Auto Reply Email Template: 10 Free Examples for Forms
In short:
- An auto reply email template is the message a form sends automatically to the person who filled it in, to confirm it arrived and say what happens next.
- A good one is short: thank them, confirm what they asked for, say when they will hear back, and offer one useful next step.
- Below are 10 free examples: contact, quote, support, booking, job application, download, event, feedback, out of hours and holiday.
- Use merge tags to personalise it, such as the person’s name, but never repeat their full message back to them.
- In FillKite, turn on Send an auto-reply in a form’s Settings tab, choose the email field, and paste one of these templates. The templates work in any form plugin, and if you are moving off a paid one, our Gravity Forms alternative page shows what changes.
An auto reply email template does a small job that matters a lot. The moment someone sends your form, they wonder whether it worked and whether anyone will read it. A clear, friendly auto-reply answers both questions within seconds, and stops many people filling in a competitor’s form “just in case”.
This guide explains what makes a good auto reply email template, gives you ten free examples to copy, and shows how to set one up in WordPress. Change the details in brackets to fit your business.
What makes a good auto reply email template
The best auto-replies share five qualities:
- Short. Three to six lines. It is a confirmation, not a newsletter.
- Personal. The person’s name and what they asked about, using merge tags.
- A clear promise. When they will hear back, and from whom.
- One next step. A link that helps while they wait, or a faster route for urgent cases.
- From a real address. Replies to the auto-reply should reach a person.
Two things to avoid: repeating the visitor’s full message, which sends their personal data back out to an address that might be mistyped, and sales pitches, which make a confirmation look like marketing.
A weak confirmation versus a strong one
Compare these two messages, both sent after a quote request.
Weak:
Thank you for your submission. Your form has been received. Do not reply to this email.
Strong:
Hi Sam, thanks for asking about a new website. We will send you a price range by 3 pm today, from [email protected]. In the meantime, here are three recent projects like yours.
The weak version sounds like a machine, gives no timing, and forbids a reply. The strong version uses the person’s name, confirms what they asked for, sets a specific promise, names the address the reply will come from so it is not missed, and gives them something useful to look at. It is barely longer, and it does far more work.
Read your current confirmation aloud. If it could have been sent by any company about any request, rewrite it using one of the examples below.
Merge tags you can use
Merge tags are placeholders that FillKite fills in when the email is sent. The ones most useful in an auto reply email template:
| Tag | Becomes |
|---|---|
{field:name} |
The answer to the field with the ID “name”, such as their first name |
{form_title} |
The form’s name, such as “Request a quote” |
{site_name} |
Your site’s name |
{entry_id} |
The entry number, useful as a reference |
{date} |
The date the form was sent |
Use the Insert tag button in the builder to add them without typing. The field IDs match the fields in your form.
10 free auto reply email template examples
1. Contact form auto reply email template
Subject: We got your message
Hi {field:name},
Thanks for getting in touch. Your message has reached us, and one of the team will reply within [one working day], by email from [[email protected]].
If it is urgent, call us on [phone number].
[Your name], [Business name]
2. Quote request auto reply email template
Subject: Your quote request: next steps
Hi {field:name},
Thanks for asking us about [service]. We are looking at the details now and will send you a price range within [two working hours].
While you wait, our [pricing guide] shows what is included in each option.
[Your name]
3. Support request auto reply email template
Subject: We have your support request (#{entry_id})
Hi {field:name},
We have your support request, reference #{entry_id}. Our support team replies within [four working hours], Monday to Friday.
Many common questions are answered in our [help guides].
[Support team]
4. Booking or appointment request auto reply email template
Subject: Your booking request
Hi {field:name},
Thanks for your booking request. This is not yet a confirmed booking: we will check availability and confirm your time by [end of today].
If you need to change anything, just reply to this email.
5. Job application auto reply email template
Subject: Thanks for applying
Hi {field:name},
Thank you for applying for [role]. We read every application and will contact shortlisted candidates by [date].
