13 Fresh Ways to Say "For Example"

Examples are illuminating, whether you're sharing one during a meeting, over an email, on a sales call, giving a presentation, writing a memo, etc. 

But, as you may know, the effective "for example" is hard to find synonyms for despite how often we use it. In this post, we'll go over a list of "for example" synonyms and the best use cases for each one.

1. "For instance ..."

"For example" and "for instance" can be used interchangeably.

• "Our product has several features your reps will love; for instance, they can schedule a series of emails …"

Best For: “For instance…” is best for formal writing. You could use this as a replacement when you explain use cases for your product during initial email outreach to prospects. 

2. "To give you an idea …"

Use this phrase to introduce a use case or example.

• "The right training program will ‘stick' for months and months. To give you an idea, Abel Co.'s sales team's average productivity rate per rep increased by 30% in the first quarter after our workshop -- and it's stayed within two percentage points ever since."

Best For: “To give you an idea…” is useful for informal and formal situations. 

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3. "As proof …"

After you make a point, say "as proof" followed by an anecdote or statistic.

• "Unhealthy snacks might be hurting employee satisfaction more than you'd think. As proof, HereNow's eNPS score went up 10 points once we revamped their office ‘pantry.'"

Best for:“As proof…” is useful for informal and formal situations when giving an example that supports your point. 

4. "Suppose that …"

This phrase makes your listener the star of the story, which helps grab and keep their attention.

• "Surprisingly, most salespeople spend the majority of their day on non-selling tasks. Suppose that all the time you currently spend in your CRM could be put toward emailing, calling, and meeting with prospects."

Best For: “Suppose that…” is useful for informal and formal writing to introduce a situational example. 

5. "To illustrate …"

When you want to prove your point, try this expression.

• "Everyone needs a good cybersecurity strategy -- even if you're not in a ‘risky' industry. To illustrate, we just protect a client in the consumer pet space, of all things, from an extremely sophisticated attack that would've taken every single one of their 100 stores offline for hours, maybe even days."

Best For: “To illustrate…” is useful in formal situations. 

6. "Imagine …"

Asking the other person to imagine themselves in a relevant situation makes them likelier to believe you.

• "Imagine every single franchise you own doubled their sales. What impact would that have on your life?"

Best For: “Imagine…” is best for informal situations, like if you’ve already built rapport with someone. 

7. "Pretend that …"

Along similar lines, "Pretend XYZ happened" is another effective alternative to "for example."

• "Onboarding has a huge impact on your retention rate. Pretend new employees could spend their first 10 days learning about your product, team, culture, and customers. What impact would that have on their performance?"

Best For: “Pretend that…” is useful in informal situations when giving an example that sets the scene. 

8. "To show you what I mean …"

If you're using content -- like a customer testimonial, video, blog post, case study, press release, etc. -- to prove your point, this phrase comes in handy.

• "Millennials work harder when they feel they are contributing to a larger purpose. To show you what I mean, here's an article about what happened when we rolled out a ‘Danco Cares' internal marketing campaign."

Best For: “To show you what I mean…” is best for informal situations. 

9. "Let's say …"

"Let's say" is a folksy alternative to "imagine" or "suppose."

• "Let's say you could attract five times more people to your website."

Best For: “Let’s say….” is most often used in informal situations, but can be used formally as well. 

10. "Case in point …"

For the times you've made a bold claim and need to back it up with the perfect example, go for "case in point …"

• "It might sound too good to be true, but simply adding more recycle bins can make your restaurant produce far less trash. Case in point: We put three bins inside Pita Palace's Westwood location and removed one trash bin, and waste decreased by 13.9%."

Best For: “Case in point…” works informally and formally. 

11. "e.g."

This Latin abbreviation (which is always lowercase) means "for example."

• "You have a lot of opportunity to grow, e.g., it doesn't sound like you've optimized your pricing page in years."

Best For: “E.g.,” is best suited for formal writing. The same goes for i.e., which are often used interchangeably. 

12. "Such as ..."

If you need to illustrate a certain point, use "such as " to explain further.

• "Clients who used the Standard CRM saw positive changes for their sales teams, such as productivity increases of 15% and a 40% increase in sales revenue."

Best For: “Such as…” can be formal and informal. 

13. "In particular ..."

Is there a certain section of your message you'd like to emphasize? If so, try using "in particular" to highlight the areas of emphasis.

• "With a custom email sending IP address, your email strategy will reap many benefits. In particular, you'll see an improvement in email deliverability."

Best For: “In particular…” is effective for informal and formal situations. 

With 13 alternatives to choose from, you'll never have to use "for example" again and again ... well, again. To learn more, check out this follow-up thank you email next.

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