Best Practices and Techniques on How to Write a Thank-You Email

What is a thank-you email and when to send it

A thank-you email is a short message that shows gratitude or appreciation to someone for something they’ve done for the sender. Whether it’s saying thank you for the ongoing collaboration or a job interview, thank-you emails show that you are interested in pursuing or continuing the partnership.

There are many situations where showing gratitude with a message like this would be appropriate — let’s take a look at some examples.

Event participation

Contacting the people who attended your events and showing that you value their interest in your business is a great outreach strategy that can make an impact on their decisions in the future. Here, thank-you emails essentially function as a little helping hand that offers the next stage of a marketing funnel to your leads.

Sending thank-you emails to, for example, webinar attendees also gives you a nice opportunity to offer your products and services more directly.

Job interviews

If you’re looking for a job, you may assume that a very good cover letter in your job application, or interview performance will go a much longer way than just sending more emails. While a thank-you email won’t save you from rejection after a botched interview, a poorly filled application, or an internship that went wrong, contacting HR to show gratitude is still not a bad idea. If you write a good thank-you email, you will reaffirm your interest in the position and it’s a great chance to reassure your potential employer that you’re qualified enough.

It works the other way around too, by the way! Sending a thank-you email after an interview or an internship to prospective employees creates a better HR brand and increases the candidates’ interest in working for your company.

After a sales call

If you had a product demo or pitch call after cold outreach, contacting your lead to say thank you is a wise decision. By doing so, you’ll show how much you appreciate your prospect’s time they spent learning about your company.

A personalized thank-you email allows you to highlight specific points discussed during the meeting and demonstrate how your business aligns with the customer’s needs and goals. By emphasizing the potential benefits of working together, you will create and enforce the connection with your customers and increase the chances of a long-term partnership with them.

Why sending a thank-you email is important

Thank-you emails are not salesy or persuasive in any other way, so you may think of them as an unimportant email etiquette ritual. However, while it doesn’t directly move you towards the goal, it increases the probability of achieving it — here’s how:

• They act as a reminder. Imagine the workload of an average HR — it’s probably at least a couple of interviews per day, excluding the internal stuff. In this situation, it’s easy to forget some of the past and future meetings. So, a thank-you email goes beyond “I’m grateful for an interview” — it’s also “You interviewed me recently”.
• They show you in a good light. If you don’t write a thank-you email, it won’t cause you problems in most situations. However, sending one is a polite gesture that will make a good impression — prospects will think that you’re a nice person and that working with you is pleasant. It can also contribute to your workplace relationships — sending a thank-you email to a colleague can help both you and your team.
• They may be your “last chance”. Consider a thank-you email another chance to reinforce certain points like your product’s unique value or your qualifications for the job. It can work as a great promotion tactic. Don’t be too pushy though — gratitude first!

So, do you have to send thank-you emails? The world won’t collapse if you don’t but sending such messages can turn out useful in some cases.

Best words and phrases to use

There are many ways to say thank you that differ in formality. Let’s take a look at some examples of useful phrases for general, formal, and informal thank-you emails.

General

Struggle with the appropriate tone of voice for a thank-you message? Stick to the neutral one. Here are some alternative expressions of gratitude for a general thank you email.

Formal

In a more formal environment, a simple “thank you” might be a little inappropriate. However, there are alternative ways to make it sound more professional. Here are the phrases to use in formal communication with a business partner, a customer, or a potential employer.

Informal

Informal thank-you emails are usually more casual and friendly. If you have a close or personal relationship with the recipient (even if it’s a colleague), going informal is the right way.

Below are some informal phrases you can use in a thank-you email.

How to write a professional thank-you email

Let’s break down the structure of a thank-you email and discuss what should be in each element from a subject line to a sign-off.

Subject line

The subject line is an important element in your email, which affects whether your email will be opened or not. Keep it clear and simple, and make sure to mention what you are thankful for.

Here are some examples of subject lines for professional thank-you emails: 

• Thank you for your purchase. 
• Thank you for your support. 
• Thank you for choosing us.

In principle, these subject line templates work for any situation you might be in: job interviews, events, etc.

Greeting

The greeting of your thank-you email sets the tone for your message. Choose an appropriate greeting based on your relationship with the recipient. 

Here are some examples of greetings:

• Dear [First name]: a formal greeting suitable for both professional and casual emails.
• Dear Mr./Ms. [Last name]: can be used if you want to maintain a high level of formality and respect.
• Hello/Hi [First name]: suitable for professional and casual emails you may send to a colleague.
• Dear [Company name] team: good for situations when, for example, you’ve had a job interview with several people at once and you’re sending a thank-you email to a company’s address like [email protected].
• Hello/Hi/Hey [Company name] team: same as above but informal, use if appropriate.

Body

In the body of the email, personalize your message and tell the recipient why exactly you’re thanking them. If you only write in generic expressions of gratitude with no detail, it won’t look genuine. Here’s an example:

But what if you’re sending a thank-you email to a customer? For example, someone who’s been loyal to your company for many years. A good period to do that is at the start of a new year for the business. For instance, your Happy New Year email could also include words of appreciation. Should you go into heavy detail here? Here’s how to do it:

Sign-off

You might think that two thank-yous (in the subject line and your main message) are enough. And we are here to disappoint you — it isn’t! Sprinkle a little gratitude in the end, especially if your message was long. Let’s review some examples of how to end the thank-you email:

• Thanks again. Looking forward to collaborating with you in the future.
• Thank you for your consideration. I would be excited to continue our partnership.
• Thanks for your consideration in advance. I’d be happy to hear any feedback from you.
• Thanks for your dedication. It was a pleasure to discuss this project with you.
• Thanks again. Cheers to more projects together!

To make your email even better, use one of the nice and warm sign-off phrases, like:

• Sincerely
• Kind regards
• Many thanks
• Best wishes
• With sincere thanks
• With gratitude
• Warm regards
• Many thanks
• Regards

Note that the sign-offs vary in formality — for example, “Sincerely” and “Regards” are on the more formal side, while “Best wishes“ are more informal. Choose the sign-off that corresponds to the general tone of voice you use in the email. 

Signature

Let’s be clear: yes, you can put your name as a signature and call it a day (e.g. “Best regards, John”). That is if the recipient knows exactly who you are. But in any other case — so pretty much in most of them — it’s better to use the signature in full. For a personal email account, include your full name and contact information. For a professional one, add to that your job title or role, company name, and details (like a link to the website and physical address). 

Let’s look at the example of what our “Best regards, John” will turn into in the professional email:

Many email clients and software platforms offer the option to set up an automated signature to be attached to your outgoing emails. This feature helps to achieve consistency in your email communications and save time by not having to manually type your signature each time you send an email. You can also use third-party email signature generators like MySignature.

Tips on writing a thank-you email

Now that you know the importance of thank-you emails and got a whole thesaurus of gratitude in your head, let’s learn some tips that will help you write a meaningful thank-you email.

Send an email promptly

The best time to send a thank-you email is to do it straight after the interaction with the recipient — it’s usually done within 24 hours after a business call, an interview, or any other event.

For example, you had a meeting with a potential business partner to discuss your future work collaboration. Aim to send a thank-you email on the same day after that meeting took place while the details of the things discussed are still fresh in their minds. Sending a thank-you email will show your appreciation for their time and help to emphasize the importance of your collaboration for your business. 

Keep a positive tone

Thank-you email should have a positive and friendly tone throughout the email. Use professional language that reflects your brand’s personality and aligns with the overall customer experience.

It’s easier to explain this with some examples — have a look:

Express genuine gratitude

Clearly express your gratitude in a genuine manner. Be specific about what you’re thankful for and how it has positively impacted your organization or benefited you personally. This will also make your message stand out in the recipient’s inbox — for example, imagine how many emails HRs get during the hiring process!

Here’s a good example of a post-event thank-you email that describes the event in great detail:

In comparison, here’s a bad example of a body text of a thank-you email, giving general information and not being specific about particular aspects of the event:

Thank-you email samples and templates to use

Still can’t write a good thank-you email that doesn’t look clumsy? Can only think of vague “thanks for everything” phrases? Take a look at some of these thank-you email templates that can act as a good baseline for your message.

For customers

Usually, thank-you emails for customers include personal greetings and appreciation for choosing specific services or products, followed by an invitation to any questions or call to action. You can adjust the template below and add something more, like a special offer to show your gratitude, a curated list of products your clients swear by, or something similar. Make an opportunity out of a thank-you message!

Post-interview

Use the template below to express appreciation for the opportunity after taking a job interview.  Don’t hesitate to add specific skills and previous experience that will be valuable for the position you are applying to. Alternatively, you can mention what excites you about the role (for example, you appreciate the challenges that go with it) or the company as a whole (like the collaborative atmosphere or importance of the product the company has been working on).

Post-event

The template below will help you to craft a thank-you for event attendees. This example is a general one, so you can add more details: for example, a rundown of upcoming events, or offers from event partners as a special gift to ticket holders.

After a sales call

This template will help you show appreciation to a potential client after a sales call. While adjusting it, think of including a few more details relevant to your future customer needs. For example, you can attach a quick discussion summary or a prospect they might find interesting — that will be a nice touch.

Final thoughts

Thank-you emails are essential in today’s world of communication. It’s a thoughtful way to leave a positive impression on any person you need to work or collaborate with. 

Let’s quickly review all the golden rules of an effective and professional thank-you email:

• Send your email within 24 hours after your conversation with the recipient, while the discussion or meeting is still fresh in their memory. Make sure to mention why you are thanking them!
• Be friendly, polite, and cordial. Keep in mind that in some situations, it’s best to maintain a professional tone, especially if you are unsure which approach to choose.
• Add specific details and personalize your emails. This way, you will showcase yourself as not only polite but also a detail-oriented and caring person.

Thank-you emails can be hard to write, but they are essential for building bridges with people around you. Appreciation and gratitude can also bring you amazing opportunities. And while we’re at it — thank you for reading this article!