Business letters are professional pieces of writings that convey crucial information. If you want to leave a notable impression on your reader, it's important to be on-point, professional, and adopt the right tone.
In this guide, you’ll specifically learn everything you need to know about writing closings for business letters.
Here's what this article will cover:
- Why closing a letter the right way is important?
- Closing phrases for ending your letter
- Closings for professional letters
- What type of closings should you avoid in professional letters?
- What should you include in your letter endings?
- Some mistakes that you can avoid while closing a letter
- How should you format a letter ending
- How can you include your signature?
- Top tips for ending your letter
- Bottom Line
Why Closing a letter the right way is important?
Closing a letter the right way is essential as this is the last section your audience will read. Thus, making sure to incorporate the right, rather professional tone into the closing of the letter is vital to write an intriguing business letter. Closings generally establish a tone for correspondence in the future.
The closing of your letter should entirely be based on what you want your audience to understand. It can offer additional information the readers need to analyze your personal details like full name, phone number, job title, and so on. Thus, in a nutshell, letter endings play a crucial role in helping your readers understand your message loud and clear.
Closing phrases for ending your letter
Now that you know why letter closings are imperative, you might want to understand how to close a letter. Here are some closing phrases that may come in handy t you while ending your letter.
Popularly used
Let's discover some of the most standard and regularly used letter closings.
Kind regards
This sign-off is comparatively more common while writing a professional letter. It correctly balances out the professional and personable tone, thereby leaving your readers hooked into reading your letter. It also appreciates the reader due to which is ideal for follow-up, check-in, and even update emails.
Sincerely
Sincerely, without a doubt, is one of the most highly used closing phrases as it is ideal for every other professional letter. It showcases your sincerity to the readers.
Looking forward to hearing back from you
This is also an exceptional closing phrase that you can use while writing business letters concerning a favor or follow up. Letting your reader know that you’re expecting to stay in touch or hearing back from them encourages the reader to keep you in the loop and update you.
With appreciation
Another answer on how to sign off a letter is to add ‘with appreciation’ as the closing phrase. This is an excellent way to acknowledge your audience and offer your kind regards to them.
Thank you for taking out your time to read this
This closing phrase is an excellent approach towards letting your reader know how appreciative you are of them for reading your letter. This is one of the most highly recommended closing phrases as it highlights how considerate you are.
Closings for professional letters
The answer to how to end a business letter varies based on the type of letter you want to write. Professional or business letters should all end with extremely specific closing phrases to sound appropriate and professional. While writing to your professional contacts like crucial stakeholders and managers, here are some of the closing phrases you can use.
- Regards,
- Respectfully,
- Thank you,
- With gratitude,
- Cordially,
- In sympathy,
- Best regards,
Informal closings
Informal closings are essential while writing to your close colleagues or business professionals that you engage with regularly. It not only adds a personal and warm touch to your letter but is also appropriate for that respective letter. Given below are some standard informal closings that you can use.
- All the best,
- Talk soon,
- Thanks,
- All the best,
- Warm wishes,
- Many thanks,
- Have a good day,
What type of closings should you avoid in professional letters?
Even while writing casual business letters, you must avoid using certain informal closings as they are simply unprofessional and inappropriate. Making sure that your email falls between the line of personable and professional touch is thus critical. Given below are some informal closings you should avoid incorporating in business emails at all costs.
- Always,
- Love,
- Yours truly,
- Yours,
- Cheers,
- XOXO,
- With Love
What should you include in your letter endings?
Every letter ending consists of about 4-5 elements that you must include without fail. Let’s take a look at these elements.
A closing line
A closing line or closing phrase is a source of showing gratitude towards your reader. It is an outstanding call-to-action and acknowledgment statement that can set a proper ending for your email. It further also suggests that you are expecting a response from the recipient. Here is how your closing sentence should look like-
Thank you for taking the time out to interview me. I am looking forward to hearing back from you at the latest!
Sincerely
XYZ
Your first and last name
The next aspect of ending your letter is to add your full name. This helps your reader read the letter without any confusion as to who send the letter to them. They can moreover even recall your encounter while reading the letter. This can drastically improve your chance of receiving a response at the latest.
Your job title
Using your present job title isn’t quite essential. However, it is an excellent way of telling your reader what you do professionally. For instance,
Emily Blunt
Marketing Manager
Contact details
The last aspect of ending your letter is to add your contact details for your reader to get back to you. Adding your phone number can help your reader reach out to you easily.
Some mistakes that you can avoid while closing a letter
One must ensure avoiding adding the wrong details into their business letters. This will leave a poor impression on your readers. Here are some elements to keep in mind while writing your letter endings.
