Looking Forward to Hearing From You: 30 Alternatives and Grammar

"Looking forward to hearing from you" is correct. "Looking forward to hear from you" is not. In "look forward to," the word "to" is a preposition, so the verb after it takes the -ing form, the same way you would write "I look forward to it."

The phrase means you expect, and welcome, a reply. It is polite and slightly formal, so it fits cover letters, proposals and client emails. It works best when the other person owns the next step, like after a job application. When you need something specific, a direct question usually gets a faster answer. Below: 30 alternatives sorted by what you need, the variants people search for ("looking forward to your response," "hearing back"), the grammar rule, punctuation and five emails you can copy.

30 Alternatives, Grouped by What You Need

Pick by goal, not by synonym. Each of these does a different job.

When you are waiting on their decision (formal)

• Thank you for considering my application. (Top pick)
• I appreciate your time and look forward to the next steps.
• Please let me know if you need anything else from me.
• I'm happy to answer any questions about my application.
• I would welcome the chance to discuss this further.

If you are chasing a decision that is overdue, our guide to politely asking for an update has more wording.

When you need an answer by a date

• Could you confirm by Thursday? (Top pick)
• If you can send the signed copy by Friday, we can start on Monday.
• Please let me know by end of day if anything needs to change.
• Does Tuesday at 2 p.m. or Wednesday at 10 a.m. work better?
• If Thursday doesn't work, suggest a time that does.

When you want their opinion

• What do you think of option B? (Top pick)
• Does this match what you had in mind?
• I'd value your thoughts on the second section.
• Is there anything you would change before we send it?
• Which of these three would you pick?

For colleagues and people you know well

• Let me know what you think. (Top pick)
• Talk soon.
• Happy to jump on a call if that's easier.
• Ping me if you have questions.
• Thanks, and speak soon.

For cold emails and sales follow-ups

• Worth a 15-minute call next week? (Top pick)
• Is this a priority for you this quarter, or should I check back later?
• Who on your team handles this?
• Would a two-minute video walkthrough be useful?
• Want me to send over the case study?

When you want to keep pressure low

• No rush. Whenever you have a moment is fine. (Top pick)
• If now isn't the right time, just let me know.
• Should I close the loop on this for now?
• Happy to pick this up next month if that suits you better.
• Thanks for reading, either way.

For sign-off words to put underneath these lines, see our guide to email sign-offs, or compare Best regards vs. Kind regards.

Looking Forward to Your Response, Reply and Other Variants

Many people search for a slightly different version of the phrase. Here is which ones are correct and what each one signals.

Safer alternatives to "looking forward to a positive response"

"A positive response" tells the reader which answer you want, which some find presumptuous. In a job application or proposal, these say the same thing more gracefully:

• Thank you for considering my application.
• I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can help.
• I look forward to your response.

Is It "Looking Forward to Hearing" or "to Hear"?

Always "hearing." The confusion is understandable: most of the time, "to" in front of a verb marks an infinitive ("I want to hear"). In "look forward to," though, "to" is a preposition, and prepositions are followed by nouns or by verbs in the -ing form (gerunds), which act as nouns.

The quickest way to check any phrase is the "it" test. If you can put "it" after the "to," use -ing. If you cannot, use the base verb.

• "I look forward to it." Works, so: "I look forward to hearing from you."
• "I hope to it." Does not work, so: "I hope to hear from you." Both sentences are correct; they just use different kinds of "to."

The same rule covers "looking forward to meeting you," "looking forward to working together" and "looking forward to speaking with you." It also explains why "I object to waiting" and "I'm used to working late" take -ing.

When to Use It and When to Swap It

The simplest test: who owns the next step? If the other person does and you are just waiting, keep the phrase. If you need something, ask for it directly.

"I Look Forward" vs "I'm Looking Forward" vs "Looking Forward"

All three are grammatically correct. They differ in formality.

Punctuation, Capitalization and Placement

• End it with a period. It is a sentence, not a sign-off, so write "I look forward to hearing from you." and put your sign-off ("Best," or "Thanks,") on the next line.
• No comma after it. "Looking forward to hearing from you, John" is wrong if "John" is your signature. The comma belongs after the sign-off word, not this line.
• Use a comma when you join it to thanks. "Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you." The comma separates two independent clauses joined by "and."
• Capitalize only the first word in an email. Title case ("Looking Forward To Hearing From You") belongs in headlines, not in sentences.
• Put it last. It reads naturally as the final sentence before the sign-off.

How to Close Each Email in a Sales Follow-Up Sequence

In sales outreach, the right closing line changes with every touch. Repeating "looking forward to hearing from you" at every step makes a sequence read like a template.

The pattern: each close asks one question the reader can answer in a few words. For more on what to send when a prospect goes quiet, see how to follow up on an email after no response, our follow-up email guide and our guide to cold email calls to action.

Does Your Closing Line Change Reply Rates?

There is no published study of "looking forward to hearing from you" on its own. There is good data on email closings in general, and it points one way: gratitude helps.

Boomerang analyzed closings in more than 350,000 email threads from online community mailing lists. Emails that closed with a form of thanks got a reply 62% of the time, against 46% for emails that did not. The table shows the eight most common closings; the average across every email in the study was 47.5%.

Two caveats: the data is correlational, and it comes from community mailing lists, not sales email. But it is consistent with a 2010 experiment by Adam Grant and Francesca Gino, which found that people who were thanked in a request email were more than twice as likely to help again.

The practical takeaway: pair one specific question with thanks. "Could you confirm by Thursday? Thanks in advance." usually does more work than "I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards."

5 Example Emails You Can Copy

1. Job application

2. After an interview

3. Sales follow-up after a demo

4. Cold email to a prospect

5. Chasing a client approval

For more help with replies that never come, see how to email someone who hasn't replied, or browse more closing lines for emails.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it correct to say "looking forward to hear from you"?

No. The correct form is "looking forward to hearing from you." In "look forward to," the "to" is a preposition, so the verb that follows takes the -ing form.

Is "looking forward to your response" correct?

Yes. "Response" is a noun, so it follows "to" directly. "Looking forward for your response" is incorrect, because the phrase is "look forward to."

Is "I look forward to hearing from you" formal?

Yes, it is polite and slightly formal, which makes it a good fit for cover letters, proposals and first contact. "Looking forward to hearing from you" without "I" is a little more casual.

Do you need a comma before or after "looking forward to hearing from you"?

Not after it. End it with a period and put your sign-off on the next line. Use a comma only when you join it to another clause, as in "Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you."

Is "I look forward to hearing from you" rude or passive-aggressive?

Not on its own. It can read as passive-aggressive when it is repeated in follow-ups after someone has not replied. In that case, ask a direct question or offer an easy way out instead.

Is "looking forward to a positive response" professional?

It is grammatically correct and common in job applications. Some readers find it presumptuous, because it tells them what answer to give. "Thank you for considering my application" or "I look forward to your response" are safer.

The Bottom Line

Write "looking forward to hearing from you," never "to hear." Then decide whether you need the line at all: keep it when the other person owns the next step, and replace it with one specific question when you need something from them.

That second habit matters most in outbound sales, where every closing line is either a reason to reply or a reason to put it off. If you want help writing sequences that get replies, our Done-for-you Grow Program runs outbound for B2B teams.