If you do not hear from us by then, we have decided not to take your application further this time.
6. Download or resource request auto reply email template
Subject: Here is your [guide]
Hi {field:name},
Here is the [guide] you asked for: [link].
If you have questions after reading it, reply to this email and a real person will answer.
7. Event registration auto reply email template
Subject: You are registered for [event]
Hi {field:name},
You are registered for [event] on [date] at [time], [place or online link].
We will send a reminder the day before. Cannot come any more? Reply to let us know, so someone else can take your place.
8. Feedback or survey auto reply email template
Subject: Thank you for your feedback
Hi {field:name},
Thank you for taking the time to tell us what you think. We read every response, and it helps us decide what to improve next.
9. Out of hours auto reply email template
Subject: We got your message (we are offline now)
Hi {field:name},
Thanks for your message. Our office is closed until [9:00 tomorrow], and we will reply first thing.
For emergencies, call [number].
10. Holiday closure auto reply email template
Subject: We are away until [date]
Hi {field:name},
Thanks for your message. We are closed for [holiday] until [date], and we will reply as soon as we are back.
Your message is saved, so there is no need to send it again.
Subject lines that get opened
The subject line of an auto reply email template has one job: tell the person, at a glance in their inbox, that this is the confirmation they are waiting for. Clear beats clever:
- “We got your message” is instantly understood.
- “Your quote request: next steps” sets up what comes next.
- “We have your support request (#{entry_id})” gives a reference they can quote back.
- Avoid “Thank you!!!”, all capitals and sales words, which look like spam to people and filters alike.
Match the tone to your business
| Business | Tone | Example opening |
|---|---|---|
| Law firm, clinic, finance | Calm and formal | “Thank you for contacting us. We have received your enquiry.” |
| Agency or studio | Friendly and direct | “Thanks for getting in touch, we love a new project.” |
| Trades and home services | Practical | “Got it. We will call you back today to book a visit.” |
| Software or online shop | Helpful and quick | “We have your question. Most answers are in our help guides.” |
Whatever the tone, an auto reply email template should sound like the person who will actually reply. If your first real email is warm and informal, a stiff auto-reply feels odd, and the reverse is true too.
3 bonus auto reply email template examples
Price list request
Hi {field:name}, here is our current price list: [link]. Prices include [what is included]. Reply with your requirements and we will send an exact quote.
Partnership or press enquiry
Hi {field:name}, thanks for reaching out. Partnership and press enquiries are reviewed by [name] every [Tuesday and Friday]. You will hear back if it is a good fit.
Newsletter sign-up
Hi {field:name}, you are on the list. Expect one email a [month] with [what they get]. You can unsubscribe from any email with one click.
For newsletter sign-ups, your email marketing service may send its own welcome or confirmation email. If it does, you may not need an auto reply email template from the form as well; two confirmations can confuse people.
How to set up an auto-reply in FillKite
- Open the form in the builder and go to the Settings tab.
- Find Auto-reply and turn on Send an auto-reply.
- Under Send to, choose the form’s email field.
- Write the subject and message, or paste one of the templates above, and use Insert tag for merge tags.
- Send a test entry to your own address and read the result on a phone.
Set the From name and address under FillKite → Settings → Email, so the auto-reply comes from a real mailbox on your domain, and add a logo, brand colour and footer there if you want every FillKite email to look like yours.
Common merge tag mistakes
- A tag for a field that is not required. If the name field is optional, some emails will start “Hi ,”. Make the name required, or write “Hello” without a tag.
- The wrong field ID. A tag must match the field’s ID, not its label. Use Insert tag to pick it from a list.
- Tags in the subject that make it long. A form title plus a name plus a date can push the useful words out of view on a phone.
- Tags that repeat sensitive answers. Keep phone numbers, budgets and messages out of the auto-reply.
Where do replies go?
People often reply to the confirmation with an extra detail or a correction. Make sure that reply reaches someone. Send auto-replies from a mailbox your team reads, not a no-reply address, and check that the address in your From settings is the one you want replies to go to. When a customer replies to the confirmation, you can then carry on the conversation in the same email thread, which keeps everything together.