Avoid inappropriate closing phrases
One of the most critical elements to remember about how to end a formal email is to AVOID inappropriate and informal closing phrases. Make sure that you are professional while writing your mail. Make use of distinguishing context clues while analyzing the correct tone of the closing. While emailing an individual you’ve never encountered, keep the tone of the closing as professional as you can. On the other hand, you can add casual closing phrases while writing to your stakeholders and colleagues that you engage with regularly.
Avoid unprofessionalism
Along with adding the direct closing phrase, ensure that your entire email is crisp and professional matters. Adding words like ‘chat soon’ can show signs of unprofessionalism. Instead, only use appropriate and formal words like ‘looking forward to hearing back from you at the latest.’
Avoid using only your first name
Another mistake that many people make while writing the closing of a letter is using their first name. One must incorporate their full name while closing the letter. This helps your reader identify who you are and can avoid unnecessary confusion.
The capitalization of a Closing
There are several rules on how to end an email with thank you. While learning how to close a formal letter, you must ensure an understanding of how the capitalization process works.
Always make sure to capitalize the first letter of the initial word of the closing.
If you have more than one word in your closing, only capitalize the first letter of the first word.
How should you format a letter ending
When it comes to formatting your letter ending, here are some things you might want to keep in mind.
- On choosing the right closing phrase or word for signing off, make sure to add a comma, space, followed by your signature.
- While sending a hard copy, make sure to leave not more than four-line space between your name and the closing phrase. This space should further be used for adding your signature.
- While sending your email, ensure leaving a space between the closing phrase and the signature. Also, add your personal details right below the signature.
How can you include your signature?
Adding your signature is a crucial aspect of ending your email. Underneath the letter closing, make sure to add your signature. Adding your signature to your letter depends on the type of letter you’re sending. For instance, the signature on your soft copy letter varies from that of the hard copy letter. A physical letter must include your signature in ink. You should then list the typed signature right below. If you’re writing an email letter, only add the typed signature under the send-off.
Closing phrase Examples
Different letters make use of distinguishing closing phrases for ending the letter. Take a look at the below-mentioned letter types for understanding how to close a formal letter while writing career-related and business emails.
Business Letters
If you’re foreign to writing business letters, make sure that you ensure writing the letter with a professional tone. Add closing phrases like ‘Kind regards my or ‘Hope to talk soon’ in the business letter.
Employment Letters
If you’re seeking a job or are looking forward to hearing back from your job interviewers, ensure writing thank you emails and follow up emails to stay in touch with your employer. Add closing phrases like ‘Respectfully,’ ‘Thank You for hearing me out,’ or even ‘With gratitude’ to show appreciation towards your employer.
Email letters
Lastly, for email letters, add a closing phrase based on the person you’re sending the email to. If you’re drafting an email for your colleagues that you regularly engage with, add closing phrases like ‘All the best,’ ‘Talk soon,’ or ‘Best wishes.’ On the other hand, keep it professional while writing to your professional contacts that you haven’t been in touch with regularly.
Top tips for ending your letter
Every readable and engaging letter endings can help you get the best chance at receiving a response from your recipient or even impressing them with your professionalism or charm. You must consider looking into certain elements before you send your mail to the respective reader. Here are some tips on how to close a letter.
Add a call-to-action
Your closing phrase itself should, in a way, act as a call-to-action. Thus, adding the right closing sentence is crucial so that your recipient understands what you want them to do. Practice ending your letter with instructions, follow-up questions, next steps, and so on so that your reader can engage with you accordingly. Even if you’re added the necessary explanation of why you’re writing the email in the body of your letter, a call-to-action in the form of a closing phrase can act as a reminder for your reader and can also boost your chances of receiving a quick response.
Add an appreciative tone
If you want a real chance at impressing your reader, there is no better way of doing so than adding an appreciative closing phrase. Appreciate your reader for taking their time out to read your letter. This way, your audience will be in awe of how considerate you are. Moreover, it will even leave your audience feeling acknowledged. Moreover, also ensure adding any phrases based on how you want your readers to feel. For instance, if you want to hear back from your reader quickly, incorporate words like ‘immediately’ or ‘at the latest.’
Add relevant information
Make sure that the ending of your letter consists of relevant information that may help your reader contact you. A few of the focal details that you should add in your letter include- date, time, full name, job title, and so on. These details can help your reader recall who you are. Moreover, it can also make your letter much more engaging.
Set the right sign-off tone
Lastly, ensure that what you need to understand from the above-mentioned points is to add the right closing phrases based on the sign-off tone you want to convey. Business letters should consist of professional closings like ‘Thank You’ and ‘Sincerely.’
Bottom Line
These were few relevant tips and tricks on how to end a formal letter of request. Make sure that you follow these guidelines on how to close a business letter to impress your readers and to also show gratitude towards them.
