Professional email sign-offs can make a significant impact on your correspondence. While “Sincerely” is a classic choice, there are many alternatives that can add a personal touch or reflect the tone of your message more accurately.
Choosing the right closing for your emails can enhance your professional image and leave a lasting impression on the recipient. These alternatives range from warm and friendly to formal and respectful, allowing you to tailor your sign-off to the specific context and relationship. By expanding your repertoire of email closings, you can make your communications more effective and memorable.
1. Best regards
“Best regards” offers a polite and professional way to end your emails or letters. It strikes a balance between formality and friendliness, making it suitable for various business situations.
You can use this closing in emails to colleagues, clients, or business partners. For example:
“Thank you for your time. I look forward to our meeting next week.
Best regards, Jane Smith”
This phrase works well when you want to maintain a respectful tone while showing a hint of warmth. It’s appropriate for both new and established professional relationships.
Another example of its use:
“Please find the requested report attached. Let me know if you need any clarifications.
Best regards, John Doe”
2. Yours truly
“Yours truly” is a classic and slightly more formal alternative to “sincerely.” It expresses a sense of dedication and personal commitment to the recipient.
You can use this phrase to close both personal and professional correspondence. It works well for job applications, business letters, and formal emails.
Example:
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours truly, Jane Smith
In less formal settings, you might use it with a slight variation:
I appreciate your help with this project. Let’s catch up next week.
Yours truly, Alex
This closing adds a touch of warmth while maintaining professionalism. It’s especially effective when you want to show genuine interest or gratitude.
3. Respectfully
“Respectfully” is a formal and polite way to end professional correspondence. It shows deference and admiration for the recipient. This closing works well in business emails, job applications, and formal letters.
You can use “Respectfully” when addressing someone in a position of authority or seniority. It’s particularly suitable for official communications with government officials, executives, or academic leaders.
Here are some examples:
“Thank you for considering my application.
Respectfully, Jane Smith”
“I look forward to your response regarding the project proposal.
Respectfully yours, John Doe”
“Respectfully” can also be modified to “Respectfully yours” or “Yours respectfully” for added formality. Choose this closing when you want to strike a balance between professionalism and courtesy in your communication.
4. Best wishes
“Best wishes” is a friendly and versatile sign-off suitable for both professional and personal correspondence. It expresses goodwill towards the recipient without being overly formal.
You can use this phrase in various contexts:
“Thank you for your time. Best wishes, [Your Name]”
“I look forward to our meeting next week. Best wishes, [Your Name]”
“Congratulations on your promotion. Best wishes, [Your Name]”
This closing works well when you want to maintain a positive tone while keeping a professional distance. It’s especially appropriate for emails to colleagues, clients, or acquaintances.
Use “Best wishes” when you want to end your message on an upbeat note. It’s a good choice for farewell emails, congratulatory messages, or general correspondence.
5. Kind regards
“Kind regards” offers a warm yet professional way to close your emails. It strikes a balance between formality and friendliness, making it suitable for various business contexts.
You can use this phrase when corresponding with colleagues, clients, or superiors you have a good working relationship with. It’s especially appropriate for follow-up emails or messages of appreciation.
Here are some examples:
“Thank you for your prompt response. I look forward to our meeting next week.
Kind regards, [Your Name]”
“I’ve attached the requested documents for your review.
Kind regards, [Your Name]”
This closing works well in both formal and semi-formal situations. It shows respect while maintaining a positive tone in your professional communications.
6. With gratitude
“With gratitude” is a warm and appreciative way to close a professional email or letter. It expresses sincere thanks for the recipient’s time, effort, or consideration.
This phrase works well when you want to acknowledge someone’s help or support. It’s suitable for various business contexts, from thanking a colleague for their assistance to expressing appreciation to a client.
You can use “With gratitude” in different ways:
“With gratitude, [Your Name]”
“With heartfelt gratitude, [Your Name]”
“With deepest gratitude, [Your Name]”
This closing is especially effective after you’ve thanked someone in the body of your message. It reinforces your appreciation and leaves a positive final impression on the reader.
