How to write thank you cards

Writing a thank you note is considerably easier than writing say, an acceptance speech. Nevertheless, a debate still swirls around the proper etiquette. How do you convey your gratitude without sounding insincere or robotic?


There are a few basic principles and guidelines to adhere to if you want to extend a gracious thank you in card form.

When considering when it’s appropriate to send a thank you card keep in mind that it is usually for one of two main reasons: either someone has done something kind for you, or you wish to keep an open and warm relationship with someone. While hopefully not reducing it to a crude metaphor, you may think of thank you cards as the oil that greases social relationships you want to run smoothly in your life.

The first element of good thank you card protocol is knowing when to send one. For example:

1. After receiving a gift from someone – birthdays, weddings, baby showers, etc.
2. After interviewing for a job (by no means required, but definitely a smart idea).
3. After someone does you a favour, either personally or professionally.
4. Upon establishing a new professional contact (e.g. a client or associate)
5. After being entertained by someone – a boss, a sales representative, a neighbour who invited you to brunch.
6. For sympathy letters, flowers, or mass cards.
7. After being hosted as a houseguest

There is no set list of when it is appropriate to send a thank you card and when it isn’t. You don’t want to be rude but you also don’t want to be extending a written gratitude every time someone holds the elevator door for you. Use your judgment.

Thank you notes don’t need to be written on professional, heavy bond, or gilded stationery. A simple but elegant card with a blank inside does nicely. These can also be quite inexpensive. You can find lots of good options for thank you cards at a 1 pound store. Optimalprint also carries a large range of beautiful thank you card designs that you can customize with your own pictures and graphics. Of course, if you have the time and the savvy you can always create something unique.

A Thank You Card has to be Personal

It can’t be reiterated enough – always hand-write your thank you notes. While it’s perfectly okay to use printed labels for addresses, the thank you inside the card itself must be handwritten. If it comes to the person in 12-point Times New Roman it’s going to look about as personal as a candy bar wrapper. Your penmanship, artful or atrocious, is often the one thing that makes the card really personal.

When writing the salutation, make sure you address the person by name if possible and appropriate. “Dear Jessica” is much better than “To the HR manager at Grelkin & Associates”. Make sure you use titles or any other terms of respect where necessary.

The basic progression of a good thank you card is:

1. Thank
   Thank the person or persons you’re sending the card to
2. Personalize
   Be specific about why it is you’re thanking the person and how much whatever it was they did, meant to you.
3. Bridge
   Include some element of the future as a way to segue to the end of the thank you. “I can’t wait to use your gift at my next _______________." Or, "I look forward to seeing you both ______________." The bridge between present and future helps give a feeling of continuity to your sentiment.
4. Close
   Close by thanking the person or persons again, give regards and then sign your name. No more words here than necessary. Fewer will often express your gratitude much more eloquently than a paragraph dashed off at the end of your card.

Printed Thank You Cards Help You Cut Through the Clutter

The truth is that sending a real thank you card distinguishes oneself from the savage masses. In today’s world of mobile phones and email, a thank you card can go a long way to keeping you in the good graces of those around you (and getting invited to the next dinner party).

A thank you card shows you noticed. And it shows you care. Maybe only enough to drop a card in a mail slot but you’d be surprised how something so small can go so far toward making people feel appreciated