How to Write a Business Letter

Write a business letter for an easy and professional way of corresponding. Business letters differ from personal letters in content and structure. Follow the correct procedures to write a professional letter.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Word processing program
• Printer

1. Begin in the upper left corner with the date you are writing the letter. The date can be used for a point of later reference.

2. State the name of the recipient, along with his or her job title, the name of the company and the address.

3. Include a salutation in the upper left corner. It is commonly "Dear," followed by the name of the recipient. It is a good idea to address the person formally as Mr. or Ms. If the name of the recipient is unknown, follow with Sir or Madam.

4. Continue with the body of the letter. Do not indent, but put a space between paragraphs. In a business letter, make sure the point is stated clearly. The purpose of the letter should be stated in the first sentence of the body.

5. Choose a proper closing. The most common one is "Sincerely" followed by a comma. Type your name below the body to the left. Below that, type your job title. Once the letter is printed, put the signature below the printed name.

6. Edit the letter. Check for spelling and grammatical errors very carefully. Nothing makes a letter look less professional than misspellings. Have another party ready the letter before sending it. The most popular word processing programs can also help you check. They do not catch all errors, however, so read the letter thoroughly.

7. Use company letterhead if possible. Make sure the letter is double spaced. Choose a block font that is easy to read, not a pretty or flowery font.