5 Quick Tips for Writing the Best Thank You Messages

The best thank-you notes are sincere, genuine, and naturally written. These notes will also feel authentic and personable.

Thank-you notes that are generic, include words you’ve never said before or are too short should be avoided when possible.

Writing a well-written thank-you note is important as it represents you. 

Choose Your Words Wisely

Avoid fancy adjectives that you would never say. If you do look up synonyms, only choose words you know. 

For example, you may want to say thank you for the beautiful flowers. A synonym of beautiful is alluring. However, alluring, which means very attractive or tempting, enticing, or seductive, may not be a word you want to use to describe the flowers, especially if the flowers were for a sad occasion such as a funeral. 

If you are stuck for ideas on wording your message, you can review thank you note examples. 

Be Natural

How do you typically describe and word things? 

Avoid being creative to impress someone, as it could make your note feel phony or fake. Your own words will feel authentic.

Searching for the “perfect” words could add considerable time to the process, depending on how long you look. Using your own words is best.

Reviewing example thank-you messages is fine, but they should be paraphrased into words that are natural for you. 

Spell Their Name Correctly

Your thank-you note may be considered no good, no matter how much time you spent on it if you misspell the recipient’s name. 

Take care to use the correct spelling of their name. Many names have variations, such as Jon vs. John and Sarah vs. Sara. 

Misspelling a name could be viewed as disrespectful, causing the person to ignore the rest of the message. They may even tell their friends, “Can you believe she/he spelled my name wrong!”

Include a Specific Thank You

The best notes will thank the person for something specific. The messages will also include a compliment or a reason for feeling grateful. 

For example, if you only write, “Thank you for the gift.”, the recipient may wonder if you know what gift they gave you. 

A better note is, “Thank you for the birthday gift. I appreciate the gift card to Amazon. I enjoy shopping and love that I can choose whatever I’d like. Also, thank you for coming to the party!”

At work, a specific thank you message could describe the benefit you received as the result of a coworker’s help. For example, “Thank you for helping me yesterday when I was stuck. You saved me so much time by coming to my rescue. I am grateful for your ongoing support.” 

Review Before Sending

Your thank-you note may leave a lasting impression.

If well written, the person will remember you as grateful and appreciative.

Before sending your message, reread it. How would you feel if you received the thank-you note?

If you copied and pasted an example from the Internet, did you make updates for your specific situation? For example, if you send an email with Dear [Name], you will look unprofessional if you send it with [Name] instead of updating it to use their name. 

You may also like:

Author: Heidi Bender

Title: Writer

Expertise: Thank You Notes

Bio:

Heidi Bender is a writer and author who founded Tons of Thanks. She aims to help people write thank-you notes by providing examples and tips. She is the author of She is the author of A Modern Guide to Writing Thank-You Notes.