At some point when writing an email, you’ve probably had to deal with a sign-off dilemma. It’s trickier with work emails, since we don’t want to scare off potential clients, or weird out our bosses, or come across as rude. And sometimes that can make figuring out how to end an email more stressful than actually writing the message.
To get some guidance about the best way to close an email, Refinery 29 did some very unscientific research in the form of a Twitter poll.
It reveals that people have some strong feelings on the subject of email sign-offs, but what some people prefer, others loathe, so how should we be closing our work emails? Basically, there’s not one certain “right way.” You’ll never please everyone, so aiming for neutral is best - which means no “Love” or “Thanks a million” sign-offs.
Always think about your audience and the context of the message first and one of these safe and solid closings will probably work for most work emails.
"Best" - It’s one of the most widely used email closings and one of the safest. “Best” is a short version of “Best regards” or “Best wishes” and it’s friendly but professional “without trying too hard.”
"Thanks!" - This classic sign-off works with or without the exclamation point and conveys gratitude, professionalism, and friendliness, so when in doubt, go with “Thanks!”
"Regards" - When coming across as professional is your main goal, you can’t go wrong with “regards.” It can sound a little stuffy, so if it’s a casual conversation, it may be too formal.
"Talk Soon" - This one has a more relaxed tone and implies that you’ll continue to correspond, so it’s a great closing for when you want to keep a conversation going.
"Warmly" - While it won’t work for all work emails, it can be appropriate in professional emails because it adds some, well, warmth to what may be an impersonal setting. But only use it of it works with the tone of what you’re saying, and probably not to sign off on a stern message.