A good postcard message is one to four short sentences: their name, one specific thing, and a warm close. Below are 42 short messages grouped by occasion (travel, thank you, thinking of you, birthday and business) that you can copy and change. Most are 15 to 30 words, which fits the message half of a standard 4 × 6 card with room for your name.

If you want the step-by-step on layout, the five parts of a message and where the stamp goes, read how to write a postcard first. This page is the phrasebook.

How long should a postcard message be?

Between one line and about forty words. A postcard gives you only the left half of the back; the Universal Postal Union reserves at least the right-hand half for the address and stamp (UPU Convention Manual, article 17-107). On a 4 × 6 card that half is about 76 mm wide, and short lines read better in it than long ones.

Pick the length by the occasion:

  • One line (5 to 12 words) for a quick hello or a picture card that already says most of it. "Wish you were here. Wish you were carrying the bags."
  • Three lines (15 to 30 words) for most cards: travel, thanks, birthdays. Every example below is this length or close to it.
  • Five lines (30 to 45 words) when the card carries news or a real thank you. Past that, write smaller or use a bigger card. The sizes that give you more room, and what they cost to post, are in our guide to postcard sizes.

When our pen writes a card, it keeps 7 mm clear of every edge, so on the message half of a 4 × 6 card the writing is about 69 mm across. If what you typed does not fit the space you gave it, the editor shrinks the handwriting and tells you so, with a note like "Shrunk to 4.2mm to fit". That is the moment to cut a sentence rather than make the letters smaller.

What do you write on a travel postcard?

One thing you saw, one thing that made you think of them, and when you are home. Leave out the itinerary. Travel postcards are slow: Postcrossing's members have sent more than 88 million postcards, and the median card takes 21 days to arrive (Postcrossing statistics). Write something that will still be true when it lands, even if you are already back.

Hi Mum, the sea here is the colour of your old blue teapot. Eating too much, sleeping well, thinking of you. Love, Ria

Dear Sam, I found the café from your photo. Same chairs, same grumpy waiter. I ordered what you had. Miss you, Leo

Greetings from the mountains! It snowed in June and nobody here thinks that is strange. Home on the 9th. Hugs, Ana

Hi team, the conference was fine, the noodles were better. Bringing back snacks for the whole floor. See you Monday. Kofi

Dear Gran, we rode a night train and woke up in a different country. I kept the ticket for you. Love, Isla

Wish you were here. Actually, wish you were here carrying the bags. Back Friday. Your favourite brother

Hi Priya, day four of rain and we have discovered board games. I am undefeated. Do not ask Dev. Love, Meena

To the Garcias: the beach house is perfect and the kids have named every crab. Thank you for the tip. Warmly, the Adeyemis

Dear Dad, there was a car show in the square today, with a green one just like yours. I took twelve photos. Love, Jo

From the top of the hill: 300 steps, one view, no regrets. Thinking of you at the bottom. Kim

What do you write on a thank-you postcard?

Name the thing, then say what it did for you. "Thank you for the flowers" is polite; "they are still on the kitchen table" is what sticks. In a 2018 study in Psychological Science, Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley found that people writing thank-you letters underestimated how surprised and pleased the recipients would be, and overestimated how awkward they would feel (Association for Psychological Science). A short card is enough.

Thank you for the flowers. They are still going strong on the kitchen table, and so am I. Love, Beth

Dear Mrs Okoro, thank you for teaching Maya this year. She reads to the cat every night now. With thanks, the Lindqvists

Thanks for the lift to the airport at 5am. That is real friendship. Coffee is on me. Raj

Dear Uncle Tom, thank you for the birthday money. It is going towards a bike, and you get the first ride. Love, Finn

Thank you for having us. The dinner, the long walk, the spare blanket: all perfect. Your turn next. Love, Chloe and Ade

Hi Lena, thanks for listening on Tuesday. I felt lighter on the way home. I owe you one. Sara

To our neighbours at No. 12: thank you for watering the plants. They look better than when we left. The Parks

Dear Coach, thank you for a great season. I learned more from the losses than I expected. See you in spring. Aryan

What do you write on a "thinking of you" postcard?

Say that there is no reason, or say the reason plainly, and offer one small next step. These are the cards people keep, partly because they have become rare. In the USPS Household Diary Study, the personal mail an American household received fell from 1.6 pieces a week in 1987 to 0.6 in 2013, a 63 percent drop (USPS Household Diary Study, FY2013).