7. Yours faithfully
“Yours faithfully” is a formal and traditional sign-off used primarily in British English. It’s best suited for business correspondence when you don’t know the recipient’s name.
You might use this closing in a job application letter:
Dear Sir/Madam,
[Body of the letter]
Yours faithfully, [Your Name]
This phrase shows respect and professionalism. It’s especially appropriate when addressing someone by their title rather than their name.
In a business proposal to an unknown recipient, you could write:
Dear Director,
[Proposal details]
Yours faithfully, [Your Name]
8. Warm regards
“Warm regards” offers a friendly yet professional tone for your email sign-offs. It strikes a balance between formality and approachability, making it suitable for various business contexts.
You can use this closing when you want to express genuine warmth while maintaining professionalism. It works well for colleagues you’ve built a rapport with or clients you’ve interacted with frequently.
Example usage:
Thank you for your prompt response to our proposal.
Warm regards, Sarah Johnson
Another scenario:
I look forward to our meeting next week to discuss the project timeline.
Warm regards, Michael Chen
This sign-off helps you create a positive impression and foster good relationships in your professional communications.
9. Thanks and regards
“Thanks and regards” combines gratitude with a polite closing. This phrase works well for professional emails where you want to express appreciation while maintaining a formal tone.
You can use this sign-off after completing a project or receiving assistance from a colleague. It’s suitable for both internal and external business communications.
Example:
Thank you for your prompt response to my inquiry.
Thanks and regards, [Your Name]
This closing is versatile and can be adapted to fit various situations. You might modify it slightly based on the context of your email:
“Many thanks and warm regards,” “Thanks and best regards,”
These variations allow you to adjust the level of warmth or formality as needed for your specific email exchange.
10. Yours cordially
“Yours cordially” offers a formal yet warm closing for professional emails. This phrase strikes a balance between politeness and friendliness. You can use it when corresponding with clients, colleagues, or business partners.
Here’s an example:
Dear Mr. Johnson,
Thank you for your inquiry about our services. I’ve attached a detailed proposal for your review. Please let me know if you need any clarification.
Yours cordially, Sarah Smith
This closing works well in business settings where you want to maintain professionalism while showing courtesy. It’s particularly suitable for ongoing professional relationships or when addressing someone you’ve met before.
11. With respect
“With respect” is a formal and polite way to end professional correspondence. It shows deference and esteem for the recipient.
This closing works well in situations where you want to acknowledge the recipient’s authority or expertise. It’s particularly suitable for formal business letters or emails to superiors.
Example usage:
Dear Professor Smith,
Thank you for considering my research proposal. I look forward to your feedback.
With respect, Jane Doe
You can also use this closing when addressing government officials or in legal communications:
Dear Councilmember Johnson,
I appreciate your attention to our neighborhood’s concerns about traffic safety.
With respect, John Smith
12. Many thanks
“Many thanks” is a warm and professional alternative to “sincerely” when closing an email or letter. It expresses gratitude while maintaining a polite tone suitable for business communications.
This phrase works well in various professional contexts. You can use it after receiving assistance from a colleague or to acknowledge a client’s business.
Here are some examples:
“Many thanks for your prompt response to our inquiry. Best regards, Jane Smith”
“Thank you for your ongoing support. Many thanks, Michael Johnson”
“I appreciate your help with the project. Many thanks, Sarah Williams”
This closing is versatile and can be adapted to fit different situations. You can personalize it by adding specifics about what you’re thankful for, enhancing its impact.
Conclusion
Choosing the right way to end your professional emails matters. The alternatives to “Sincerely” we’ve explored offer fresh options to close your messages. These sign-offs can help you build better connections with colleagues and clients.
Try out different closings to see what works best for you. Mix it up based on who you’re writing to and why. With practice, you’ll find the perfect ways to wrap up your emails with style and professionalism. Your email endings will leave a lasting positive impression on recipients.
