In late April, my partner Kate and I became parents to baby Casey James. We have been BLOWN AWAY by how much our friends and family have stepped in to help us learn how to be parents, keep our house from falling into complete chaos, provide the baby gear we didn’t even know we needed… and so much more.

Suffice it to say, I am so, so thankful. And while I am (admittedly) not always the best at Thank You cards (I’m ashamed to say, as a greeting card maker! 🙈), lucky for me, Kate is on top of it.

Which is important, because...

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
- William Arthur Ward

And so! A lot of Thank You cards have been going out the door of our house lately, and the art of the Thank You note has been something I’ve been mulling over. How do we express our gratitude, beyond the words “thank you”?

Because I’m That Kind of Person, I decided to do some research, and it turns out that there’s a loose structure that I’ve seen consistently recommended across many different sources (see below), and I thought I’d share it here with you!

Here’s a quick overview of a good structure to use…

SIMPLE THANK YOU NOTES:

Greeting
Say thank you
Be specific (why are you thankful?)
Look to the future
Restate your thanks
Conclude

While we can apply this loose structure no matter who we’re writing to, the specific way that we write the note will depend on how well we know the recipient as well as context (professional, personal, etc.).

So, let’s go through these elements!

GREETING

First up is fairly straightforward, address it to someone! Use their name.

Examples:

Dear Madeline,
Jamie!
Dear Ms. Smith,

SAY THANK YOU

After starting with a greeting, it’s important to get straight to the point. Thank the person directly.

Examples:

Thank you so much for the thoughtful birthday gift.
I am so grateful for all of your support the last few weeks; thank you so much!
Thank you for meeting with me about a Sales Associate role at Station 7.

BE SPECIFIC

This is the meat and potatoes of your note. In this part, we want to write a sentence or two describing WHY you are thankful. What did this person do for you? What did that make possible for you? What do you love about their gift?

Examples:

I have been itching for a relaxing day at the spa -- I can’t wait to book my appointment. You know me so well!
Your help taking care of the baby the last few weeks so we could rest has been so valuable -- those naps were LIFE CHANGING.
I loved getting to know more about your values-based approach to running your business, and learning about the Store Manager role.

LOOK AHEAD

I love this step. Here is where you acknowledge this person’s role in your life and look ahead to when your paths might cross again.

Examples:

I am so looking forward to meeting up in Portland next month.
We can’t wait to see you at the next craft show.
I’d love the opportunity to work with you at Station 7, and look forward to hearing from you soon!

RESTATE YOUR THANKS

Here’s one last opportunity to say Thank You before wrapping things up.

Examples: