Do you want to know how to give someone a heads-up or a warning in a business email?
You might be concerned that “give you a heads-up” is too informal or impolite.
Luckily, you’re not limited by your options here.
This article will show you another way to say “give you a heads-up” to help you use the right tone.
Other Ways to Say “Give You a Heads-Up”
- Notify you
- Tip you off
- Alert you
- Warn you
- Just to advise you
- Inform you
- Tell you
- Advise you
- So I can inform you
- Put you on notice
- Give you advance warning
- Let you know
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- “Give you a heads-up” is correct, but it’s not the most formal phrase, so it won’t work well in emails.
- “Notify you” is a much better formal synonym if you’re trying to sound as professional as possible.
- Try “tip you off” for something a bit more informal if you’re trying to be more light-hearted.
So, read on to learn how to say “give you a heads-up” professionally and informally. We’ve explored more relating to the best two alternatives depending on the tone required.
The final section will also teach you if the phrase is correct. So, you may want to skip ahead to learn a bit more about it if this is more applicable to you.
Notify You (Formal)
Try keeping things simple by using “notify you” as a formal synonym for “give you a heads-up.”
Generally, it’s a polite and direct way to let someone know you have some information to share.
Also, while “heads-up” only refers to warnings, “notify you” can work well regardless of the context of your update.
Therefore, it works well when writing to clients. It’s a good way to share something with them that you’d like their attention to.
You can check out this email sample to learn a bit more about how it works:
Dear Miss Hill,
I’m just writing to notify you about the upcoming changes to your contract.
Please let me know if there’s anything you might want to discuss.
Yours,
Kyle Pilkington
It also works wonders when writing to a coworker. After all, you might have found something out about their job that’s worth updating them on.
Here’s another sample email to show you a bit more about it:
Dear Max,
This is to notify you that they’ve pushed the meeting back a few days.
I wasn’t sure if you were aware of this, so I thought I’d reach out.
Kind regards,
Shirley Plastic
Tip You Off (Informal)
To sound a bit more informal, you can write “tip you off.” This might be a good option if you’re looking to sound friendly and sincere.
For the most part, you can use this when emailing a colleague. It suggests that you’ve heard something they need to be informed of, so you thought you’d message them.
Generally, the email recipient will be grateful to receive something like this from you.
And you can check out this email example to learn a bit more about how it works:
Hey Mary,
I’m writing to tip you off about the upcoming meetings.
I think they’re going to discuss our performance, so it’s best you are aware.
Yours,
Milo Colthup
It might also be worth writing it in a text message. Sometimes, this will allow you to write to your friends and give them some inside information about something they might otherwise miss.
You can review this message sample to learn a bit more about it:
I need to tip you off about what’s coming! I’m not sure you’ve heard, but it’s not going to be good news for us!
Is It Correct to Say “Give You a Heads-Up”?
It is correct to say “give you a heads-up.” However, it is unprofessional.
So, while it’s a good way to warn someone about what’s coming, it’s not often best to use it in emails.
Still, you can refer to this example to learn how to use it informally:
Hey Mark,
I want to give you a heads-up about what’s coming.
It’s important for us to all be on the same page about this, after all.
Cheers,
Mario Loft
Also, make sure you hyphenate “heads-up.” You should always include the hyphen because it counts as a compound noun when showing that you’d like to warn someone.
For instance:
- Correct: I want to give you a heads-up.
- Incorrect: I need to give you a heads up.
It’s also worth using these extensions if you’re trying to mix things up a bit:
- I wanted to give you a heads-up.
- Just to give you a heads-up.
And finally, you can use the following variation when talking about yourself:
- Give me a heads-up.
Don’t go without bookmarking this page, though! After all, you never know when you might need to revisit us to learn other synonyms for “give you a heads-up.”