How to End an Email: 30 Sign-Offs & Closing Phrases
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For most business emails, "Best" or "Best regards" is the safe default. Pair it with a specific closing question like "Worth a 15-minute call?" instead of "Hope this helps".
Cold outreach: short sign-off plus a yes/no closing question or an easy out ("happy to stop following up").
Avoid: "Sent from my iPhone", "Thanks in advance", "Yours truly", emoji-only sign-offs in business contexts.
The end of an email is the part recipients remember most. For cold outreach especially, the closing decides whether a busy editor, journalist, or partner replies or hits archive.
A good closing makes the next step easy and small. A bad one kills the rapport you spent the rest of the email building. Below: 30 closings ranked by formality, plus the specific phrases that move cold pitches into replies.
The structure of a good email closing
- A closing phrase that ties off the message ("Looking forward to your thoughts", "Let me know if you have questions").
- A sign-off ("Best", "Best regards", "Sincerely").
- Your name (and signature with title and company for business emails).
The closing phrase is where most people slip. It's also where the most lift comes from: a specific, low-friction call to action beats "Hope this helps" by a wide margin.
Sign-offs by formality
| Sign-off | Formality | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Sincerely | Very formal | Legal, government, official letters |
| Yours sincerely | Very formal | UK formal correspondence |
| Yours faithfully | Very formal | UK formal correspondence to unnamed recipient |
| Respectfully | Very formal | Senior officials, formal requests |
| Best regards | Formal | Most business contexts |
| Kind regards | Formal | UK and EU business standard |
| Warm regards | Formal-friendly | Established business relationships |
| Regards | Formal-neutral | Default professional sign-off |
| Best | Professional-warm | Tech, SaaS, modern business default |
| All the best | Professional-warm | Slightly more personal than 'Best' |
| Many thanks | Professional-warm | When you're asking for or have received help |
| Thanks | Casual-professional | Quick replies, informal teams |
| Thanks again | Casual-professional | Follow-up emails after help received |
| Cheers | Casual-friendly | UK, Australia, US tech and creative |
| Talk soon | Casual | Established relationships |
15 closing phrases that work
Closing phrases for action-required emails
- Looking forward to your thoughts.
- Let me know if any of this works.
- Happy to jump on a quick call if easier.
- Just need a yes or no on [specific item], whenever you have a minute.
- Open to next steps whenever you're ready.
Closing phrases for informational emails
- Let me know if anything's unclear.
- Hope this is useful.
- No reply needed, just keeping you in the loop.
- Hit reply if you want me to dig further.
Closing phrases for asking a favor
- Appreciate any thoughts you can share.
- No worries if it's not a good fit, thanks for considering.
- If this lands at a bad time, totally understand.
- Happy to return the favor any time.
Closing phrases for sales and outreach
- Worth a 15-minute call?
- Should I keep you in the loop or stop following up?
- If [their specific challenge] isn't a priority right now, I'll move on. Just wanted to make sure I caught you.
For more on the outreach side, see email opening lines for the other end of the message and cold email campaigns for the bigger picture.
Which closing is best for a cold sales email?
Right. A specific, low-friction yes/no question outperforms generic closings. The "stop following up" framing also gives them an easy out, which paradoxically improves reply rates.
Cold sales emails reply when you make the next step easy and specific. A clear question or an easy out beats vague friendliness.
Sign-offs to avoid (and why)
- "Sent from my iPhone" on a polished business email. Looks lazy.
- "Thanks in advance" on a cold ask. Presumes you'll get the favor.
- "Cheers" on a first-contact email to a senior executive in a formal industry.
- "Have a blessed day" outside contexts where the recipient shares the cultural reference.
- "Take care" on a high-stakes business email. Reads as dismissive.
- "Yours truly" in modern business. Archaic outside very formal correspondence.
- "xoxo" or emoji-only sign-offs in any professional context.
- No sign-off at all. Going straight from the last sentence to your name reads as cold.
