Thank You Messages │Tips & Examples
A sincere thank you message is a great way to show gratitude for a gift or a person’s time and effort. Thank you messages show how much the gift or effort meant to you. Whether the person you’re thanking is a friend, family member, or colleague, the thank you message will strengthen your relationship and make a favorable impression.
When to write thank you messages
Some of the most important situations that require thank you messages include the following:
- After you receive gifts (e.g., for a birthday, wedding, or graduation)
- After someone hosts you for a visit or a meal
- After you receive help from a friend, family member, colleague, or community volunteer
- To thank recruiters or hiring managers within 24 hours of an interview
- To thank business clients or customers
How to write thank you messages
The following tips will help you create a memorable and convincing thank you message.
- Choose the format (handwritten note, email, or instant message). A handwritten note is customary after a graduation or wedding gift. After job interviews, an email is the fastest way to formally thank someone for their time. Emails, text messages, or instant messages are usually fine when thanking someone for something less formal, such as a meal or a birthday gift.
- Start with a greeting if you’re writing an email or handwritten note (e.g., “Dear Aunt June” or “To our wonderful volunteers”).
- Include a topic sentence that states what you’re thankful for (e.g., “Thank you for the opportunity to interview for the Sales Manager position this morning”).
- Include details and descriptive adjectives about the gift or gesture to convince your audience that it was meaningful (e.g., “I’ve always wanted to try ratatouille, and I loved the bright flavors and beautiful presentation”).
- Include a closing for emails and handwritten notes (e.g., “Your friend, Mallory” or “Warm regards, Jim”).
- Proofread for typographical errors and grammar mistakes before sending. When writing professional thank you messages, remember that some business names have unique capitalization (e.g., QuillBot). A QuillBot Grammar Check can help you ensure your writing is free of errors.
Thank you messages examples
The following examples illustrate a few of the possible ways to express gratitude for a thoughtful gift, a kind gesture, or an important opportunity.
Birthday gift thank you messages
When thanking someone for a birthday gift, include details about what the person gave you and why it meant so much.
Thank you for the beautiful earrings, Mom. I’ve always wanted a pair of gold hoops, and I can’t wait to show these off on my next night out. You always give the best gifts.
That was so sweet of you to send me a goodie bag of all my favorite things for my birthday. You even remembered that I love black licorice! The package was such a cool surprise, and it made my birthday even better!
Wedding thank you card messages
Wedding thank you messages should be handwritten and include formal greetings and closings. They should mention the specific gift and why it’s especially meaningful to you. If the person attended the wedding, mentioning a shared moment from the wedding is also a nice touch.
We absolutely love the crystal water glasses that you sent for our wedding. Thank you for such a thoughtful and generous gift! We look forward to enjoying these during holidays and special occasions for many years to come. Thank you also for traveling all the way from Albuquerque to share this milestone with us. It wouldn’t have been the same without your infectious laugh and your amazing stories. We hope to see you soon!
Love,
Erica and Sam
Dear Grace,
We are so honored to have received one of your original paintings. We’ve always been your biggest fans, but to have one of your original works of art to hang in our own home means the world to us. We will treasure this forever.
Love,
Jill and Sophie
Dear Lauren and Craig,
We were so excited to open the pizza stone that you gave us for our wedding. We’ll certainly put this to good use and plan to have you both over for homemade pizza as soon as possible. It means a lot to us that you remembered we met at a pizza parlor. Thanks for being wonderful friends to us over the years.
Love,
Steve and Brenda
Graduation thank you card messages
Because graduation is a formal event, thank you messages should be handwritten and include formal greetings and closings. You might include details about the gift you received or, if you received money, you might explain how the money will help with your future plans. You might also mention how the person influenced you in a positive way.
Thank you for the thoughtful graduation card and generous gift. Your gift will make a huge difference when I begin nursing school this fall. I can’t thank you enough for your moral support during high school or the inspiration to follow in your footsteps. I’ve always been inspired by Karen’s work at the hospital and promise to make you both proud.
Love,
Cindy
Dear Grandma and Grandpa,
Thank you for thinking of me during my college graduation. I couldn’t have done this without your support over the years. You showed me the value of hard work and inspired me to pursue my dreams.
Love,
Logan
Thank you for your help messages
Thank you messages are also important when someone gives you the gift of time. These can be formal or informal depending on your rapport with the person and the magnitude of the help you received.
Many thanks to all of the volunteers who showed up to help with the food drive last weekend. We know that weekends are valuable, but your generosity will make a huge difference in our community. You all rock!
Thank you for hosting messages
After someone hosts you for a meal or an overnight visit, text or email a thank you message to show your appreciation for the effort. If the person made you a meal, mention what you loved most about it.
