Should you optimize your email sign-offs? Does it even matter? Are there any benefits to adding one to your email campaigns?
Sign-offs are the last things we write in our emails. That doesn’t mean it should be put last. Those last few words are powerful—if you know what you’re doing.
We’re here to help with just that! In this article, we’ll be going over:
- The importance of email sign-offs.
- How to optimize your sign-offs.
- Sign-off templates you can try out.
- Sign-offs you should avoid.
- Best practices to consider.
Are Email Sign-Offs Important?—Yes!
Email marketing is competitive. Competitors are doing the same thing you are. Take every advantage you can. Sign-offs are an excellent start at making lasting impressions. But, we don’t want to make the wrong ones.
There are a couple of routes to creating our own unique sign-offs. Studies suggest that workplaces develop their own unique email style that reflects organizational culture.
However, when it comes to email marketing or sending cold emails, that’s an entirely different story. What we want to do is optimize our sign-offs.
How to Optimize Email Sign-Offs
Before we start optimizations, there are some rules we need to consider such as:
- The tone and intent of your overall email.
- Including an email signature.
- Considering your audience.
- Ensuring proper grammar in every part of the email.
We need to understand the overall context of the email and who we’re sending it. Will the sign-off fit the context and does the tone match the relationship you have with your prospect?
It’s also important to set up our email signatures. Even if the intro, body, and sign-off are somewhat semi-formal, a proper email signature just makes you look all the more legitimate.
Lastly, grammar can make or break your email. As a refresher, the first letter of your sign-off should be the only thing capitalized and it should end with a comma.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the most effective email sign-offs you can take inspiration from.
Formal Email Sign-offs
Remember, your sign-offs are only as effective as the majority of your email’s content. That means optimizing the email subject lines, intros, body, and CTA.
Once you’re happy with your draft, wrap things up nicely with one of these email sign-offs:
Thanks in advance,
Boomerang did an amazing study on email sign-offs and found that “Thanks in advanced” was the sign-off with the highest response rates.
In fact, most “thankful” sign-offs had the highest response rates out of all emails. The reasoning for this plays into our psychology.
A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology revealed that emails expressing gratitude were twice as likely to offer help than those without.
Looking forward to learning more,
One of the best sales strategies is to position yourself not as a salesperson but as a consultant. This email sign-off does just that.
It’s like saying you want to learn more so you can better understand their unique pain points and provide value. If you want to build relationships fasters—give this sign-off a try!
Will follow up soon,
If you’re doing cold sales emails or email nurturing—you’re sure to send follow-up emails. “Will follow up soon” makes this even more apparent. Just make sure you don’t forget to follow up.
This can happen to even the best email marketers. To ensure this doesn’t happen, use an email marketing tool that can help you automate and sequence your follow-ups.
Enjoy your time off,
Everybody needs a break. But sometimes, we get so engulfed in our work that we forget about the holidays. This email sign-off helps prospects remember that good days are ahead!
Even if prospects didn’t mention an upcoming holiday, you can easily find out if one is close by with a single Google search. Another great alternative you can use is “Enjoy your break”.
Best regards
If you want a safe choice for your email sign-offs, “Best regards” can be your go-to. It’s effective when you’re doing cold emails or contacting prospects who aren’t familiar with your business.
This sign-off is the perfect blend of formal and friendly. You can also use “Regards” as is. But, “Best regards” will always have a friendlier tone to it. “Kind regards” also works great here.
Informal Email Sign-Off Templates to Show Your Creative Side
It’s 2023 and more and more industries are opening up to “creative” modes of communication. If you think the vibe’s right, you can definitely try out the following email sign-offs:
Stay Tuned,
This sign-off is similar to “Will follow up soon” but a bit more casual. This sign-off encourages engagement. Use this if you are actually following up with exciting updates.
Think product updates, discounts, or promos. Also, remember to send updates that are relevant and provide value to your prospects.
Have a good one,
This is like a casual version of “Enjoy your time off”. You can further specify this. For example “Have a good weekend”, “Have a good trip”, or “Have a good {{holiday}}”.
Best, if you want to commit to being casual, “Have a good one” already covers all the bases. It can even make sales emails less transactional.
Nice to meet a fellow {{Fan}}
This is great for building rapport but only works if you’ve done deep research on a prospect or have already built an established relationship.
For example, you can say “Nice to meet a fellow Stephen King fan”. It could literally be anything. Just remember to be genuine and authentic about it. Don’t fake being part of a fandom.
Take it easy,
This sign-off could be the literal poster child of casual email sign-offs. Use this if you already have a good relationship with a prospect.
It might not work if you’re doing a cold email. Before using this, remember to consider your audience and their culture.
Your Friendly Neighborhood [Job Title]
Have you seen Across the Spiderverse? Literally, anybody could be Spiderman. That’s the whole point. So, there’s no reason for you not to be a friendly neighborhood Marketing Head.
But this is a pretty informal sign-off. Use it with caution. With great power comes great responsibility.
Email Sign-Offs You Should Avoid
We’ve seen a list of email sign-offs you can use right off the bat. But there are some examples that could actually be detrimental to your business. So, by all means, avoid the following:
Love,
Use this sign-off if you want to give prospects the most uncomfortable Wednesday of the month. People say not to mix love and work—but, combining both in an email is just going too far.
Yours truly,
You’re not writing a love letter. This won’t work for both formal and informal settings. It’s outdated, even in the context of love letters. So, it’s best to avoid it at all costs.
Peace,
Is there anything worth more than peace and love on the planet Earth? A high-value lead, maybe? You definitely won’t be at peace when prospects don’t respond because of your sign-offs.
Rgds/Thx
If you don’t have time to add vowels, why should prospects give any time to you? If you want to use “Regards or Thanks” do it properly. It shows that you care, even with the little things.
Not Using a Sign-Off
Not a good idea, especially if you haven’t built a relationship with a prospect. This just makes your emails feel impersonal.
Email Sign-Off Best Practices
Now that you’ve got a good set of sales email sign-offs to build from, here’s a look at some best practices to ensure you’ve drafted the best sign-off you possibly can:
Keep Sign-Offs Consistent with the Entire Email
Consider the tone of the overall email. You don’t want to be overly formal in an email where the body isn’t. Keep things consistent, especially in the last stretch of the email.
Use your Prospect’s Email Sign-Off
When in doubt, just copy whatever’s thrown your way. If you’re not sure if “Best regards” is the right sign-off to use, just wait for what your prospect uses and copy that instead. It’s a safe bet.
Email Threads Don’t Need Sign-Offs
If you’re consistently conversing with a prospect, you can start dropping the sign-offs. Using “Regards” four times in a row in a span of 2 days just seems excessive.
Always Personalize
Personalization is email marketing 101—and this definitely applies to your email sign-offs. Learn as much as you can about your prospect and surprise them in the sign-off.
Prospect just get promoted? Use “Congratulations on the promotion”. This is where you can stand out from the rest and show that you genuinely care.
Key Takeaways
Email sign-offs shouldn’t be an afterthought. It can make or break your entire email. So, make sure that you’re doing it right. As a refresher, here’s what you need to do:
- Consider the tone of your overall email.
- Understand the culture of your prospects.
- Always use an email sign-off (but you can drop it during email threads).
- Check your grammar.
- Never use abbreviations.
If you want to optimize and streamline every part of your email marketing campaign from subject lines to sign-offs, you’ll need an intuitive email tool to help you along the way. That’s where Instantly comes in! Start your free trial today!