Keep me posted meaning: tell me what happens
Keep me posted means "tell me when something changes". It asks for updates but never says when. The person who asked waits, and the person who heard it decides how often to write.
Last updated
Keep me posted on the shipment, Arvid. The client is asking twice a day.
What did they mean?
Filed under I, J and K jargon.
Updates on your schedule
What keep me posted asks for
Keep me posted asks you to send news as things happen, so the person who asked doesn’t have to follow up. People say it most when a situation is changing fast. It sets no time and no format, so it’s easy to say and easy to forget.
Posted, from the ledger
The posted in keep me posted comes from bookkeeping.
| What posted meant | When |
|---|---|
| Copying entries from a day book into the ledger | From the 1620s |
| Supplied with the latest news, in American English | By 1828 |
Keep me posted, politely
Who’s asking changes it
Who says keep me posted decides how much it asks of you.
| Who says it | What it means |
|---|---|
| A colleague | Friendly interest, and they’d rather not have to ask |
| A manager | A standing instruction, so the updates are now part of your job |
| A client | The next move is yours |
| Someone senior about to go on vacation | Updates that will pile up unread until they’re back |
How to reply to it
Reply by saying when your next update will come: “Will do. I’ll send a note once the client signs off, Thursday at the latest.” If the work will run for weeks, agree on a regular cadence, such as a note every Monday, instead of a stream of one-off updates.
Other ways to say it
Better versions of keep me posted add a time or a trigger:
- “Tell me when you hear back from legal.”
- “Send me an update on Thursday, even if nothing has changed.”
- “Loop me in if anything slips.”
- From your side, say “I’ll email you by Friday” instead of “I’ll keep you posted”.
In the loop, the friendlier cousin
Keep me in the loop asks for the same updates.
Of 42 jargon phrases, in the loop was the one Australian office workers hated least. Only 5.3% disliked it. It still names no date, though, so the wait is no shorter.
Keep me posted, decoded
The update that never comes
Keep me posted with no date starts a chain: silence, then a gentle reminder, then per my last email, then a meeting to discuss communication. Once either side writes a date, the chain stops.
Circle back has the same missing date, and it gets said in meetings instead of emails.
I’ll keep you posted
“I’ll keep you posted” is the answer people give back. It promises an update but puts no day on it. When a supplier says they’ll keep you posted about a delay, they’ve told you the delay has no end date.
Replying noted is more honest. It promises nothing and doesn’t pretend otherwise.
Keep me posted from the top
When a director writes keep me posted on a thread, everyone copied starts sending updates to one more person. Before long, the updates get more polish than the work they describe.
The director’s version has no date either, like most of the update requests in our jargon dictionary.
Posted, not posting
Keep me posted has nothing to do with LinkedIn, though some people answer it with a post anyway. They turn a project update into a 600-word announcement about growth and keep their whole network posted instead.
A reply with keep me posted
Subject: RE: Laptop delivery for new hires
Hi Jo, thanks for the warning about the shipping delay. The two new hires begin on the 6th, so I’ll set them up on spare machines until then. Please
keep me postedtell me what happens.Thanks, Owen
Keep me posted in a sentence
Keep me posted on the shipment, Arvid. The client is asking twice a day.
Sounds good, keep me posted. Then three weeks of silence from both sides.
Keep me posted on the visa, Ingrid. I'll hold the start date until you hear.
I'm on leave next week, Chidi, but keep me posted on anything urgent, day or night.
Questions about keep me posted
Is it polite to say "keep me posted"?
Yes, it's a friendly way to ask for updates, and it's fine to use with colleagues and clients. From a manager, it also means the updates are expected, so treat it as a task.
How do I reply to keep me posted?
Say yes and name the next update: "Will do. I'll let you know when the parts arrive, Friday at the latest." Once there's a date, they can check whether you kept the promise.
What's another word for "keep me posted"?
Keep me updated, keep me informed, loop me in, or keep me in the loop. If you want a single word, it's apprise, and "keep me apprised" is the formal version.
What does "I'll keep you posted" mean?
It's a promise to tell you when something changes, with no day attached. To make it a real promise, add a time, as in "I'll update you by Friday", or a trigger, like "I'll email you when it's fixed".
Is keep me updated the same as keep me posted?
Yes, both ask to be told what happens as it happens. Keep me updated is the plainer wording, and keep me posted is the idiom, often used for news that's still unfolding.