Thanks for throwing a fantastic New Years Eve party! This was definitely one for the books, and I’m so glad we could start the year off right with our favorite crew.
Thanks again for taking me to brunch, Lauren! I enjoyed catching up, and the restaurant you chose was outstanding. Let’s do this again soon!
Interview thank you messages
Within 24 hours of a job interview, send a follow-up email to show the recruiter or hiring manager that you appreciate their time and remain interested in the position. Mention some specific highlights from the interview and express your enthusiasm for the role.
Thank you for meeting with me on Zoom today to discuss the Operations Manager role. After learning more from you about your close-knit team and your data-driven approach, I’m more excited than ever about the position. I’m confident that my experience streamlining performance review procedures and improving retention for a 300-person department will help me add value to your team. Please let me know if you have any additional questions about my background or qualifications. I look forward to learning more about the next steps and wish you all the best for the upcoming week.
Best regards,
Rose Devareaux
Hello Daphne,
I enjoyed speaking with you on the phone today about the Customer Service Associate position. This position aligns perfectly with my experience helping ISP customers upgrade their plans. I enjoyed learning about the company culture and look forward to learning about the next steps soon. Please let me know if I can provide additional details about my qualifications and experience.
Sincerely,
Geraldo Garcia
Thank you for your purchase messages
If you sell items online through websites like Etsy or Poshmark, a handwritten thank you note enclosed with each item can lead to repeat business.
Christa, thank you so much for your purchase. I hope you absolutely love rocking this cardigan this fall. I’ll be posting more items to my Poshmark later this month, so stay tuned! Have a great week!
Thank you messages for colleagues
When a colleague goes the extra mile to help you with a project, show your appreciation with a short and sweet thank you via instant message or email.
Hi, Becca! Thank you for helping me compile the customer satisfaction surveys last Friday. We couldn’t have met this tight deadline without your help. I’m constantly in awe of your skills and insights. Please let me know if you need any help from me this week.
Frequently asked questions about thank you messages
- Is it thank you so much or thank you very much?
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“Thank you so much” and “thank you very much” are both correct ways to emphasize that you’re thankful.
Both phrases have the same meaning (e.g., “Thank you so much for the flowers” is the same as “Thank you very much for the flowers”). They are both appropriate to use in thank you messages of all types.
If you’re ever unsure about whether a phrase like “thank you so much” is grammatically correct, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
- How do I write emotional thank you messages for birthday wishes?
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To write emotional thank you messages in response to birthday wishes, you can write a short post or message to thank everyone. Briefly state how happy the birthday messages made you feel when you read them. You might also say how you celebrated your special day.
Emotional thank you messages for birthday wishes examples Thank you for the birthday wishes, everyone. I feel so loved after reading all of your messages. I had a wonderful birthday camping and hiking with family and look forward to another trip around the sun. My life is so much better with all of you in it.Thank you for taking time out of your day to wish me a happy birthday. You’re such a good friend, and I can’t wait for another year of you in my life.
If you need help with word choices for a “thank you for the birthday wishes” post, QuillBot’s free Paraphrasing Tool can help.
- What are some wedding thank you messages?
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Wedding thank you messages should show that you’re grateful for the gift and/or the love and support on your special day. You might also mention one of your favorite moments with the person during your wedding.
Wedding thank you messages examples Thank you for the thoughtful wedding gift, Aunt Jean. The vase looks beautiful in the kitchen window of our new home, and I think about you every time I see it. We are so lucky to have such a loving family.Thank you for the generous gift certificate. We’re excited to get some new camping gear for our honeymoon to the Grand Canyon. Thank you also for making the long trip to be there for us on our special day. It wouldn’t have been the same without you!
Thank you for coming to our wedding and for taking such beautiful photographs. We will treasure these photographs forever and can’t wait to show them to our kids someday.
If you need help with word choices for wedding thank you messages, QuillBot’s free Paraphrasing Tool can help.
- What are good thank you teacher messages?
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Good thank you messages for your teacher include details about how the teacher positively impacted you and why you enjoyed the class.
If you’re writing a thank you message for your child’s teacher, say why you’re grateful for the impact the teacher made on your child.
Thank you teacher messages examples Thank you for never giving up on me. I am so grateful for all of the detailed feedback you gave me and for the opportunity to stretch beyond my comfort zone.Thank you for making our Physics class so interesting and fun. I especially appreciate the extra help after school. I never thought I would ever say this, but Physics is one of my favorite subjects now, all because of you.
You made such a huge impact on Tyler’s love for reading this year, and I’m so grateful for all of the sacrifices you made. He will miss story time with you so much, but I don’t think he will ever forget having such a dedicated teacher.
If you need help with word choices for thank you teacher messages, QuillBot’s free Paraphrasing Tool can help.
