“Looking forward to your reply” & 13 Great Alternatives

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A truckload of business expressions is present in the English language. Some are fairly easy to make use of and understand, while others – not so.

Sometimes, this painful fact may put us at the end of our wits because we are likely to get confused about which one is the best for a particular context.

One of these so-called “tricky expressions” is “looking forward to your reply” – something that we get to quite a lot in business correspondence.

So, today, we’ll get into the basics of this business expression and discuss its available alternatives to achieve more successful communication.

Shall we begin by going over its meaning briefly?

 

What does “looking forward to your reply” mean?

“Looking forward to your reply” is an expression used at the end of an email message in business correspondence to encourage a response from the receiver of the message. It can be used in all emails that require an answer, comment, piece of feedback, explanation, or information from the receiver.

 

“Looking forward to your reply” in context

While we start formal emails and letters with salutations like “Dear Sir or Madam” or something more specific, we

meanwhile end them with sign-off expressions like “Yours truly” and the like.

Phrases like these are really important in business communication because they serve as markers as to when the entire message starts and ends.

Meanwhile, we also begin the body of our message with a set phrase such as “hope all is well with you” or its alternatives to wish for the goodwill or positive well-being of our message receiver.

Contrary to what many people may think nowadays, writing goodwill messages like “hope all is well with you” is actually a lot more effective than simply leaving off this part.

Once we are done writing the body of our message, we also need certain expressions to end our emails professionally and appropriately.

The main goal of most closing statements in the context of email writing is to prompt a response from our message receiver.

To do this, we use certain cues like “looking forward to speaking with you” if we expect to “speak” or “talk” with the person in the future.

Or, job applicants may also end their emails with “looking forward to working with you” or

“I am looking forward to the interview” depending on the phase they are in.

However, for the most part, we typically tend to use “I am looking forward to your reply” or its shortened form “looking forward to your reply” at the end of general, formal emails, whenever we expect an email response in return to what we have been reaching out for. 

By omitting the subject “I” and the auxiliary verb “am,” we are slightly reducing the formality level of the expression, thereby making its tonality “less rigid” and “less authoritative.”

The shortened version is also often used because the context of the exchange already allows the message receiver to know that no other person is expecting the response apart from the sender.

 

Understanding the usage of “looking forward to your reply”

“Looking forward to your reply” can be generally used for all email messages that require a response, answer, comment, piece of feedback, explanation, or information from the message receiver.

The main purpose of using this expression is to encourage the message receiver to write back to the sender of the email rather than just read it.

That is to say, there is no need to write down “looking forward to your reply” if and when the goal of the sender’s message is only to inform of present information.

Here’s an example of how “looking forward to your reply” may be used in email writing:

Example:

 
Meanwhile, “please let me know if you have any questions” may also be additionally used if we want to offer further assistance on top of prompting a response.

Now that the context in which “looking forward to your reply” is clear, let us also have a look at its practical alternatives.

 

13 Alternatives to “looking forward to your reply”

Our relationship with the message receiver and the purpose of the message greatly affect the specific language that we use in communication.

In principle, longer and more neutral language use suggests a high level of formality. However, this rule changes the more we get close and familiar with the other party.

This simply means that we have to adjust our language use towards others depending on our depth and length of relationship with them.

In the business world, knowing tons of alternative expressions is key in effectively dealing with specific situations in relation to our relationship with the other person involved.

So, having these bunch of alternative expressions to “looking forward to your reply” in your word bank will help you get your desired response better. 

 

1. Your kind response to this matter will be awaited

If you need to amp up the tonality of your response prompt because you are dealing with the higher-ups or some valued clients, “your response to this matter will be awaited” is a great choice.

Adding the adjective “kind” before the word “response” and using the verb “to await” which means “to anticipate” particularly contributes to the high degree of formality of this expression.

This business statement is in the passive voice of speech, which is also one key feature of highly formalistic language use.

Example:

 

2. Your feedback on this matter will be of great help

If you need to generate any piece of feedback from your message receiver, you might as well use “your feedback on this matter will be of great help.”

The formalistic tone of this expression is highly suitable when we are making requests or seeking approval from someone we perceive as an authority figure.

Example:

 

3. Your prompt reply would be highly appreciated

Meanwhile, you may also use “your prompt reply would be highly appreciated” for concession-related messages.

