How to End Business Email to Look Professional

First impressions count. But what about saying goodbye? Sometimes, a perfectly composed business email can be ruined by one little aspect: the ending. While we pay a lot of attention to the greeting and the main part of any letter, the closing might often be overlooked.

Why is it so important, you might ask? Well, forming a positive impression requires attention to detail, right? And you probably don’t want to spoil your email by finishing it inappropriately. Let’s explore some advice on how to look more professional when ending your letter.

Always end with an email signature

First off, the best thing to do with finishing your email is not taking French leave. It is crucial to thank the addressee for dedicating their time to read your email, state who you are, and maybe wish them a productive day or a nice evening.

Additionally, besides your name and position, it is important to include some short information on how to contact you. It’s best to do it in the form of an email signature. In this way, you don’t have to add this information manually each time, and your letter looks well-structured. This extra information won’t be too distracting for the reader but might be highly useful.

To simplify the task, you can use an email signature generator.email signature

If this process seems a bit confusing for you, take a look at these email signature examples.

Consider what type of letter you are sending

Clearly, the choice of the email ending depends on your letter type. You probably won’t use too formal vocabulary in the email to your employee. At the same time, being excessively friendly with a person you don’t really know won’t do a job either.

The formal letter

The formal letter is the easiest and the hardest one to write. On the one hand, there are precise rules and guidelines to follow, so you don’t have to think too much about how to finish the letter properly. On the other hand, you need to know exactly what to write there. Not every ending that is appropriate for the semi-formal letter can be used in the formal one.

How do you finish the formal email? As throughout the letter, you should be very polite and choose common formal constructions. It is usual to write “Yours sincerely” or “Yours faithfully” in such emails.

The informal letter

Here you have no pressure to be too formal; you can use idioms and contractions. What about finishing such a letter? There are no specific requirements to follow, but surely you should add a few sentences to say thank you and goodbye.

Remember that even though it is an informal letter and you can feel free to use various endings, it is still a business email, so it’s better to avoid being too informal and, for instance, using slang. We will give some more examples of which endings not to use a bit later.

The semi-formal letter

The semi-formal letter stands between the formal letter and the informal one. It is the most neutral style, which you can use to write to your employees, colleagues, or business partners, who you are already acquainted with.

You can end such an email similarly to the formal one. Still, the semi-formal letter gives you more space for emotions. You should stay polite, but don’t be afraid to show some warmth. For example, you can end your letter by wishing the recipient a great day or writing “Warmest wishes.” In the formal letter, those would not be appropriate.

Pay attention to the relationship with the recipient

Even when you decided on the email type, your ending still depends on whom you are addressing the letter to. For example, you might write an informal letter to an employee who is much older than you. In this case, using “Cheers” might not be the best idea.

The ending is not always determined solely by the type of your letter. Maybe your business partner is also your friend? Or you tend to have rather formal relationships with your employees? Your clients might want to see a signature with your company’s website and contact information, while your employees might need to know how to reach out to you personally.

Business email ending examples

Let’s finish with some examples on how to finish your email and how better not.

Sign-off as a professional

Remember that your ending and signature depend on the style of the letter and its recipient. Nevertheless, there are some good examples that will work in any case. Of course, you should choose a more formal or informal one depending on the situation, but none of these endings will show you as unprofessional as they reflect a business tone of writing. These include:

• Best regards
• All the best
• With appreciation
• Yours sincerely
• Kind regards
• Faithfully
• Many thanks
• Many thanks for considering my request.

email signature

Avoid these ending

Remember we said that pretty much any ending can suit the informal letter? Well, there was one clarification. You have to remember that you are writing a business email, not a message on Instagram. So, even if you feel that your addressee is someone you know well, it is better to avoid getting too informal and always stay professional.

Which closings are better to be left for personal communication?

• XOXO
• See ya
• Love
• Thx
• Rgrds.

Imagine that your whole email is well-written, divided into paragraphs, with useful information only, and here comes the “See ya.” It dismisses the tone of all the previous text, doesn’t it?

“Sent from my iPhone” deserved a special mention. Even though it is not informal, this signature does not offer the receiver any useful information and can even be distracting, so it is best to turn it off.

Learning how to say goodbye

Summing up, it is fair to say that your final words matter as much as the first ones. Hoping that no one will read your email all the way to the end is not a good strategy. If you want to make a good impression and look professional, it is necessary to take care of every aspect of your email.