Etiquette Tips: Writing a Thoughtful Thank You Note

Thank you notes are a wonderful way to express your appreciation and gratitude for a number of different things like receiving a gift, receiving money, or to show a thank you to anyone who shows up to an event you have hosted. There could also be other reasons like sending a quick thank you to someone who took the time to interview you for a job or maybe someone who gave you a promotion. No matter the reason behind wanting to write a thank you gift, there are a few things to keep in mind when you are looking to write the perfect thank you note for any occasion.

If you're not sure how to get your thank you note started or what etiquette tips to add in, just take a look at these helpful tips to you writing the best thank you note for every occasion.

Outline of a Thank You Note

1. The Greeting

A greeting of any kind is exactly what's needed to start any type of thank you note and having a simple, but warm greeting is the best idea when you want to write thank you notes to any number of people. You can say a simple "Hello" or include a name with it such as "Dear Nicole". The greeting is the simplest part of a thank you note because you can use practically anything, especially if you are close friends or family with the person you are giving a thank you note to.

For formal or informal greetings, you can go with any of these examples:

• Dear [Name]
• Hello
• Good Morning
• Good Afternoon
• Good Evening
• To Whom It May Concern

These are all simple greetings that can help get you started when you are planning on writing any thank you notes to friends, colleagues, or even a boss. They're short, simple, and straight to the point, which is great if you plan on writing multiple thank you note and just need an easy way to start them all. You can change them up a little with each thank you note that you write, making each one more personal and a wonderful idea to put a smile on the recipient's face.

2. Give Examples of Your Appreciation

Examples of your appreciation simply mean going straight from the greeting to the reason you are thanking them. Whether it’s because of an office party thrown in your honor, a friend who was simply there for you when you needed them, or any other reason, this is where you’ll add in that information. Practically any instance in which you want to thank someone can start off here.

Some examples of situations where you might want to show your appreciation could be when graduating and wanting to thank a teacher for their help, for getting help with an everyday job at home, or even just having help from someone walking your dogs for you. There are so many reasons that your appreciation can be shown through a thank you note and it doesn’t have to be something complicated for it to happen. Just think of any reason you have to show your appreciation and add that to this section of your thank you note, but also keep in mind that you don’t have to make this a very long section.

3. Reference a Memory or Conversation

Here is where you can add in specific details about why you are thanking a person and it can directly follow where you give examples of appreciation. This can be anything from a certain memory related to why you are thanking a person or even an explanation that shows how much a person means to you because of what they did for you. Either way, this is the time to let those memories become a sweet thank you.

If your thank you note happens to be thanking someone who interviewed with you, you can mention something specific from the interview that they said and tell them how much it meant to you. This is something that you can pretty much do with any situation that leads you to write a thank you note. Just remember that this section is very open and you can enjoy adding fun pieces of conversation from any interaction you’ve had.

4. Add In Extra Thoughts

This is the section of a thank you note that’s pretty open and you can include anything extra in this part. If you want to wish some safe travels or add an extra thank you in, this is the time to do it. You can wish a person well, let them know to stay safe, or simply thank them again for a specific reason that you mentioned earlier in your thank you note. No matter what extra thoughts you add in, just be sure they match the reason for thanking them and you’ll be just fine.

If there are any extra thoughts like thanking someone, but also wishing them well in their adventures or with a situation you know they're going through, this is also a great time to address that. With this section, you really can add in anything you like, just to make it extra personal and really take the time to show your appreciation in full.

5. Closing

For the closing, you can keep it just as simple as everything else and leave a small signoff saying “Sincerely yours” or “Thank you again”. Depending on the reason for the thank you note, you can stick to a friendly closing or you can it more professional for situations like thanking someone for taking the time to interview with you. Your closing can be just as simple as the greeting and gives you a chance to say some final words of appreciation for the person who will be receiving the thank you note.

For formal or informal closings, you can go with any of these examples:

• Best Regards,
• Thank you,
• Sincerely yours,
• Yours Truly,
• With kind thanks and appreciation,
• Love Always,
• All my love,

Short Thank You Note Samples

If you still seem a little unsure of what to include in your thank you notes, then here are some short phrases that can help you get the main part of your thank you notes completed in no time.

• Thank you for all the well wishes and for always being there when I need you.
• Saying thank you simply doesn’t seem like enough to show my appreciation for everything you’ve done for me.
• I feel so incredibly lucky to have a friend like you. Thank you for everything.
• This is just a little thank you for all the things you have done and for being such a wonderful person.
• Your sweet gesture moved me beyond words and I’m forever grateful to call you a friend. Thank you.
• Just wanted to send you a little thank you and let you know how wonderful you are.
• Having a friend like you makes everything perfect. Thank you for all that you do.
• Thank you so much for visiting me while I was out. It meant the world to me.
• This is just a little thanks for you being in my life and always being there when I need you.

There could be a million reasons why you would want to write a thank you note and some of the most common could be for those who have visited you while you were sick, gave you a great memory for your day or maybe just made you smile when you were feeling down. There are also a number of formal reasons that you might want to write thank you notes like thanking an interviewer, being invited to a wedding, or receiving a gift for a job anniversary. There could be a ton of reasons that call for a thank you note and it’s the perfect time for you to be creative and show your thanks.

Some simple etiquette tips and easy guidelines are all you need to write the perfect thank you note and the best part is that all of these tips can apply to any situation in which you write a thank you note. Being thoughtful is simple when you know the basics to which you'll be writing and taking these tips into account. You'll be writing the most wonderful thank you notes in no time at all and you can bet that any recipient will be both impressed and grateful for your generosity and for taking the time to send them a little note of thanks.