In a study conducted by productivity software gurus Boomerang, the most effective way to close an email wasn’t “best” or “sincerely.”
It was giving thanks.
The company analyzed over 350,000 email threads, and found that eight terms appeared most commonly in sign-offs: Thanks, Regards, Cheers, Best regards, Thanks in advance, Thank you, Best and Kind regards.
The ones with the best response rate? The three variations on thank you, with “Thanks in advance” the clear winner, which earned a 65.7% response rate (the baseline for all email responses was 47.5%).
“The email’s recipient is being thanked specifically for a response that has yet to be written,” Boomerang data scientist Brendan Greenley told Fast Company. “That could prompt the person to follow through.”
The worst performer among the common closings? Ironically, it was “best.”
But don’t just thinking about closing. Boomerang notes that they previously found email length, tone, grade level and subject line length also matter a great deal.
Personally, we still favor ending things with “I love you.”
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