For example, you can use “your prompt reply would be highly appreciated” when asking for a schedule adjustment or anything that would require your receiver to compromise.

Example:

 
In emails like the one above, it is very common to make use of the expression “thank you for your prompt response” after the other party agrees with the adjustment request.

 

4. Your response will be much appreciated

Formal yet warm, “your response will be much appreciated” is meanwhile great for seeking approval to a scheduled event in advance.

Using an expression as polite as “your response will be much appreciated” helps in showing our courtesy to the other party involved in the exchange.

Example:

 
In situations like the one in the example above, the expression “looking forward to seeing you” may also be added to convey excitement toward the upcoming meeting.

 

5. Your response will be appreciated

To make “your response will be much appreciated” a little less warm, we may also remove the adverb “much” and stick with “your response will be appreciated” alone.

“Your response will be appreciated” is great for scheduled tasks that most, if not all, target recipients already expect doing.

Example:

 

6. I look forward to your kind response (in this regard)

The basic formula in formalizing language use is to use the passive rather than the active voice of speech; thus, reversing the sentence pattern helps in making messages more personal.

A good response prompt expressed in the active voice is “I look forward to your kind response,” which also makes use of the adjective “kind” for a subtler communicative effect.

Example:

 
In replying to emails similar to the one above, the expression “thank you for the update” would be suitable.

 

7. I look forward to your favorable response

When we know that our requests are likely to be granted, but we just want to ask permission for formality’s sake, we can make use of “I look forward to your favorable response.”

Example:

 

8. I am looking forward to your urgent response

However, in cases where we need to communicate some sense of urgency to the message receiver, we might as well use “I am looking forward to your urgent response.”

The adjective “urgent” may also be conveniently replaced with synonymous ones like “prompt,” “speedy,” or “quick” to soften the blow of the word.  

Example:

 

9. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Neutrally-formal and quite insistent, “I am looking forward to hearing from you” is a great choice when some degree of familiarity already is established.

Existing clients, for instance, would find this expression pleasant especially if the usage is intended for speeding up processes to their favor.

Example:

 

10. Please respond at your earliest convenience

Another great alternative for “looking forward to your reply” is “please respond at your earliest convenience,” which is both polite and direct at the same time.

Feel free to use “please respond at your earliest convenience” when you are the one asking for any form of favor or demanding anything from the other party.

Example:

 

11. Please confirm by replying to this email.

Meanwhile, an even more straightforward response message prompt is “please confirm by replying to this email.”

This is strictly used by senders who want to inform clients of their preferred or available mode of communication for a particular matter.

Example:

 

12. Please reply asap

If you think you are comfortable communicating with your recipient because you have been exchanging messages for a while, feel free to use “please reply asap.”

This expression works very well particularly if you are sending a positive message to the receiver of the message, such as passing certain levels or stages of application.

Example:

 

13. Please reply

Last but not least, you might as well just go with the shortest response prompt “please reply” if your relationship with the message recipient is pretty strong.

When there is no power imbalance between the both of you, and you also normally exchange emails several times a day, “please reply” would suffice.

Example:

 

Conclusion

Although we are often unaware, the way we use specific expressions matters in making communication more, precise, efficient, and therefore, successful.

So, the next time you need insights on language-related concerns, please feel free to spend some time reading our other language-learning blogs.

Until then, fellow linguaholic!

 

Frequently Asked Questions in “Looking Forward to Your Reply”

 

Is it “looking forward ‘to’ or ‘for’ your reply”?

The correct preposition to use is “to” and not “for,” thereby making “looking forward to your reply” the grammatically correct expression. “To look forward to” is a fixed phrasal verb, which means that the final preposition in this expression is also fixed.

 

What is another professional way of saying “I look forward to”?

Other formal alternatives to “I look forward to” include “I anticipate” and “I eagerly await.” Instead of saying “I look forward to,” which is in the active voice, we can also start with the object such as in “your response will be appreciated” or “your insights will be valued.” 

 

How formal is “looking forward to your reply”?

Relatively speaking, “looking forward to your reply” is more formal than “please reply asap” or “please reply” alone. However, “looking forward to your reply” is also more casual than “your kind response in this matter would be much appreciated.”