The Best Email Signature and 15 to Avoid

Sending an email can be a complicated process. If you are sending a business related message you will need to be as respectful as possible, sending one to your child's teacher requires sincerity, one to a family member can be as laid back as you want in many case.

The perfect email means your content is short and to the point, making it easier to read. Your signature must reflect this but also relay your point of view. Whether you're expressing gratitude or waiting for a response, we'll cover the perfect professional email signatures first.

Professional email signatures

As mentioned earlier, the type of endorsements you include in your email will vary depending on who you send it to. It is important to keep your audience in mind when sending any form of written communication. So without further ado, here are some signatures to include in your business emails.

" I hope to have some news soon! »

This type of email signature lets the recipient know that you are expecting a response. Whether it's a resume or a sales pitch, it's only polite for the other person to respond, and including it in your email indicates that you're expecting a response. You can also modify it to say "I look forward to the opportunity to talk to you further".

“Your valuable time is greatly appreciated”

If your recipient is at work, chances are they don't have much time and receive a lot of emails. Including this endorsement is a way of expressing genuine gratitude that warrants a polite response.

" Best wishes! »

A warm greeting is a great way to end an email because it's polite and professional. Some may think it's a bit dated, but it's simple and to the point that's perfect for emails.

Email approvals to avoid

Some of them are acceptable in certain circumstances, but most are not recommended for formal or business emails.

1. Thank you

“Thank you” and the variations with this tangent (“thank you again”, “thank you!” “thank you very much” and so on) all seem a bit misleading. Not only do we all read emails with a bit of a sarcastic tone in our head, but if you're sending emails to ask someone for something – rather than to genuinely express thanks – it's kind of obnoxious. . To avoid.

2. Sincerely

Although you may have been taught to always end a letter – and therefore an email – with sincerity, don't. If you start your email with "Dear," you can end with "sincerely," but otherwise avoid it — even in some formal applications.

3. …soon

"Speak soon", "you speak soon" or even "sooner" - lending with anything "soon" usually commits you to talking to that person again. Great if you're planning on sending a follow-up email or meeting someone in person; less well if you have no intention of making an effort to talk to them. Although this is a flippant response, it may seem insincere.

4. Your name

Ending an email by logging out is considered quite cold and abrupt. Unless this is a final response to an email where you answered a question and received a response, it would not convey any message other than "I'm done talking to you" . It is therefore preferable to avoid leaving only your signature.

5. Your initials

Signing with your initials or your first initial is a little friendlier than writing your full name, but it's still just as abrupt. It also leaves people relatively in the dark about who you are, so really best used if you're talking to someone you already know quite well.

6. Nothing

Surprisingly, ending an email with nothing at all is fine, but you can't do that in your first email. Always finish your email first, and as more and more emails are sent in rapid succession, you can ditch the paperwork.

7. Respectfully

Stiff and outdated. Only bring this one if you are emailing a government official or member of the clergy as “respectfully yours” is the closest standard in this situation.

8. XX [Kisses]

Unless it's a family member or close friend, you shouldn't do this. Some casual working relationships find this acceptable, but it's really something you do with someone you already know you can do it with. Don't throw it at anyone out of the blue, it's scary.

9. Best

This response is, along with "all the best" and "best wishes", a relatively safe ending if you're polite but informal. The more words you add, such as "best wishes" or "all the best", the more formal the sentiment becomes. Some think that "best" and its variants may be too expansive, but for the most part this should serve you well.

10. Yours

"Yours," and its variants ("yours," "always yours," and so on) are at the more formal end of the spectrum. As with "best", the more words you add, the more formal it becomes. "Yours," however, has another complication: many wonder what exactly you're proposing when you say "yours," and "faithfully yours" indicates something incredibly formal like a future marriage proposal. To avoid.

11. "Your Friend"

This one can divide several people. It's just a little too formal and it's a little closer to "sincerely" for some. However, some consider it passable, usually the younger generations as we have befriended most of our colleagues anyway. We don't recommend sending "Your Friend" to an older colleague or one in a position of authority.

12. Thank you very much!

It's not only unprofessional, but it's also a lack of grammar. Depending on your recipient, this might be fine (if it's the last email sent to your IT support team after you resolve your issue, for example).

13. Looking forward to hearing from you

While this may initially come across as a sincere email signature, it can also come across as passive-aggressive. Since tone is not easy to represent correctly in emails, it is best to avoid ambiguous statements.

14. Bravo

Only really acceptable if you're British, otherwise it seems a bit condescending. The same can be said with 'ta', but 'cheers' is usually a preferred response which is also pleasantly laid back and - for us Brits - perfectly acceptable instead of 'thank you' and more formal email signatures. .

15. As always

The generally preferred way to end an email is "as always". It might not be an ideal finisher for a first contact, but it's great for responding to someone you often speak to via email. It has no expectation, connotation or tone to read. It's just that you sign like you.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are times when the perfect email can have a big impact on your next step in life. Here are some more email signature questions to help you send perfect emails.

Is an email signature really a big deal?

It all depends on the context in which you are sending an email. If you're emailing a memo to a co-worker or class notes to a classmate, it's probably not that bad. However, a bad email signature can send the wrong message. For example, if you send "Yes, thank you" to someone trying to help you, it might come across as sarcastic or sarcastic.

Unfortunately, text-based communications lack context, which means it's easy for your recipient to get the wrong idea. So, beware of how your reader will take the message you send because, yes, your reader will likely see your signature.

Should I add a signature?

Absoutely! Listing your name, contact information, and company makes it much easier for your recipient to respond to you in the future. Not to mention that a signature is widely accepted as a symbol of someone who understands how email communications work.

don't think too much about it

If you have already read and re-read an important email before sending it, this section applies to you.

Of course, it's natural to consider who you're sending the email to and why. If it's a sales email, it's best to leave a positive approval that also encourages a response. Something like "I look forward to talking with you further" is ideal here. But, that phrase wouldn't work well in a condolence email for example.

Although it can be intimidating to send an important email, most people usually skim their emails and won't judge you too much on your signature.