.

http://webworkerdaily.com/2010/06/08/sincerely-me-what-our-email-sign-offs-say-about-us/

[Nina]

Hi! I am planning a one-day writing class for our company found your blog while surfing for ideas. Nice blog!

[kg]

Love your site, but this particular post has an error in the examples.

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

I am back from my vacation and glad you left comments here.

Sung Kyu Chun, subscribe to "Better Writing at Work" at http://syntaxtraining.com/signup.html to read the article about email beginnings and endings.

Murray, thanks for the link to Dave Clarke's good article.

Nina, I hope your workshop went beautifully.

Kg, thanks for mentioning an error. I found it and will correct it. That's what happens when I try to post something here minutes before leaving for the airport.

Lynn

[Patricia]

If I am waiting for an answer I always end with "I look forward to hearing from you."

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Patricia, good suggestion. I like that ending too.

Lynn