Is "I hope that you are doing well, as well" an acceptable response? [closed]

I would like to reply to a message that says, "I hope you are doing well," and I want to return the acknowledgement. Is it acceptable to reply, "I hope you are doing well, as well?"

Solution 1:

I would say in response:

Thanks for your good wishes. I hope you are doing well, too. (I wouldn't repeat the word "well" as in the original example.)

Solution 2:

A simple, "Thank you, I'm well". But as someone who uses this expression at the start of some emails (only when I know the receiver and we're on more than formal, though less than friendly, terms) I don't actually expect a response.

Solution 3:

A very common phrase used to inquire about the wellness of the message recipient is...

I hope this message finds you well.

This phrase behaves like a question, but reads like a statement.

However, according to the article Speaking Your Reader's Language (see paragraph 6 about e-mails to strangers), by Lynn Gaertner-Johnston, you may want to avoid using the phrase when sending a business e-mail. The act of inquiring how a stranger is by using the word you (at all) can be considered too informal.

This other article, also by Gaertner-Johnston, explains (see the third-to-last paragraph) how the phrase might have an awkward feeling about it, and gives a list of alternatives. However, I am confident that its use is still OK, as I have seen this being used numerous times even in the past year or two at both work and home.

Finally, here is a sample letter where the phrase is used (see the very first line).