Sites in more than one language
If your site serves visitors in several languages, the confirmation should match the language of the form they filled in. The simplest approach is one form per language, each with its own auto-reply written by someone fluent. Machine-translated confirmations often read oddly, which undermines the reassurance they are meant to give.
Plain text or designed?
Keep auto-replies simple. A plain message with your logo at the top and a short footer looks professional, loads everywhere and passes spam filters. Heavy designs with many images and buttons look like marketing, and some email apps hide images by default anyway. FillKite adds your logo, a brand colour line and a footer to every email it sends when you set them under Settings → Email, so an auto reply email template stays plain in content and still looks like it came from you.
An auto-reply is not a reply
An auto reply email template buys you time, but not much. It sets a promise, such as “within two working hours”, and the real reply has to keep it. Track how long each entry waits and answer before the promise runs out. FillKite shows a reply timer on every entry and can remind you when a lead has waited too long. Our guide to lead response time explains why this matters so much.
Make sure it arrives
An auto reply email template only helps if it reaches the inbox. Send it from an address on your own domain, through SMTP, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC in place, as Google’s sender guidelines ask. Our guides to WordPress SMTP and SPF DKIM DMARC explain the setup. Keep the message short and plain: long, link-heavy auto-replies look like marketing and are filtered harder.
Review it every few months
Confirmations go stale. A phone number changes, a reply-time promise no longer matches how busy you are, a linked guide moves. Put a reminder in your calendar every three months to send yourself a test entry and read the confirmation with fresh eyes. It takes two minutes and prevents the embarrassing case where every new customer is sent to a page that no longer exists.
Test before you rely on it
- Send a test entry to a personal Gmail and an Outlook address.
- Check it arrives in the inbox, not spam, within a minute.
- Check the merge tags filled in correctly, with no empty brackets.
- Read it on a phone: is it short and clear?
- Reply to it, and make sure your reply reaches a real person.
Do this again whenever you change the auto reply email template or your email settings.
Where auto-replies go wrong
| Mistake | What happens | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Repeating the whole message | Personal data sent to a possibly mistyped address | Confirm the topic, not the content |
| From a no-reply address | Replies bounce | A real mailbox |
| A promise you cannot keep | Trust drops before your first reply | A realistic reply time |
| Sales copy in the confirmation | Looks like spam, filtered harder | Keep it a confirmation |
| Auto-replies without spam protection | Bots make your site email strangers | Spam protection first |
| Forgetting to update it for holidays | Wrong expectations | A holiday version ready |
The fifth row deserves attention. A bot can type any address into your form, and your auto-reply then emails that address. Good spam protection stops this. See our guide to WordPress form spam.
Frequently asked questions
What should an auto reply email template include?
A thank-you, confirmation of what they asked about, when and how you will reply, and one useful next step. Keep it to a few lines.
Should the auto-reply include the visitor’s message?
No. If they mistyped their email address, their message goes to a stranger. Confirm the topic instead. FillKite’s default auto-reply does not include the answers.
Can I send different auto-replies for different answers?
Each form has one auto-reply, but you can use separate forms for very different purposes, and merge tags to include the topic or service they chose.
How long should an auto-reply be?
Three to six short lines is enough. It should be readable in a few seconds on a phone. Anything longer belongs in your real reply.
Can I turn the auto-reply off for some entries?
Entries caught as spam never trigger notifications or auto-replies in FillKite. For everything else, the form’s auto-reply is on or off for the whole form.
Why is my auto-reply going to spam?
Usually because it is sent from an address or server your domain does not authorise. Use SMTP and set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Short, plain messages also help.
Confirm every enquiry in seconds. FillKite sends a personalised auto-reply from your own address, with merge tags, branded emails and delivery you can check in the log. Read about notifications and auto-reply, see the merge tags, or install FillKite free from WordPress.org.