No news, no reason. Just thinking of you and hoping your week is kind. Love, Mira

Saw this card and thought of you. It has a dog on it that looks exactly like Biscuit. Hugs, Tess

Thinking of you today. I know it is a hard date. I am a phone call away, any hour. Love, Hana

Hi Grandad, the roses you planted are out again. Mum says hello. I say hello twice. Love, Ollie

Missing our Sunday walks. Same bench when you are back? I will bring the good biscuits. Pat

Hope the new job is treating you well. Remember: everyone else is new at something too. Cheering for you, Dani

Get well soon. The office is too quiet without your terrible jokes. We are saving some for you. The whole team

Just a postcard to say I am proud of you. That is all. That is the card. Love, Mum

What do you write on a birthday postcard?

Happy birthday, their name, and one line that could only be about them. Birthday is the card people send most: the Greeting Card Association reports that birthday cards are more than half of all cards sold, and about two-thirds of them are mailed (Greeting Card Association). A postcard makes the same point for the price of a postcard stamp.

Happy birthday, Aunt Lou! Another year of being the best storyteller in the family. Save me a slice. Love, Kai

Happy 30th, Jess! Here is to ten more years of bad karaoke and good friends. See you Saturday. Nia

Happy birthday from far away. I am raising a cup of tea to you at exactly 4pm your time. Love, Arun

Dear Grandma, happy 90th! Ninety years and you still win at cards. Teach me your secret. Love, Ella

Happy birthday, little man! Five is a big number. I hear you can ride without stabilisers now. Love, Auntie Bea

Happy birthday to my favourite person to argue with. You are right this time. Just this once. Ben

Many happy returns, Mr Shah. Thank you for being the kindest neighbour on the street. The Kowalskis

Happy birthday! I could not find a card funny enough, so here is a postcard of a goat. Love, Sky

For birthdays you send every year to clients rather than family, there are 24 more in birthday wishes for clients.

What should a business write on a postcard to customers?

Thank them for one specific thing, sign with a real person's name, and make any offer small and easy to use. The Greeting Card Association lists "the right message and tone" as the first of five things that decide which card a person picks (Greeting Card Association). From a business the right tone is a person, not a brand.

Hi Clara, thank you for your first order. We packed it by hand this morning. Tell us how it fits. Jade, Fernhill Knits

Dear Mr Ito, thank you for staying with us. We hope the garden room was as quiet as promised. Come back in blossom season. The Willow Inn team

Happy birthday, Nora! There is a free coffee waiting for you at the counter this week. From all of us at Corner Grind

Thank you for five years with us, David. Every repair you have trusted us with has kept us going. Ravi, Northside Auto

Hi Amira, it has been a while. Your usual table by the window is free on Fridays. We hope to see you. Marco

Welcome to the neighbourhood! Show this card at the till for a free pastry with your first coffee. The Rye House

Dear Dr Patel, thank you for the referral. We will take good care of the Hendersons. Sophie, Bright Smile Dental

Thank you for supporting a small shop. Your order paid for this month's new glaze. Lou, Saltmarsh Pottery

More wording for shops is in thank-you notes for small business customers. If you send these in volume, the For business page covers pricing, and the developer API lets a store or CRM send a handwritten card on each order without anyone typing it.

How do you start and end a postcard message?

Start with their name and get to the point in the first line; end with a short sign-off and your name. On a postcard there is no room for "I hope this finds you well". The opener should be the most specific thing on the card, and the closer should match how you would say goodbye in person.

A chart of postcard openers and closers grouped by occasion: travel, thank you, thinking of you, birthday and business
A cheat sheet for the first and last lines, which are the two hardest to write.

A few that work on almost any card:

  • Openers: "Greetings from…", "You would love it here.", "No reason for this card except…", "I saw this and thought of you.", "Thank you for…"
  • Closers: "Love,", "Miss you,", "See you soon,", "Thinking of you,", "With thanks,", "Cheers,". For a business: "From all of us at…", or just a first name and the shop.

Then add the date. People keep postcards for years, and a date is what they look for later. Where the address goes, and the line order for each country, is in how to address a postcard.

Is a postcard still worth sending?

Yes, because almost nobody else sends one. Americans still buy about 6.5 billion greeting cards a year, and nine out of ten households buy at least one (Greeting Card Association), but personal mail between households has fallen by almost two-thirds since 1987 (USPS Household Diary Study). A postcard stands out in a box of bills.

It is also cheap. A US postcard stamp costs from $0.65, against $0.82 for a letter (USPS), and the Kumar and Epley research suggests the person reading it will enjoy it more than you expect. Thirty words is enough.

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