8 Alternatives to “Looking Forward to Hearing from You”
Published on December 9, 2022 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on January 5, 2023.
Looking forward to hearing from you is a common expression in email communication and other
correspondence. It’s used to end an email by encouraging the addressee to reply sometime soon.
There’s nothing wrong with using this expression—it’s clear, correct, and friendly in tone without being
overly informal. But since it’s so frequently used, you may be worried that it seems cliché or that your
addressee won’t really take notice of it, especially if you need to push them to respond quickly.
Below, we provide 8 potential alternatives to help you vary your language, strike the right tone, and
encourage a quick response.
1. I’d love to hear your feedback
Using an expression like “I’d love to hear your feedback” shows your addressee that you expect them to
comment on what you’ve said. It also frames this information in a positive way, showing that you value
their opinion but not putting too much pressure on them for a quick response.
Examples: Asking for feedbackI’d love to hear your feedback when you have time.
Let me know if that sounds good to you.
I’m eager to hear your thoughts on this.
2. Keep me informed …
A phrase like “keep me informed” is appropriate when you need to be kept updated about some
situation or ongoing project, but you don’t specifically need a response if nothing has changed. It lets
the person know that you should be kept in the loop, without requiring an immediate reply.
Examples: Requesting updatesKeep me informed of any updates on the project.
Please keep me in the loop regarding any shift in our priorities.
Keep in touch and let me know if anything changes.
3. Can you let me know?
If you do need a specific answer, it’s likely you posed the question already in the body of the email. But
ending with a question like “Can you let me know?” reminds the addressee that they need to answer,
prompting them to think about your question actively.
Examples: Asking a questionCan you let me know whether I’ve understood this correctly?
Is this assumption correct?
Does that work for you, or would you prefer something else?
4. I appreciate your quick response
Thanking someone in advance for their reply with a phrase like “I appreciate your quick response” can
be a good tactic in some contexts. It indicates what you expect from them, but in a way that emphasizes
how much you appreciate it. This may encourage them to respond quickly to avoid disappointing your
expectations.
Be careful not to use this approach in a situation where it could seem presumptuous, though. For
example, if you’re not very familiar with someone and they have no real obligation to respond quickly,
emphasizing the presumed speed of their response may appear passive-aggressive.
Examples: Thanks in advanceI appreciate your quick response.
My gratitude for your prompt answer.
Thanks in advance for your reply.
5. Speak to you soon!
Sometimes a less formal signoff is needed. A phrase like “Speak to you soon!” is a good choice when you
have an established, friendly relationship with the person you’re messaging (e.g., a friend or someone
you’ve worked with closely before). Casual signoffs like this are not appropriate when communicating
with someone for the first time or in a formal context.
Examples: Informal signoffsSpeak to you soon!
Write back soon!
Always happy to hear from you.
6. Let’s …
Another approach is to be specific: end with a call to action that clearly indicates what response is
needed. This is appropriate when you need a specific answer, or a specific action, to happen quickly in
response to your message. It makes it fully clear to the recipient what you need from them.
Examples: Calls to actionLet’s touch base in person on Tuesday. Does 2 p.m. work for you?
Please indicate your availability before this Friday so we can set up an interview.
I’d really appreciate it if you can get the designs to me this week. Let me know if that won’t be possible,
though.
7. Can you point me to the right person?
Sometimes people fail to respond simply because they aren’t the right person to answer your question.
For example, you might be reaching out to someone at a company whose structure you’re unfamiliar
with and end up posing your question to the wrong person. Or the person you contact may simply have
no time to respond to queries.
A good way to deal with this uncertainty is to address it explicitly, indicating that you would like some
kind of response even if the recipient can’t answer directly. Be polite about this if you suspect you’re
contacting the wrong person.
Examples: Giving them optionsI’m not sure if you’re the person I should contact about this. If not, can
you point me to the right person? Thanks!
I understand that you may not have time to answer my questions right now. If you’re too busy to help, is
there anyone else I can reach out to instead?
If you aren’t able to look at this request yourself, I’d really appreciate it if you can forward it to the
appropriate address.
8. If I don’t hear back …
If the situation calls for a sense of urgency, it can sometimes be a good idea to specify some deadline
after which you’ll take action without the addressee’s input. This gives them a good reason to respond
quickly if they don’t agree, and it allows them not to respond if they’re happy with what you suggest.
This is appropriate if there’s already a good understanding between you and you’re just asking for
confirmation, or if a continued lack of response from the other side suggests that they’re not interested
in communicating further. Don’t make rude or unreasonable assumptions (e.g., “If I don’t hear back
from you, I’ll assume you do want to buy the car”).
Examples: Creating urgencyIf I don’t hear back from you by the end of next Friday, I’ll proceed with the
plan I laid out above.
If I don’t get a response to this message, I’ll assume that you’re no longer interested in our services.
If you have any feedback or questions, please send them along before the end of the month. If I don’t
hear from you, I’ll assume you’re happy for us to continue with the project.
Other variants on the phrase
Using looking forward to hearing from you as a sentence on its own is technically not grammatically
correct, since the sentence lacks a subject. As it’s always clear that the implied subject is “I,” this isn’t a
real problem in most cases, but it’s something you might want to avoid in a formal context.
The expression can also be used in a full sentence with a subject, of course. And other words and
punctuation can be added to vary the tone you want to convey. I look forward to hearing from
you means the same thing but is arguably slightly more formal in tone. Some examples are shown
below.
Examples: Looking forward to hearing from youLooking forward to hearing from you!
I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
I am looking forward to hearing from you shortly.
Frequently asked questions
Is it “looking forward in hearing from you” or “looking forward to hearing from you”?
Is it “looking forward to hear from you” or “looking forward to hearing from you”?
What are some synonyms for “looking forward to hearing from you”?
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Caulfield, J. (2023, January 05). 8 Alternatives to “Looking Forward to Hearing from You”. Scribbr.
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Jack Caulfield
Jack is a Brit based in Amsterdam, with an MA in comparative literature. He writes for Scribbr about his
specialist topics: grammar, linguistics, citations, and plagiarism. In his spare time, he reads a lot of
books.
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