7 Best Out of Office Message Examples for Your Auto Reply
Posted by Anastasia Kryzhanovska on August 20, 2020

You might be soaking up the sun on the beach or tearing up the slopes, but your coworkers, customers, and other business associates are still in the office and may not know that you’re unavailable. Failing to tell people that you’re out of the office could come back to haunt you, especially if they’re expecting a prompt response. Before heading out for that much needed time off, it’s imperative that you set up an out of office reply. In case you feel stumped, we’ve crafted 7 out of office messages to inspire you.
Check them out below!
Out Of Office Message – Basic Example Template
Sending a vacation message can be tricky. Here’s a great vacation message.
Hi there,
Thank you for your email. I will be out of the office from mm/dd to mm/dd and will have limited access to email / will not have access to email. If this is urgent, please contact [NAME] at [EMAIL] or [PHONE]. I will do my best to respond promptly to your email when I return on mm/dd.
Best regards,
NAME
We don’t always have time to be clever or creative, and that’s okay! At its core, a vacation responder email simply needs to inform the sender that you are out of the office and when to expect a response.
The elements of a great out of office reply are
- How long you will be gone
- When you will return, and
- Whom to contact (and their phone number) if it’s urgent. Include these, and your vacation message will be perfect.
Lead Generation
Have you ever thought of an out of office message as a lead generation tool? Well, now, you should! It’s quite easy to create an opportunity to collect a lead in your vacation responder. Just add a little flair to the end of the message and start raking in the leads!
Hello and thanks for your email. I’m currently out of the office until mm/dd with limited / no access to email. If your request is urgent, please contact [NAME] at [EMAIL or PHONE].
In the meantime, did you know we have a weekly / monthly newsletter? Yep, you heard that right! A weekly dose of all your favorite [COMPANY] content sent right to your inbox. To ensure you don’t miss out on all the good stuff, sign up for our newsletter here.
I’ll be sure to get back to you when I return on mm/dd.
Thanks
Aside from a newsletter sign-up, you can use this opportunity to encourage webinar attendance, signing up for an online course, whitepaper downloads, or any other lead generation tactic your sales and marketing team implements.
Content Promotion
A professional email sign-off is an incredibly effective branding tool. but, did you also know a professional HTML email signature could also be a great lead generation tool? It’s true! Add a clickable banner or a CTA to your out-of-office email sign-off and make people visit your online store, sign up for a webinar, or download an ebook. Online generators like Newoldstamp or MySignature can help you to automate the signature adoption process across the whole company.
If generating leads is not a key strategy of your sales or marketing efforts, you can use your out of office message to get more eyeballs on your content. Add a little value to your email by linking to an interesting online resource your company has developed. You can also use auto-reply messages to improve your promotion strategy.
Hi there,
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office right now and will not return until mm/dd. Fortunately for you, our resources never take time off, and we’ve got this awesome ebook / whitepaper / infographic on [TITLE], which I think you would enjoy.
I’ll get back to you as soon as I get back into the office.
Best
Traffic-Driving Out Of Office Message Template
Hey there,
Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, I’m out of the office from mm/dd to mm/dd with limited / no access to email. If your question can wait, I’ll be responding to the emails I missed when I return on [DAY]. If not, contact [NAME] at [EMAIL] or [PHONE] and he/she will take care of you.
Did you email me about [SERVICE YOU PROVIDE]? Great! Read what our customers are saying about how awesome their experience has been. (Link to customer testimonials or case studies)
I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Thanks!
Maybe you don’t have any content to promote, or you simply want to drive traffic to your website using an out-of-office reply. Great! A vacation responder is an awesome way to do that. Depending on the page you link to, your away message might be different, but here’s an example.
Networking or New Business
As much as we’d prefer it, not every away message is for a vacation. Sometimes, you need an out of office reply for a business trip or conference. Instead of simply telling people you’re out, why not use that opportunity to encourage networking or new business connections?
Hi there!
Thanks for your email. I’m out of the office at this super awesome conference [MONTH] [DAY]-[DAY]. Will you be there too? I’d love to connect! Our company will be exhibiting at booth ###. Feel free to stop by! / [NAME], our [TITLE], will be dropping knowledge during his/her speech on [DAY] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]. You won’t want to miss it!
Follow and tweet me @Twitter_Handle for thoughts and conversation on the conference. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
NAME
Social Media Engagement
The percent of people who follow brands on social media ranges from 44% to 53% (depending on the platform), and 53% of those who follow brands on social media are more loyal to those brands. So, it makes sense that companies want to build their audiences on social media, especially to create loyal customers.
However, most people don’t seek out a brand’s social media accounts. They’re more likely to follow you if asked or presented with the opportunity, which can be done in your vacation responder.
Hey there!
Sorry you missed me. I’m out of the office from mm/dd to mm/dd and will be responding to my emails when I return on [DAY].
To keep up with all the latest happenings at [COMPANY], follow us on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / Etc. (We’re really funny on Twitter, trust me.)
I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Thanks!
