Jonathan Hatch
What is a Letter?
A letter is one of the most basic forms of written communication. There are many different reasons for writing a letter, and many different kinds of letters. A letter usually falls into one of two categories: personal or professional.
Personal letters are simply another way of casually communicating with other people—like talking over the telephone or meeting for coffee—and don’t usually follow specific guidelines.
For the purposes of this page, we will assume that you are writing a basic formal business letter. A formal business letter is a letter written to address a professional matter and should follow very specific guidelines, which are addressed in the steps to the right.
If you are looking for advice on writing a specific kind of formal letter, check out the following pages: how to write a cover letter, how to write a letter of intent or interest, how to write a query letter, how to write a recommendation letter, how to write a letter of complaint.
How to Write a Business Letter
Formatting your business letter correctly is important because it reflects your professional awareness and attitude. If you’re sloppy or careless in writing your business letter, the reader will think you’re sloppy or careless at work or school, too (and they’ll probably be right). A lot can be riding on a business letter, so take the time to get it right and double-check everything before send the letter.
The basic format for a business letter format is called block format. Some professional organizations or situations may call for more specific formatting, but using the block format is a good start if you are unsure or unaware of any other guidelines for your business letter.
Formatting your business letter.
Your basic business letter should be printed in black ink on plain 8 ½ x 11 inch unlined paper, with 1 inch margins on all four sides. You should always use a standard font and font size, such as Times New Roman 12 (a business letter is not the right place to express your unique personality by using some god-awful unreadable font).
Dating your business letter.
The first element of your business letter is the date. Two inches from the top of the page, aligned to left, you should write out the date the letter was written (or completed, if written over more than one day), like this: December 13, 2007. Use the standard American format (month day, year) for organizations within the U.S., otherwise follow the format standard to the country of the organization you are writing to (for example, European countries place the day first: 13 December 2007).
Addressing your business letter.
Following the date, you should include the sender’s (your) address, and the recipient’s address (in that order). These should both be aligned to the left of the page and single-spaced, beginning one inch below the date, with one blank line between each of the addresses. Your address should include your street address, city, state, and zip code (in the standard three-line format); you can also include other relevant contact information, such as you email address or phone number. You do not need to include your name or title in this address, because these can be found at the bottom of the page in your signature. (Note: you can also choose to omit your address from the top of the page and simply include it with your signature below.)
The recipient’s address should include a specific name and title if possible, followed by the organization or company name, and the full address (for international addresses, the country name should be in all capital letters). Do some research if you are unsure about the name or title of the person to whom you are writing.
Opening your business letter.
Following the addresses is your salutation, or greeting. The salutation should fall one line below the recipient address and be aligned to the left. Always begin your salutation with “Dear” and end it with a full colon (never a comma). Use the full title and last name of the person you are addressing; if you are unsure of the person’s gender, it is acceptable to include their first name. If you addressing a woman and are unsure which title she uses (Mrs., Ms., Miss), go with “Ms.”. Always try to be as accurate as possible when including a name and title, and if you really don’t know who the letter will be directed to, use the neutral “To Whom It May Concern:".
Writing the body of your business letter
Following the greeting, the body of a business letter should be written in block format. The text should be left-aligned and single-spaced, with no indentation at the beginning of paragraphs and a single line between each paragraph. Use the first paragraph to introduce yourself and state the purpose of your letter. Follow this with as many paragraphs (try to keep it to one or two) as necessary to explain and justify your purpose, then conclude with one paragraph that reiterates your point.
It is imperative to state your message as clearly and concisely as possible. Get your point across, but be brief. There’s a good chance the person reading your letter will be extremely busy, and you’ll impress them more with clarity and brevity than three pages worth of extra details. Have someone you trust give you feedback on your letter, or put it aside for a little while and re-read if before sending it
Closing your business letter
End your letter with a friendly but formal closing statement, such as “Thank you” or “Sincerely”, followed by a comma. The closing statement should be aligned to the left one line below the end of the last paragraph, followed by four blank lines (for your written signature), then your typed title and name. (Note: If you choose not to include your address at the top of the page, you should include it directly below your name here).
Sending your business letter.
Before you send your letter, look over your formatting, spelling, punctuation, etc. If Microsoft Word is your word processor, you can use spell-check and the Letter Wizard (in Word 2000 and up) to help you double-check everything. Make sure you sign your name, include any extra documents, and clearly write the recipient and return address on the envelope (or use address labels)/