Last week when writing the post about thanking someone after they have you over for dinner, I had a revelation.
The #1 tip for a great thank you note is: Include at least one sentence with a specific detail.
This detail should be why you are thanking the person and will be what makes your thank you note great.
Your thank-you note will feel genuine instead of generic or like an example copied from the Internet.
The detail will vary depending on what the thank you note is for.
The sentence completion exercise may help you, as well.
Specific Detail Examples:
These examples will help with specific details to add to your thank-note. To see all elements of a thank-you note, please review the thank-you note writing guide.
#1 If the note is for a physical gift, such as a book, add something about it. You could include why you liked it, how it helped you, or inspired you.
#2 If you are thanking someone for help, let them know why you appreciated their help.
- Your help with [what they helped with] me saved me a lot of time and effort.
#3 I learned a lot from working alongside you. I know much more about [topic] after our conversation.
#4 I enjoyed working with you on [insert project name]. Thank you for giving me project management tips. Your way of doing [steps/process] is so efficient!
#5 If you are thanking them for a specific service, remember to thank them for that specifically and let them know if they did anything extra special for you.
- Thank you for performing our wedding ceremony. We were very pleased with the message you included, and everything went smoothly.
- Thank you for playing the organ for our wedding. The music you choose was perfect and memorable. I’m glad we trusted your choices.
- The photos of our wedding are excellent! We love how you captured the emotion of the day. The photo of me with my mom is one of my favorites that I will treasure forever.
#6 If you are thanking a blogger (or online influencer or another advice giver), let them know which post or podcast help you and how it helped you:
- Your post about [insert post topic] was great. I have implemented your advice.
- Thank you for sharing so many leadership tips on your Instagram. I’ve become better and more confident in leading my team. The tip that has helped me the most so far is [insert tip].
- Your recipes are amazing! I want to thank you for the gluten-free recipe for the pie crust. My sister with celiac disease loves it.
- I’ve been so inspired by your food pictures that I’ve taken up cooking! Your step by step guide on how to chop anything has sped up my prep time.
- Thank you for sharing your money-saving advice. I’ve been able to reduce my grocery bill by $30 each week.
I hope you are getting the idea of how sharing something specific will make your thank you note great—the more specific the better. The person will know that you are thankful and WHY you are thankful.
Another example can be found in the Write an AWESOME thank you note for dinner post.
I agree, receiving notes that don’t feel like they were mass produced makes me feel so much more appreciated.
I’m terrible at thank you notes. I never remember to do them. What great, simple tips here. Keep going fellow 31 Dayer!
Thanks for stopping by!
I always lol when you get the thank you notes that are just like “Thanks for the $25. I will be using it when I go to (insert random college here).”
yes! it leaves you wondering what they will be spending on it college.
I like your approach and I always try to be specific when I write a note.
Example..Thank you, Heidi for bringing in our mail and paper again while we are out of town.
That’s a great example, Mom!
Thank you for sharing these tips! It will greatly help my letter writing. (Did I do it right?)
I apologise for taking so long to visit for #thankfulthursday. It has been a hard week. Thank you for continuing to link up. It is appreciated. xS
Thank you for inviting me to your Thankful Thursday linkup! Now that the 31 day challenge is over, I’m not sure what my posting schedule will be, but if I post on a Thursday I will be sure to visit your link up.
I need help on writing thank you cards on receiving dinner meals while I am recovering from open heart surgery.
Hi Debbie,
I hope you are feeling better. This post should help: https://tonsofthanks.com/thank-note-post-surgeryhospital-stay-meals-examples/
One of my customer gave me a 1000.00 dollar check for Christmas. I’m sending them a Edible Arrangement. I don’t know what to say. They are very religious people.
Teresa
What a wonderful gift! The edible arrangement was a great idea!
you can say something like: “Thank you for the very generous Christmas gift. It was a wonderful surprise.” Since it’s a customer, I’d probably not tell them what you plan to spend it on or save it for. There are some more “thank you for the money” examples here: https://tonsofthanks.com/write-thank-note-money/
very nice.