How to Write a Thank You Email to Your Mentor [With Free Templates]
When you send an email to your mentor thanking them for their time it shows that you respected their time and appreciated their efforts.
Beyond just being a super nice thing to do, it also increases the chance that they’ll want to help you out in the future.
In this blog post, we’re going to go over the best practices on how to thank your mentor via email.
Tips on how to write a thank you email to your mentor
Be specific
If they said something in the mentor session that really shook you, mention it.
Avoid generalities.
- How were you before you spoke to the mentor?
- How are you now?
- How are you better thanks to them?
- How did you feel before (negative) ?
- How did you feel after (better) ?
Show personality
Don’t be drab.
Show some personality. This is different for me, different for you, and different for your cousin’s best friend.
Point is, we’re all unique.
Don’t be afraid to showcase your uniqueness – in a sea of sameness and conformity – the world will thank you for it.
Tell a story if you can and if it’s relevant.
Maybe something that you didn’t mention on the mentoring session because you didn’t feel comfortable, but now that the session’s over and you’ve had time to think – you’re going to let them “in on the secret” and tie it all together with how they made you feel now.
Be authentic.
Size doesn’t matter
Some people advise keeping thank you letters short.
Try to keep it reasonably concise but follow what your gut tells you.
If you want to send a very long one and you feel in your heart that you had a connection and that your mentor will resonate with what you’re writing – then go for it.
The better the connection you had, the more they’ll appreciate a thorough and longer email thank you letter.
If you had a very professional and cut and dry mentor session, probably keep it short.
Try and follow the rule of 3 scrolls length on a mobile phone. If they have to scroll more than three times with their thumb to read your email, it’s probably too long.
Just use common sense – you know their personality type, their schedule, etc.
Try and offer something of value
If you want to help out by offering them something, or if it’s reasonable to share something they wrote to your audience (if you have one), then mention that you’ll do it.
But don’t make it sound like you’re trying to butter them up.
Followup as soon as you can
Don’t leave it for too long so they forget you, but at the same time, don’t send it too early (like right after the call).
Wait at least a few days, and then send an email thanking them.
Ideally, you’ll want to wait long enough so that you can put their advice into action, and then let them know how it went.
Avoid using templates
Which is ironic because we’re offering templates below.
But what I mean is don’t use templates word for word. I guess that’s general advice for anything in life.
They’re there for inspiration.
Nothing screams fake and inauthentic than receiving a templated thank you card which they recognize from another mentee that sent the same one last year.
Free Template
Looking for a mentor to thank?
Mentorship is incredibly rewarding both for the mentees and the mentors. One of the biggest reasons mentors choose to give back is because they love the feeling of making a positive impact, even if it’s just one person at a time.
So when that special person comes into your life and shares a bit of their wisdom, don’t forget to say thanks 🙂
