Appreciation Letter Tips and Examples for 2024

An appreciation letter is the ideal way to acknowledge someone’s time, talent, effort or thoughtfulness in your professional or personal life. On this page, you’ll find a letter of appreciation sample, a teacher appreciation letter example, and expert advice to format your letter and express your thoughts in the most effective way.

By Donna Wright Feb 01, 2024 4 minute read

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Appreciation letter: featured example

When writing your appreciation letter, using a letter of appreciation sample as a guide can help you find the right words to say. On this page, you’ll find writing tips and helpful examples (like the sample below) to create a strong appreciation letter.

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What is an appreciation letter and when to write one

An appreciation letter is a formal letter to extend your gratitude to anyone including a business colleague, coworker, mentor, recruiter, supervisor or customer. You may have received a successful job referral, resume reference, guidance during a job search, some professional advice, a favor or a gift; in all these cases, someone went over and above to help you or make you feel special. Whether you’ve received a favor in your business or personal life, writing an appreciation letter is a thoughtful gesture of gratitude.

Letter of appreciation sample: teacher appreciation letter

Here is a great example of a teacher appreciation letter that you can follow for any appreciation scenarios. This letter of appreciation sample can be copied, pasted and adapted for your own appreciation letter.

<strong>Addison M. Lane</strong>
Orlando, FL 12345
555-555-5555
example@example.com

Jason Marzullo, Advertising Professor
St. John’s College
0000 Smith Boulevard
Deland, FL 12345
555-555-5555
example@example.com

Date. XX, 20XX

Dear Mr. Marzullo,

Upon my recent completion of your Advertising Copywriting class, I wanted to reach out and thank you for the outstanding and invaluable career guidance you provided to me all semester long.

By motivating me to join the college newspaper, I was able to write meaningful articles to begin a portfolio of writing samples. You went out of your way to help me create my professional portfolio, with objective advice on which samples to include and not include. Your wealth of knowledge in this area was much appreciated. With that being said, I’m excited to report that I was offered a junior copywriting position at Media One Agency this morning and I accepted!

Thank you again for all of your help guiding the start of my writing career. The hiring manager at Media One Agency credited my portfolio for landing me the job over other junior-level job applicants. I sincerely appreciate the valuable skills you taught me, as I grow in my profession, I’ll be sure to stay in touch.

Best regards,

Addison M. Lane

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How to write an appreciation letter: 5 tips

Whether you’re writing for a business or personal appreciation, your thoughtful gesture and kind words of appreciation can make a lasting impact on the recipient. Here are five tips for writing your letter of appreciation.

Tip 1: Send your letter in a timely manner

When you experience a situation that warrants an appreciation letter, send it right away. The quicker you acknowledge the person, the more it will show the high level of your gratitude. You also want the recipient’s act of kindness to still be fresh in the memory, so the sooner the better. This is especially important if you’re sending a thank-you note as a follow up to a job interview.

Key tip: If your busy work life has prevented you from sending the letter within the same week, it’s better to send the appreciation letter than not send one at all.

Tip 2: Format the letter professionally

If you’re sending a personal appreciation letter, it would typically be in the form of a handwritten note. However, when it comes to professional appreciation letters, a formal business letter that is emailed or printed on business-quality printer paper works best. You want your letter to be formatted professionally and look polished. If you prefer, you may word your appreciation letter in an email.

Key tip: Keep your format concise by simply including a salutation, opening paragraph, body paragraph, closing paragraph and sign-off.

Tip 3: Clearly get to the point of your letter

If you’re showing your appreciation to a busy business professional like a mentor, you want to quickly capture the reader’s attention by explaining your reason for writing an appreciation letter. It’s a good idea to remind the recipient who you are, what you’re appreciative about or why you’re appreciative, and when the act of kindness was received.

For example:

“I’m reaching out to you today to thank you for referring me to the open writer role at ABC Advertising. After three interviews over the past month, I am elated to say that I received and accepted a job offer this morning.”

Key tip: Think of the opening of your appreciation letter as an elevator pitch. Use the first sentences to tell the reader why you’re appreciative and writing a letter.

Tip 4: Include a formal greeting and closing

You may not view a letter of appreciation as formal as writing a cover letter, but an appreciation for a business matter should still include a professional greeting and closing. Unless you know the recipient personally, use a formal “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, “Ms.” or “Dr.” salutation. The same applies to the appreciation letter closing. After you state your gratitude again in the closing, conclude with a formal “Best Regards” or “Sincerely” followed by your printed name and signature.

Closing example:

“Thank you again for inviting me to the XYZ Seminar as your guest. The information I gathered for my next marketing campaign has given me a jump start, and management is thrilled with the innovative new ideas.”

Key tip: If you’re sending an appreciation letter email, your typed name will act as your signature.

Tip 5: Proofread your letter before sending it

Now that you’ve crafted an impactful appreciation letter, take a few moments to read it over and correct any typos or grammatical errors that you find. Asking a friend or family member to review your letter can be helpful. You want your letter of appreciation to be remembered for your sincere words, so be sure it’s error-free before sending it.

Key tip:

In Microsoft Word, there’s a “Read Aloud” option so you can hear how your letter sounds and make any wording adjustments.

