You only have a few words to make an impression and end an email convince the reader to take action.
Even if you have a meeting request subject line, how you end an email is just as important as how you begin an email.
Furthermore, the way you end an email can say a lot about you as a person and as a professional.
For example, if you close by saying “Cheers,” people may get the impression that you are a fun person.
If you use “Greetings” you might be seen as more formal and reserved.
There’s nothing wrong with either approach. But it’s important to be aware of how your email signature might be perceived by your reader.
Useful tip
In the worst case, try ending your email with something overseas data neutral like “Best regards” or “Sincerely.” These endings are appropriate for almost any situation and won’t offend or discourage the reader.
With this in mind, here are some general tips to keep in mind when choosing an email signature:
Make it short.
When in doubt, less is more. A farewell message should be just a few words. Anything longer than that risks sounding too familiar or formal.
The best email signatures are short and to the point. You don’t need to know how to write an email; a simple, sincere statement is enough.
It’s also important to avoid anything too familiar. You may use the familiar form with the recipient, but that doesn’t mean you should sign with
“With love,
Your name”
There’s nothing wrong with being friendly, but you don’t want to come across as too familiar or unprofessional.
Choose a signature that is appropriate for the situation.
This is especially important for prospecting emails . You want to strike the right balance between friendly and professional.
If you’re emailing a potential client for the first time, the dawn of social bot detection signing off with “Cheers” is probably not the best idea.
Instead, you could choose a slightly more formal signature, such as “Sincerely” or “Best.”
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. If you have a good relationship with your client or prospect, feel free to be more informal in your email signature.
Just make sure you know your audience before you start getting too familiar.
Be mindful of your tone.
The end of your email should match the tone of your message.
For example, if you are sending a fun, lighthearted email, it might be appropriate to end with something like “Cheers” or “Have a nice day.”
On the other hand, if you are sending a more serious email, china business directory you could end it with something like “Regards” or “Sincerely.”
The bottom line is that you want your email signature to match the tone of your message.
This way, you will give the impression of being consistent and professional.
Avoid using cheesy phrases.
It’s okay to be friendly in an email, but there’s no need to overdo it.
Nice phrases like “Hugs!” or “XOXO” are best reserved for personal end an email correspondence, not business emails.
And before you say, “There’s no way people do that,” we’ve seen it happen more times than we can count.
So, unless you’re emailing your best friend—for some reason—it’s probably best to avoid using fancy phrases in your email signature.
Useful tip
If you’re not sure whether a signature is too fancy, ask yourself this question: Would I use this signature in an email to my boss? If the answer is no, it’s probably best to avoid it.
Don’t overthink it. Ultimately, the most important thing is that you sound like yourself.
So don’t get hung up on choosing the “perfect” signature for your email.
Just choose something that feels natural and appropriate for the situation, just like you do with email subject lines.
And with that, we’ll wrap up this article with a few email closing examples you can use in different situations.