Thank you. 

Two simple words that have the power to foster better relationships, and build communication. 

As a business owner, you probably owe a lot of thanks — especially to your customers. It’s your customers that help you grow, improve, and achieve success.

Saying ‘Thank you’, to your customers for doing business with you, providing feedback, or for helping your business achieve milestones will let them know how much you value them. 

Sending an email is one of the easiest ways to convey how thankful you are. An email also gives you the chance to build brand familiarity, share an added incentive, and keep the communication going. 

But, the problem many business owners face is not knowing how to write a thank-you email.

Here’s a quick rundown on the different types of thank-you emails and how to approach them. By following these guidelines, you’ll know how to title a thank you email and write strong, compelling, heartfelt copy.

Structure of a thank-you email

Regardless of what you are grateful for, your email should address the following three questions:

1. What are you thanking your customers for?

The subject line, preheader text, and the headline of your email work together to answer this question. 

The subject line and the preheader text are the first things your customer will see in their inbox. They need to be simple, catchy and be able to compel the customer to open the email. Keep the subject line to a maximum of 4-7 words. Use the preheader text to augment the subject line and elaborate on the contents of the email, in about 5-8 words.

The headline is like the title of your email once it has been opened. It should encapsulate the message of the email. Make the font size 22 point so that it stands out.

For example:

Subject line: Thank You for being Amazing!

Preheader text: Here’s a 20% discount coupon on our first birthday

Headline: We’re Turning One… Thank You!

2. Why is it meaningful or important to your organization? 

The message body of your email must answer this question. 

Keep the message body crisp, and to the point. Be genuine and authentic, while expressing your appreciation.

The message body should be a single paragraph with 4-5 lines or two small paragraphs with 2-3 lines. If you have a lot to cover, try using bullet points, or create different content blocks to highlight the essence of each. 

Choose a tone that matches your brand personality and your audience — if you’re a brand that caters to millennials, you can use fun, informal language. 

For example:

It’s our first birthday and we want to thank you for your continued support. We are glad that you chose us and we hope you keep coming back for more.

Enjoy a 20% discount on your total bill, to celebrate this occasion with us. 

Let’s celebrate (and shop) together! 

3. How do you want to continue your relationship going forward? 

The call-to-action must encapsulate the answer to this question. 

You can think of different ways to encourage further interaction between the brand and the customer. For example, you could share a discount code for the next purchase, showcase your bestsellers, redirect them to your website or social pages. The focus is to engage the customers further, rather than stop at ‘Thank you.’

For example: Get 20% Off

Once you’ve answered these three questions, select a template that showcases your brand personality — colors, logo, design elements — and the final email might look something like this: 

When to send a thank you email

As already mentioned, you probably have a lot of reasons to thank your customers. Has your customer made a purchase? Has your business reached a new milestone? Or are you simply thanking customers for a long-term association? 

Here are examples of three types of thank-you emails you may want to consider using:

1. Transactional emails: 

A transactional thank-you email is sent right after a transaction has been made by the customer. It should be much more than a mechanical ‘Thank you’. You can use this as an opportunity to build your brand personality and keep the conversation going.

Transactional thank-you emails can be sent after:

• A purchase has been made by the customer
• Someone signs up for your newsletter
• A customer renews or starts a subscription
• A customer leaves a review for your business
• Someone signs up as a volunteer with your nonprofit
• Someone makes a donation towards your nonprofit
• A client asks for your consultancy services

Here’s an example of an email sent by a nonprofit to new people who join their organization and subscribe to their email list: 

Here’s another example of a transactional email sent to customers after they have made a purchase. This is both a thank you email, and an email that confirms the order: 

2. Customer lifecycle emails: 

Each of your customers is at a different lifecycle stage. While some are first-time customers, others may be classified as loyal or regular customers. You can create thank you emails to correspond to lifecycle milestones.

For example, for someone who has made their first purchase, you thank them for choosing you and tell them what to expect. Whereas for a regular customer, you might thank them for their continued trust in you and offer a discount as a token of appreciation. 

The lifecycle approach also applies to nonprofits as you will have first-time donors and volunteers, who need to know more about what you do vs. active donors and volunteers who will appreciate hearing how their support has helped your organization make a difference.

Here’s an example of an email sent out to the business’s best customers, offering an exclusive discount on their next booking: 

Here’s an email that celebrates one year of doing business with a customer. It includes a discount as a token of appreciation.

3. Business milestones:

A business milestone is another opportunity to send a thank-you email. It could be your first, fifth, or tenth anniversary, or you have opened up a new store, received an award, or have been recognized by your local community.

A business is only as successful as it’s customers, and making your customers a part of your achievements shows how much you appreciate them. 

A simple email that thanks customers for their support, continued association and contribution to your success will make them feel a part of your business.

Here’s a thank-you email marking the success of an important annual event for a nonprofit:

Here’s another example where a business is thanking it’s clients for successfully completing five years in business: 

Let your customers know how much you value them 

A simple ‘Thank You’ is all you need to make your customers feel valued, and appreciated. A thank you email is a wonderful opportunity to build your brand personality, foster better relationships and keep the communication going. 

Create a thank-you email today to tell your customers how much you value and appreciate them.

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