In this post, I’m going to teach you three professsional email sign offs. Replace the overused email ending ‘looking forward to hearing from you’, with one of these three modern alternatives.
We can’t always use the same email sign off because the tone and purpose of the emails we send constantly varies. Sometimes we need a formal way to end an emails, whereas other times we want to keep the tone casual. This is why I’m going to teach you different ways to end a professional email.
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Best Ways to Sign Off an Email
“looking forward to hearing from you“ ← STOP USING THIS IMMEDIATELY
The common email phrase “looking forward to hearing from you“ has a demanding tone. This phrase is often used for ending emails that require a response. However, this common email sign off should not be used because it is unprofessional and pushy.
Confident email sign off
“I look forward to your input on this”
This email sign off is similar to the one above, however there is a subtle change to make the tone less needy and more confident.
When we change the email ending very slightly to, “I look forward to your input on this”, we are switching the attention and the need from you to your input. This is a very subtle deflection which makes the email closing seem a lot calmer and more detached.
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 create the impression that you are a relaxed businessperson, this phrase can be used to sign off your emails.
I think this is quite a modern way of saying the same thing as “looking forward to hearing from you”, but with a relaxed and confident tone.
When sending a casual email that doesn’t require a response, you may also use the common email ending phrase “thanks”. This phrase is suitable to use with colleagues or business associates whom you frequently correspond with, but bear in mind it can seem abrupt.
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 get a response to your email without having to chase with another email, you should mention when you would like a response by and give them a reason why.
When you give someone a reason (even if it is an obvious or ‘weak’ reason), they’re still more likely to respond. For example, “I’m interested to hear your input on this by Tuesday because I need to get moving on this”. The other person knows that you want their response because you’re saying that phrase. But when you give them the time and the reason, they’re more likely to do what you want.
Did you notice the use of the phrasal verb “to get moving” in that previous example? This means, I want to move forward. I want to do this thing. I want to start now.
This trick is certain to increase the number of responses your emails get!
Extend Your Learning : Professional Skills Lessons
▶︎ Watch my video on How to Give Constructive Criticism
▶︎ How to use question words Inquiry, Query & Enquiry
▶︎ Learn some common email sign offs via EngVid.
▶︎ Stop sounding weak! Watch my lesson on confident language.
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