Many English learners end professional emails with the phrase “looking forward to hearing from you”. This phrase often sounds demanding and pushy, especially when a response is expected. For this reason, it is best avoided in professional emails. In this post, you will learn three more professional email sign-offs that sound polite, modern, and appropriate in different situations.
Confident email sign-off
“I look forward to your input on this”
This email sign-off is similar to “looking forward to hearing from you”, but the tone is less needy and more confident.
By saying “I look forward to your input on this”, the focus shifts away from the person and onto the information you need. This small change creates distance and makes the closing sound calmer and more professional.
One drawback is that it can sound slightly mechanical, as the word “input” comes from computing and corporate language. Because of this association, it may also sound a little over the top in a small office or informal workplace.
Email Sign Offs for a Formal Email
“Awaiting your input on this”
For this formal email sign off, I am using the formal word, “awaiting”. This word isn’t usually used in day-to-day speech. It is an older word which means “waiting.”
It is acceptable to use formal language like “awaiting” in formal business communication. This formal email sign off is suitable for emails that are being sent to traditional or formal businesses like solicitors, lawyers or government institutions.
When sending a formal email that doesn’t require a response, you may also use the common email ending phrase “best regards”. This phrase is suitable in nearly all formal email correspondence. Though bear in mind, this phase may make you seem a bit stiff and stuffy, to some people.
Email Sign Offs for Ending an Email with a Casual Tone
“Interested to hear your input on this”
If you want to keep your email casual and sound relaxed, this sign-off works well. It creates the impression of a confident and easy-going businessperson.
This is a modern alternative to “looking forward to hearing from you”, but with a calmer and less demanding tone.
For casual emails that do not require a reply, you can also end the message with “thanks”. This is common when writing to colleagues or business contacts you email regularly. However, be aware that it can sometimes sound abrupt, especially in more formal situations.
Alternative words to use in your email sign offs
We can also swap out the ending of the three email sign offs to create more variations. Here are some alternatives:
“feedback” (n)
This word has a similar meaning to “input”. Input is more, “what do you have to say”, whereas feedback is more like, “review what I’ve written and give me your opinion”.
These two words are both uncountable nouns, therefore you would never say “inputs” or “feedbacks”. Our three phrases would be:
I look forward to your feedback on this,
Awaiting your feedback on this,
Interested to hear your feedback on this,
“thoughts” (plural n)
“opinion” (n)
We can also use “thoughts” or “opinion” to be a bit more general. I would slightly adapt my phrases when using these words:
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this,
I look forward to getting your opinion on this,
How to write your email to get a response
If you want to receive a response without having to send a follow-up email, it helps to say when you need a reply and explain why.
When you give a reason, even a simple or obvious one, people are more likely to respond. For example: “I’m interested to hear your input on this by Tuesday because I need to get moving on it.” The reader already knows you want a response, but adding a time and a reason makes that request clearer and harder to ignore.
Notice the phrasal verb “get moving” in that example. It means to move forward and start taking action.
Using this approach can significantly increase the number of replies you receive to your emails.
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