The #1 tip for a great thank you note is to include at least one sentence with specific detail.
This detail could be why you are thanking the person or giving a compliment. The details are what makes your thank-you note great.
Your thank-you note will feel genuine instead of generic thank-you wording or, like it was 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.
These examples will help with specific details to add to your thank you note. To see all elements of a thank-you note, please review the thank-you note writing guide.
You could include why you liked the gift and how it helped you or inspired you.
Which Thank You Note Message Would You Rather Receive?
#1 Thank you for the gift card. It’s great.
or
Thank you for the gift card to [Location]. It was thoughtful of you to remember that’s my favorite place to shop. You are a great friend!
#2 Thank you for the help.
or
I really appreciated your help the other day. You saved me a lot of time and effort. And now I know how to do [task] better because of your tips and advice. Thank you very much!
#3 Thanks for being a great coworker.
or
You’re an awesome coworker. I learn a lot from working alongside you. Thank you for always being willing to share your knowledge about [topic] with me.
#4 Thank you for the project management advice.
or
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 Thank you for helping with our wedding.
or
Thank you for being our wedding coordinator. We appreciate all of your efforts to make sure everything went smoothly on our special day. Everyone seemed to have a great time at the reception. The day was beautiful, and we will remember it forever.
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), let them know which post or podcast help you and how it helped you. Instead of tweeting to them, “you’re great,” try one of these suggestions:
- Your post about [insert post topic] was great. I have implemented your advice. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
- 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 understand 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.
More Thank You Note Writing Tips:
- 25 thank you note writing tips
- 9 Tips to Write a Better Thank You Note
- 5 easy steps to writing thank you notes
- 8 tips in an infographic
Heidi has been writing thank you notes for more than 30 years and is the author of A Modern Guide to Writing Thank-You Notes. Her goal is to help people write better thank-you notes by providing tips and examples.
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).”