How to match closing to context
| Context | Suggested sign-off |
|---|---|
| Cold outreach to a stranger | Best, or Thanks |
| Reply to a customer | Best, or Thanks again |
| Email to a senior executive | Best regards |
| Email to a journalist or editor | Best, or Thanks |
| Internal team email | Thanks, Cheers, or first name only |
| Legal correspondence | Sincerely, or Respectfully |
| Following up on a favor | Many thanks, or Thanks again |
| Long-standing client | Warm regards, or Best |
| UK or Commonwealth recipient | Kind regards |
| EU formal correspondence | Kind regards, or Mit freundlichen Grüßen (German), Cordialement (French) |
For the full email-craft cluster, see link building email templates, the Basho email framework, sales prospecting templates, and partnership email templates. Each one applies the closing patterns covered above to a specific outreach scenario.
Building a great email signature
The sign-off is the words. The signature is the block underneath. A good signature has:
- Your name (full name on first contact, first name in established relationships).
- Title and company.
- One contact method besides email (phone, calendar link, or LinkedIn).
- Optional: a single, well-placed link to something relevant (recent article, product, calendar booking).
Avoid signatures with five social icons, motivational quotes, banner images, and disclaimers longer than the email itself. The shorter, the more likely to be read.
Cultural notes
- UK/EU: "Kind regards" is the daily default. "Best regards" works equally well. "Best" alone is more common than it used to be but still reads American to some.
- U.S.: "Best" is the modern default in most professional contexts. "Best regards" and "Sincerely" still work for formal.
- Germany: "Mit freundlichen Grüßen" is the standard formal sign-off. "Viele Grüße" for slightly less formal.
- France: "Cordialement" is the everyday business sign-off. "Bien à vous" is slightly warmer.
- Japan: Email closings follow strict structural conventions. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" handles most polite endings.
- Latin America: "Saludos cordiales" or "Atentamente" for formal, "Saludos" for casual.
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Start FreeThe full flow: opening, body, closing
An email's three parts work together. The opening earns attention, the body delivers value, the closing converts attention into action. Mismatched tone breaks the spell:
- "Hi Tom" + "I am writing to inquire about..." + "Sincerely" feels stiff in the middle.
- "Hey Tom" + thoughtful body + "xoxo" feels unprofessional at the end.
- "Dear Mr. Smith" + clear body + "Cheers" feels mismatched.
Rule of thumb: the opening sets the formality, the closing should match it.
Letter ending phrases for non-email correspondence
Most email closings work for cover letters, thank you notes, and traditional letters with one tweak: written letters keep slightly more formality. "Best regards" and "Sincerely" are the safe defaults. Save "Best" alone for digital. For handwritten thank you notes, "With thanks" or "Gratefully" reads more naturally than the neutral business sign-offs.
You're sending a polished cold pitch to a senior journalist at a major outlet. Which closing fits?
Right. Modern outreach closings are short and respectful. Senior journalists especially value brevity.
The right closing is short, professional, and matches the energy of a focused pitch. Save the warm or formal extremes for matching contexts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most professional way to end an email?
'Best regards' and 'Kind regards' are the safest formal sign-offs. 'Best' is the modern professional default. 'Sincerely' or 'Yours sincerely' for very formal contexts.
Is 'Best' a good way to end an email?
Yes. 'Best' is one of the most widely accepted sign-offs in modern business. Tech, SaaS, and creative industries use it as the default.
Should I use 'Cheers' in a business email?
It depends on context. Fine for casual professional contact in the UK, Australia, and US tech. Avoid for first-contact cold emails, formal correspondence, and senior contacts you don't know well.
What email sign-offs should I avoid?
'Sent from my iPhone' on polished emails, 'Yours truly' in modern business, 'Take care' in high-stakes contexts, 'Thanks in advance' for cold asks, and emoji-only sign-offs outside very informal teams.
How do I end an email asking for a favor?
End with appreciation tied to a specific timeline or no-pressure escape hatch. Examples: 'Appreciate any thoughts you can share' or 'No worries if it's not a good fit, thanks for considering.'
Is "Best regards" too formal?
Not in business contexts. "Best regards" is one of the safest professional sign-offs and works for almost every situation outside of close personal correspondence. If it feels stiff for your culture, "Best" alone is a slightly warmer modern alternative that's now a default in most US tech and SaaS companies.
How do you end an email to a teacher or professor?
Use a respectful sign-off: "Sincerely", "Best regards", or "Thank you". Include your full name and any relevant context (course code, student ID) in the line under your sign-off. Avoid casual closings like "Cheers" or "Thanks!" for first-contact emails to faculty you don't know personally.