5-step guide to writing the most thoughtful Thank You card

So, you find yourself in a situation where you have received or experienced something that made you smile and feel special. You could have received a wonderful gift for your newborn or want to thank a frontline worker for their unwavering commitment to helping in your local community. There are so many opportunities to send thanks through a well written and thoughtfully constructed message that it can sometimes be tricky to know how to best convey your gratitude.

Speaking from experience, there is nothing more heart-warming than to receive a Thank You card, especially when they are unexpected. With that said, we’ve compiled a few thought starters to writing the perfect Thank You card that might just inspire you.

Here’s a quick 5-step starter guide to get going:

Even before the writing begins, you can give yourself a confidence boost and score major points by choosing an appropriate card that you know your recipient will appreciate. Do they love a good pun? Big fan of colour? Appreciate simple elegance? Also keep in mind that even though your message is one of thanks, you do not need to purchase a card which overtly says ‘Thank You’ on the front. Blank cards are also a great option too, especially if you know your recipient will love its design. Once you’ve had a good browse to find the perfect card, we can then move on to step two

The last thing you want to do after you’ve sourced the perfect card is to make a hasty mistake while writing your message. A suggestion based on what I do is to arm yourself with a scrap piece of paper with plenty of room for thought scribbles. I normally have plain paper sitting on my desk just for this doodling and thought dumping – super handy.

I know it is obvious but it’s always good to be crystal clear from the start. Grab that scrap piece of paper and put the key reason for your gratitude in the middle of it and circle it. Kicking off the card with this will form the basis for the other, more thoughtful, content to stem from it. Is it thanks for an awesome Birthday pressie? Thanking your child’s teacher for their hard work? A message to your wedding guests thanking them for joining in your celebrations? 

This is where you can really brighten up the recipient’s day. In my experience, when you receive any card, it is always the ones with the most thoughtful and personal messages that are the most enjoyable to read. Key here is to be genuine and yourself in your writing style. Don’t downplay the impact this step could make to someone’s day too – even if the card is a polite Birthday gift message, you can cram it full of feeling. Here’s a few thought starters so grab that scrap bit of paper and start making bullet points:

• Think beyond the straightforward ‘To Sandra’ to start the card
• Add a fun adjective to describe your recipient e.g. ‘To my wonderful Wendy’
• How did the gift/experience/attendance etc make you feel? 
• Think of all the feels e.g., happy, appreciated, loved, reminiscent…
• What are you going to do as a result of the gift/experience/attendance etc?
• If it was a gift, what are you going to do with it? E.g., a book will allow you to have a little escapism
• And a few key things that will go down well if you mention them in your thoughtful message:
• Their generosity
• Their time spent on thinking about/supporting you
• Looking forward to when you can next see them

You’ve nailed the main message and you’ve proudly scripted it into your card with the added bonus of not making any spelling mistakes – a true win! Now we need to finish off the card with the most appropriate sign-off that befits everything you’ve written. At this point, I think the recipient would love to know how much you’re thinking about them. Also think about their personality and something they’d enjoy seeing at the bottom of the card. I would also steer clear of any formal sounding sign-offs such as ‘Warmest Regards’ – just too stuffy. My go to sign-offs are:

• Big love
• All my love
• You truly are the best

So, I hope you found those points useful. Below I have written out an example message which contains a few options you can use as a thought starters: 

To my cutest friend Jo,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for (enter appropriate ‘thing’ you’re grateful for here!)

• Your gift really made me go down memory lane again and remember so many wonderful times we had together
• It truly made me so full of joy that you were able to bring your dance moves to the floor at our wedding party, looking great as always
• You are simply the queen of finding the most thoughtful gift. I will cherish this forever and will always remind me of you
• The support you have shown me makes me feel I can conquer anything
• You make the world a better place and you are a true inspiration to all those that know you

All my love,

Mark x

Feeling inspired to write a Thank You card or two armed with these tips? We’ve popped a few designs that you’ll be able to find on our site below:

1. Luxe and elegant ‘Just a little note to say a Big Thank You’
2. Colourful and abstract ‘Thank You’
3. Botanical ‘Thank You’

1. ‘Thank You’ typographic pack of 6
2. ‘Rainbow’ notelet set of 8 cards
3. ‘Dalmatian’ blank card

Take care ☺

Mark