What to write in a promotion card

The thing to get right in a promotion card is that it was earned, not given. Say what they did, not what they now are — a title is a fact, the work behind it is the compliment. One concrete sentence about how they do their job is worth any amount of congratulation.

Warm

Friendly, unfussy, safe with almost anybody.

• Congratulations! Well earned, and about time.
• Great news — thoroughly deserved.
• Congratulations on the promotion. They’ve made a good decision.
• Well done you. Enjoy it.
• Congratulations. Nobody is surprised, and everyone is pleased.

Funny

A joke with affection behind it. Read the room first.

• Congratulations. More money, more meetings.
• Promoted! Please remember me in your acceptance speech.
• Congratulations on your new and significantly larger inbox.
• Well done. The corner office is a myth but the title is real.
• Congratulations. Try not to become one of them.

Heartfelt

For the people you would actually say this to out loud.

• Congratulations. I’ve watched you do this job properly for a long time before anyone made it official.
• You earned this the slow, unglamorous way, which is the only way worth earning it.
• So pleased for you. You’re good at this and it’s nice to see it said out loud.
• Congratulations — you’ve made the people around you better, and that is why.
• Well deserved. Genuinely one of the best things to happen here this year.

Simple

When short is the right answer, and it often is.

• Congratulations on the promotion!
• Well deserved — congratulations.
• Great news. Well done.
• Congratulations, and enjoy it.
• Thoroughly earned. Congratulations.

What to avoid

• Don’t say “finally”. It implies they were overlooked and makes it about the company.
• Don’t mention the pay rise.
• Don’t joke that they only got it because someone left.
• Don’t promise them you’ll be asking for favours now. It is the most common joke in the pile.