Email/Letter Salutations Ranked

Doing important work

It’s Friday, and I haven’t posted anything since Wednesday. The astute readers among you might see that and think “wow, the first week and Joel has already fallen short of his goals.” First off, while I appreciate the focus with which you are reading, maybe worry a little less about my goals, and worry about yourself! And yes, while technically it seems I will not meet my goal of posting four times per week, in my brain the weeks run from Monday to Sunday. I’m aware that “technically” weeks start with Sunday, but I think we can all agree that’s nonsense. Monday is the first day of the week. Therefore, if I publish something each of the next three nights, I will consider the goal met. For one week.

I have recently begun a part-time job that involves writing emails. I suppose that is not unique to this job, but I’m concentrating on it anyway. Because it’s my newsletter. Writing these emails has sparked a thought I used to consider back in my days of previous employment, which is what salutation do I prefer to close an email. Since I need very little reason to tie things to a newsletter post, I figured why not turn that internal discussion into a public one and offer one person’s rankings of a whole bunch of email/letter closings.

It is important to note that I do not use nearly all these salutations. I found them by Googling “popular email salutations.” Some absolutely exhaustive research going on here. I suspect most of these are relatively common, and given my fondness for seemingly random numbers of things, I’m pleased that I found 14 to rank. Not 15. Not 10. Fourteen. Away we go.

14. Respectfully. Respectfully, this is way too stuffy and formal. I think it’s supposed to sound polite and dignified, but it makes me think an insult is about to follow. It reminds me of how my high school soccer coach used to call referees “sir” as he was yelling and/or swearing at them. Let’s be respectful to respectfully and send it on its merry way.

13. As Ever. What? Yes, I remain the person I have always been. I don’t think I need to emphasize that with my email closing.

12. Looking Forward To Hearing From You. Presumably this only gets used when the writer is actually looking forward to hearing from the person. There are several of these (including respectfully) that lean towards passive aggressive. If someone was being honest, they would close with “I really need an answer on this topic, so please stop wasting time doing whatever it is you’re doing and respond.” I support the idea of polite society, but I don’t really like this faux politeness when you’re actually being demanding. Or FPWYABD as I will now refer to it for the remainder of this post.

11. Fondly. I appreciate the spirit of fondly, it just doesn’t work for me. A little too milquetoast for my liking. It’s formal but aspiring for emotional weight, and it doesn’t really do either. It does nothing. Bland.

10. Have A Blessed Day. There is some real genuine emotion here, which I respect. You’re sending a signal you actually care about the person to whom you are writing. But it’s trying way too hard. If you are a “Have a Blessed Day” person and you REALLY mean it, then I won’t judge. I can’t get onboard when it is too easily a faked sentiment and reeks of desperation.

9. Regards. This seems like a word that sounds fake. I know what it means, and it’s sort of in the “respectfully” or “fondly” category. I like it a bit more than that, mostly because it’s not a word that is used in any other context. People say “regarding” but rarely is “regards” used for anything else. Maybe I’m talking myself into moving it a little higher, but I’m too lazy to change the list.

8. I Appreciate Your Help. Back with another entry in FPWYABD territory, this one does feel a little more respectful and appreciative. Appreciate is right there in the salutation, so there is an element of actual civility. But make no mistake, you are putting the onus on the recipient to do something, and everyone knows what’s happening. You’re not fooling anyone.

7. Sincerely. I really want to like this one, and put it up a bit higher, but something is holding me back. It sounds fancy, which is sort of fun. There is an elegance to “sincerely” as it evokes something from Elizabethan England. Yet it also comes off as trying a bit too hard to be fancy. There’s a real tightrope to walk with these things, and “sincerely” just misses in my estimation.

6. Best. Simple, straightforward, no frills. “Best” gets the job done. You’re not offending anyone with “best”, and frankly, you’re probably not getting any attention at all. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For what it’s worth, this is the one I have mostly settled on using for the new job. I like the utility because I think it works in any type of email.

5. Love. A classic of the genre, and clearly a top choice when dealing with family members or close friends. Or even distant friends that maybe you want to put off guard by declaring your love. It’s hard to argue the value here, but it does have a lack of versatility that prevents me from going any higher than fifth.

4. Thanks In Advance. Aha, the final installment of FPWYABD and a close cousin of “I appreciate your help.” I think this is the least objectionable of the genre, although there is still some guilt and passive aggressiveness being casually tossed about. Because I loathe confrontation and never wanted anyone to think I was being hostile or demanding I would also soften this by saying “thanks in advance for any help you can provide.” I’m a wuss. And “thanks in advance” has its uses, which earns it a top-5 spot.

3. Cheers. Jaunty and jovial. Not much more to say. “Cheers” makes the recipient feel good. It’s certainly not stuffy or formal, but sometimes that’s okay. Sometimes it’s okay to just put some good feeling out in the world without fear of seeming simple. That’s what “cheers” is for.

2. Thank you. Gratitude never hurt anyone. I don’t think. Don’t factcheck that, perhaps it has somewhere, but I don’t want to know about it. Ending an email with this phrase is a sign of humility, in my eyes. It shows it’s about the recipient and not the sender. Isn’t it time we all put other people first?

1. Take Care. I mentioned above the fine line a good salutation should walk. Formal, but not stuffy. Inviting but not uncomfortable. Welcoming but not creepy. “Take care” walks that line. It covers all the bases, and shows real concern about the recipient. I want YOU to take care. Be careful out there. I am thinking about your well being. What more could you ask from someone sending you an email? That was rhetorical, but the answer is nothing. Which is why it earns the top spot.