Funny/Clever
Of course, the best out of office messages are the funny, clever ones. There are tons of examples, from giving your “auto-responder robot” a personality to using GIFs and memes to joking about what you’re actually doing on vacation. Messages like that can add a personal touch to auto-reply messages. Here are a few clever out of office message samples:
I heard winter was coming, so I decided to go to [WARM PLACE]. I’ll be sipping cocktails on the beach until mm/dd and will not be checking email. Stay warm!
Hate to break it to you, but I’m on vacation until mm/dd and will not be checking emails. I’m sure you probably don’t want to hear this since you’re working, yourself, so here’s a cat video to cheer you up. I’ll be back from my trip on [DAY]. Enjoy your week!
BAD NEWS: I’m out of the office on vacation until mm/dd. I will be responding to all emails when I return.
GOOD NEWS: My colleague [NAME] has graciously offered to stay behind and cover my work. He/she is a superhero. If your request is urgent, you can contact him/her at [EMAIL].
Have a great week!
*Bonus* Maternity Leave Out Of Office Message
On some occasions, you may be gone for reasons other than your vacation. Make sure to set up an out of office response for either long-term sick leave and maternity leave as well.
To spice up the auto-reply messages, you can send out an image instead of a regular reply mail, as seen in the example below.
Would you like to add the image but edit it for your own use? Please visit Venngage to edit the template. You will find a number of other templates to choose from.
Conclusion
Like many people, you may not realize that your away message is a unique opportunity to be memorable and make someone’s day, beyond simply telling them you’re out. It doesn’t have to be a long or complex one — just thoughtful and interesting. So, next time you’re setting up your vacation responder, use it to inform, assist, or delight the email sender. It will be a fun exercise for you and a pleasant surprise for them!
What’s the best out of office message you’ve received or written? Let us know by sharing in the comments!
An out of office message is the autoresponder that you have carefully designed to send to those who try to reach you while you are away from the office.
The process is simple. In your email settings, select the File option. Now, select Automatic Replies from the given list. At this point, type your autoresponder message. Then, select OK to save it.
An out of office message is important because it let’s you keep people informed and tells them how to proceed in your absence. You can also select options for urgent matters within your out of office message.
Your out of office message should include the time period during which you will be out of your office, preferably including the exact dates.. You should also include whom the messenger should contact in case of an emergency. You can also include promotions and social links.
Awesome post! Keep up the great work!
Hi
I really thank you that your information help me a lot. I cant set up auto replay on my e mail. After I seen your article it help me to set up auto replay. Hope this information help people effectively.
Again thanks for this valuable info.
Save draft as a template
Need an out of office message that I can insert as needed One I can turn off and on with very little steps
Some very nice templates. Thanks
Very nice article, exaqctly what I needed.
Remarkable job and very interesting words mentioned. Keep going great job 3 of them i already recorded in my vocabulary))
The Out of Office message for Social Media is cool. I can really include this on my ChatBot now.
Thanks
ibrahim
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This is great content. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.
Nice article, Thank you for sharing such great informative content. Keep doing good work.
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yours nowadays. I seriously appreciate individuals like you!
Take care!!
Welâ…Ľ done Sam, it looks truly amazing
Hi there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick
shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading your posts.
Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the same subjects?
Appreciate it!
Try going to Setting > Advanced Settings > Ensure that “Disable DirectWrite” is unchecked and also that “Force software rendering” is checked. Restart Mailbird and see
Thanks for sharing information, can you compile it into a pdf file?
Those some nice templates. Thanks
I would like to set up an auto reply a message stating that although it’s nice to get an email from you, we are not an office based company and your email might take quite a while to be responded to, therefore to save us having to type a response in our limited admin hours please give us a call for an instant quick response! It’s good to talk!
(We are an electrical company with no office staff!)
Hey Kev, we counted your vote, we do not have an ETA for this feature, but it is for sure planned.
The Out of Office message for Social Media is cool. I can really include this on my Chat Bot now.
Thanks for sharing it Christin
great article
Thank you for another excellent post. The place else could anybody get that kind
of information in such an ideal way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week,
and I am on the search for such information.
thank you for information
Hi and thank you for great tips on OoO.
I have a slightly different question from the ones already posted, but I still hope to hear your opinion.
When should you set OoO message? How many hours/days you should be away to make it seem reasonable? I know, it is very individual, but am still interested in what you have to say there.
Best Regards and greetings from Sweden!
Sandra
Try going to Setting > Advanced Settings > Ensure that “Disable DirectWrite” is unchecked and also that “Force software rendering” is checked. Restart Mailbird and see if that fixes it. If not please email support@getmailbird.com as they might have more technical solutions after further investigation. Thanks so much!
nice, thanks!
why for time you use from …to instead of from … till ?)))
Hey Anastasiya, thanks for pointing it out. We will look into that and see if it needs changing. As far as I know now, it is common to use both terms. Have a great day and thanks again:-)
Vacation response
Great article, but where can i setup my OOO reply in Mailbird?
Thanks
Hey Adrian,
you currently can’t. Since your emails are not going through our servers and with that are not saved on it either, Mailbird can not send out emails in offline mode.
What you can do though, you can set them up in your web-based account to ensure they being sent out automatically.
Let us know if there is anything else we can help you with,
Christin