Letter of appreciation example: email

Rather than send your letter in a business letter format or handwritten personal thank-you note, you can also choose to write your letter as an email.

Your email should include the following:

Professional subject line
Introduction stating who you are and the reason for your email
Body paragraph further explaining your appreciation
A closing statement that expresses your gratitude
Sign off with your name and digital signature if available

Here is another example of an appreciation letter that can be sent over email. As you will notice, there are similarities and differences from the other appreciation examples on the page. Follow this example for inspiration.

Subject Line: Jane’s Flower Shop article

Dear Mr. Jones,

I wanted to reach out to you today to tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to interview me at my flower shop and write such a powerful article about our 50-year-old family florist.

Since the article was published two days ago, our online orders have nearly doubled and the foot traffic into our Mayfield location has us practically selling out our “cash and carry” bouquets daily.

Thank you again for sharing your time and writing talent with us. I would have sent you a “thank you bouquet” but I didn’t want to embarrass you by receiving flowers in the busy newsroom.

Best Regards,
Jane Doe

More business letter examples and tips

Now that you’ve reviewed our expertly prepared appreciation letter examples and writing tips on this page, here are some additional writing tools, examples, templates and other tips for writing other business letters and application-related documents you may need.

Cover Letter Builder: A fast and easy way to write, format and download a professional cover letter in minutes!

Cover Letter Templates: Industry-specific cover letter templates help you design an effective cover letter with a professional style.

Cover Letter Examples: Get a quick jump-start to writing a cover letter by looking at examples for your job role and industry.

How To Write a Cover Letter – Learn how to write a cover letter that makes you stand out from the competition.

How to Format a Cover Letter: Create a professional cover letter knowing just how to select fonts, colors, spacing and other formatting tips.

Business Letters Formats – Examples & Tips for 2024: Learn the professional way to format business letters with expertly written tips and examples.

Resignation Letter Examples Giving Two Weeks Notice: Discover how to effectively and sincerely word a two-week notice no matter your industry or job role.

How to Write a Professional Sick Leave Letter: Examples and tips to show you what to say in a professional sick leave letter to notify your employer.

FAQ: Appreciation letter

Got a question? We can help.

How do you write a letter of appreciation?

When writing appreciation letters, you can be short and sweet. Get to the point of expressing your thanks without being too wordy. A letter of appreciation for a business purpose begins with a formal greeting (Dear Mr., Ms., Mrs. or Dr.) followed by an introductory paragraph stating your gratitude for something the recipient did or perhaps for a gift you received. The body paragraph will expand on the thoughtfulness of the recipient and further explain your appreciation for the gesture. Your closing paragraph will reiterate the reason for appreciation and sign off with a formal closing such as “Sincerely Yours.” If the appreciation letter is of a personal nature, you can direct the letter to the recipient’s first name and prepare a handwritten note.

How do you express gratitude and appreciation?

The best way to express gratitude and appreciation is to find the right words to express in the form of a letter that truly captures the positive impact the gesture has made on you. Perhaps you received a formal job recommendation that led to a lucrative job offer or you were provided with a lead generation for a business opportunity or new client. Whatever the act of kindness was, send your sincere gratitude within days of receiving it. That way, the gesture is fresh on the mind of the recipient and shows your appreciation and respect in a timely manner.

How do you write a letter to praise someone?

There are many reasons to write a letter to praise someone. It could be in the form of a letter of appreciation, a teacher appreciation letter, a job referral, a resume reference or perhaps a congratulations letter for a recent hire or promotion. Take a few moments to think about the recipient and the situation and jot down some words to describe both. If it’s a teacher appreciation letter, for instance, remind the recipient of who you are and quickly describe the reason for writing.

For example: “Just a quick note to say thank you for the extra help you provided me with preparing my professional portfolio during your advertising copywriting class. That portfolio made a big impression on the hiring manager at company name and I was excitedly offered the junior copywriting position.”

What are the best words to appreciate someone?

The best words to show your appreciation for someone, whether in the workplace or personally, would be a combination of expressing “thanks” and “gratitude.” While every reason for writing an appreciation letter may be different, they share the common theme of making the recipient feel appreciated and special.

Here are some of the best words to use in your message:

“Thank you for assisting me with my job search.”
“I am grateful for your help with my career goals.”
“I appreciate you and what you do for me.”
“Thanks for all the help with the project.”
“Your gift was appreciated.”
“I appreciate the hard work of your entire team.”
“The invitation to speak at the seminar was much appreciated.”
“Your job reference made a positive impact on my career.”
“Your mentorship is invaluable to my photography career.”
“Many thanks to your workers for their time and talent.”
“Your encouragement was appreciated at the career fair.”
“Congratulations on an excellent job with the spring catalog.”
“Thank you employees for a successful year!”

Look at the appreciation letters on this page for inspiration to write your own letter.

WRITTEN BY Donna Wright

Donna is a career expert with extensive experience in the fields of Marketing, Publishing, Direct Mail and Communications. She’s witnessed firsthand the importance of a powerful resume and cover letter to a job search, so she takes great pride in helping change the lives of job seekers by sharing expert career advice and tips to help land the perfect job.