You've spent twenty minutes crafting the perfect message. Every comma is in its place, the tone is professional yet approachable, and you’ve finally managed to explain that complex project delay without sounding like you're blaming the intern. Then you hit the wall. The sign-off. You stare at the blinking cursor, wondering if "Best" makes you sound like a cold robot or if "Cheers" is too casual for a Monday morning. Honestly, the way we choose how to sign off email says more about our workplace anxiety than we’d like to admit.
It's a tiny detail that carries an absurd amount of weight. We’ve all been there—hovering over the send button, debating the merits of "Sincerely" versus "Thanks." One feels like a 19th-century love letter; the other feels like a passive-aggressive demand. Get it wrong, and you risk looking out of touch or, worse, desperate. Get it right, and nobody even notices. That’s the goal. You want your closing to be invisible.
Why your email closing actually matters more than you think
In a world of Slack pings and Zoom calls, email remains the backbone of professional record-keeping. It's the "paper trail." According to a study by the email app Boomerang, which analyzed over 350,000 email threads, the way you close can significantly impact your response rate. They found that emails ending with a variation of "thank you" saw a 36% relative increase in response rates compared to other sign-offs. It turns out, being grateful isn't just polite—it's tactical.
People judge. It’s human nature. If you send a high-stakes pitch and end it with "Sent from my iPhone," you’re telling the recipient that their business wasn't worth the time it takes to sit at a desk. On the flip side, using "Yours Truly" to a vendor you’ve known for three days is just... weird. It creates a friction point. You want the recipient to focus on your call to action, not on why you’re acting like their long-lost pen pal.
Most people overthink it because they're trying to solve for two variables at once: authority and warmth. If you're too authoritative, you're a jerk. If you're too warm, you're a pushover. Finding that middle ground is where the real skill lies. It's about context. A message to a CEO requires a different "vibe" than a check-in with a teammate you grab coffee with every Tuesday.
The "Safe" options that almost always work
If you’re paralyzed by choice, stick to the classics. There’s a reason these have survived the transition from parchment to Outlook. Best is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the email world. It’s short. It’s neutral. It’s impossible to misinterpret. Some people find it a bit "dry," but in a professional setting, dry is safe.
Best regards is the slightly more formal older brother of "Best." Use this when you’re emailing someone for the first time or if the subject matter is serious. It’s the business suit of email endings. You won’t win any points for creativity, but you won’t lose the contract because you sounded like a teenager.
Then there’s Thanks or Thank you. As the Boomerang data suggests, gratitude is a powerful closer. But be careful. "Thanks!" with an exclamation point can come across as overly cheerful or even sarcastic if the rest of the email was about a missed deadline. "Thanks," with a comma, is the standard. It implies a "thanks in advance" for whatever you’ve asked them to do. It’s functional. It gets the job done.
When to use "Cheers" or "Warmly"
These are the "personality" sign-offs. Use them with caution. Cheers is great if you work in a creative industry or if you're communicating with colleagues in the UK or Australia where it’s the default. In a conservative US law firm? Maybe skip it. It can come across as a bit "try-hard" if it doesn't match your actual personality.
Warmly is a polarizing one. Some people find it comforting; others find it incredibly "touchy-feely" for a work environment. It’s best reserved for people you actually have a friendly relationship with. If you’ve never met the person, "Warmly" feels like a forced hug from a stranger. Nobody wants that.
The absolute "No-Go" zone
We need to talk about the closings that should be retired permanently. First up: Sent from my iPhone. It’s 2026. We know you have a phone. We know you’re mobile. Leaving this in your signature doesn't say "I'm busy and important"; it says "I couldn't be bothered to change my settings." It’s an excuse for typos that people stopped accepting five years ago.
Next is Bestly. Just no. It’s not a word. Don’t make it one.
Then there’s the Passive-Aggressive "Thanks in advance." While "Thanks" is generally good, "Thanks in advance" can sometimes feel like you're cornering the person into doing something they haven't agreed to yet. It removes their agency. If you’re asking for a huge favor, a simple "I’d really appreciate your help with this" followed by a standard "Best" is much more respectful.
And please, for the love of all things professional, avoid Peace. Unless you are literally a yoga instructor or a professional surfer, it doesn't belong in a business email. It creates a tonal whiplash that is hard to recover from.
Matching the sign-off to the relationship
The secret to knowing how to sign off email is mirroring. Look at how the other person closes their messages. If they use "Best," you use "Best." If they just sign their name, you can eventually move to just signing your name. This is basic social calibration.
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- The Cold Outreach: You're a stranger. Use "Best regards" or "Sincerely." You want to show respect for their time and boundaries.
- The Long-Term Client: You have rapport. "Best," "Cheers," or "Thanks" all work here. You can even use "Hope you have a great weekend" if it’s a Friday.
- The Internal Teammate: Keep it brief. "Thanks," "Best," or just your initial. If you're emailing someone ten times a day, you don't need a formal sign-off every single time. It actually becomes a hindrance to communication.
The "No Sign-off" sign-off
Sometimes, the best way to end an email is to not end it at all. In a fast-paced thread with multiple back-and-forths, the formal "Sincerely, John Smith" starts to look ridiculous. It clutters the screen. Once a conversation is established, it’s perfectly acceptable to drop the sign-off entirely. It mimics a real-time conversation. Just make sure you’ve established that rhythm before you go cold turkey on the politeness.
Cultural nuances you can't ignore
Business is global. If you're emailing someone in Japan, a formal "Sincerely" or "Best regards" is almost mandatory. In Scandinavia, things might be more informal and direct. In the Middle East, a bit more flowery language and well-wishing is often appreciated. Don't assume that because "Best" works in Manhattan, it works in Mumbai. Do a quick check on the cultural norms of your recipient if the stakes are high. It shows you’ve done your homework.
The technical side: Your signature block
Your sign-off isn't just the word before your name; it’s the whole block of information that follows. Keep it clean. No one needs to see your "Inspirational Quote of the Day" or a low-resolution JPEG of your company logo that appears as an attachment in their inbox.
- Name
- Title / Company
- Phone Number (Optional, but helpful)
- Website / LinkedIn Link (Keep it subtle)
That’s it. That’s all you need. If your signature is longer than the actual email, you’ve failed.
Actionable steps for your next email
Don't let the "closing paralysis" stop your productivity. The reality is that most people are scanning emails so fast they barely register the sign-off anyway. They’re looking for the "what" and the "when." As long as you don't do something egregious, you're fine.
First, audit your current signature. Send yourself a test email. Does it look good on mobile? Is there a bunch of weird formatting or legal disclaimers that take up three pages? Strip it down to the essentials. A clean signature makes you look organized.
Second, choose your "Default." Pick one sign-off that will be your go-to for 90% of your messages. "Best" or "Thanks" are the safest bets. Set it and forget it. This saves you the mental energy of deciding every single time you hit compose.
Third, practice mirroring. In your next five emails, look at how the recipient ended their last message to you. Try to match their level of formality. It’s a small psychological trick that builds rapport faster than you’d think.
Finally, remember the goal. The sign-off is a bridge. It’s meant to transition the reader from your message back to their day. It shouldn't be a speed bump. Keep it simple, keep it professional, and for heaven's sake, turn off the "Sent from my iPhone" setting.
Your next step is to go into your email settings right now and delete any unnecessary fluff from your automatic signature. Make it lean. Once that’s done, you can stop worrying about your sign-offs and start focusing on the actual content of your messages. That’s where the real value is.