A business letter is a short official document with a given structure. It has a specific format. The ability to write it can be useful in different circumstances. From applying for a job to writing a thank you note or sending an apology. This article will be a detailed description of how to write a business letter + sample in English. It is important that the design and structure of a business letter depends on its type.
The main types of business letters
- Sales Letters. Sales Letters. Direct mailing, which is used to tell your potential customers what they are offered, what services and conditions. The letter reveals the benefits of cooperation and is intended to interest the client.
- Letters on a business proposal (Business Proposal Letters). Offer for a deal or partnership. The letter says that both parties will receive from the transaction, what are the advantages and benefits.
- Sending a request (Making an Inquiry). The letter contains a request for additional information about a product or service in the form of brochures, catalogs, telephone contacts, etc.
- Response to a request (Replying to an Inquiry). A successful response to the request can help you complete the sale or lead to new sales. Customers who make requests are interested in specific information.
- Business Congratulations. If someone from your former colleagues or acquaintances has opened a new business or received a promotion, then writing a letter is a great opportunity to congratulate him.
- Letter of resignation (Resignation Email). Sometimes, by coincidence, you have to send an email instead of a call or a personal meeting. A professionally and politely written letter will help you stay in good relations with the employer.
- Thank you letter. If a business partner has assisted you or a client has recommended your services to someone, then such a letter is a good opportunity to say thank you. A letter of appreciation in addition to demonstrating your appreciation can contribute to your career, help you get a job offer, and strengthen your relationship with a customer or supplier.
- Apology Letter. Making an apology may seem like a tricky step, but coping with this will surely make a good impression. Apologies can be made both on a personal behalf and on behalf of the company.
- Claim (Making a Claim). These letters are used to make claims in connection with the unsatisfactory work or products of the company. If the customer is not satisfied with the work of the contractor, he writes a letter demanding that the work be done better.
- Cover Letter. They are extremely important when applying for a new position. They should include a brief introduction, highlight the most important information in your resume, and convince the potential employer that you are well suited for the job.
Rules for writing a business letter
- The text of the letter should be direct and concise.
- The information in the text must be reliable.
- Using abbreviated words is undesirable.
- Lack of corrections and strikethroughs.
- The meaning should not be twofold.
- The use of slang is not allowed.
- The appeal should be polite.
Also if you write an email:
- Pay attention to the choice of font size and color. Make sure your letter is written in simple and professional type. Otherwise, the recipient may not even have time to read such a letter. A font that is too small or incomprehensible can cause your letter to remain unread.
- Most suitable are the fonts Times New Roman, Cambria, Calibri, Arial, Courier New.
- Recommended font size is 10-12. The size depends on how long your message is. Try to fit the letter on one page.
- Avoid bold, underscores, and italics. Such letters may be inconvenient to read.
Before sending a letter, check it for literacy and spelling errors, because their presence may repel the recipient. Make sure all personal and company names are spelled correctly. Break the text into paragraphs for ease of reading and perceiving information.
Letter structure
- Start your letter with an official greeting.
- You can use the link to the previous contact or communication.
- Next, indicate the reason for your letter.
- In the main part, tell the essence of the problem with the necessary arguments.
- In the final paragraph, summarize the meaning of the written and complete the letter.
- Express gratitude to the recipient for reading the letter.
- Put your signature below and indicate the date.
How to contact the recipient in a business letter in English? Sample
Your appeal to the recipient depends on your relationship with him. If you have already known a person personally for many years, then it will be appropriate to use only his name. Otherwise, use Mr., Ms. or Dr.
It is not recommended to use informal greeting phrases such as Hello or Hi (hello), Greetings (greet), Good Morning (good morning), Good Evening (good evening). Use a personal greeting that includes the recipient's first name, last name, or position. For example: Dear Mr. Dawson (respected Mr. Dawson), Dear Manager (respected manager).
If this is not your first time writing this contact, it’s appropriate to add some kind of phrase for courtesy. For example, I hope you are doing well.
Formal appeal examples
- Dear First name Surname (respected first and last name) - e.g., Dear Josh Dawson.
- Dear Mr. or Ms. Surname (respected Mr./Ms. Last name) - e.g., Dear Mr. Dawson or Dear Ms. Dawson
- Dear Mr. or Ms. First name Surname (dear Mr. or Ms. first and last name). E.g. Dear Mr. Josh Dawson or Dear Ms. Jane Dawson
- Dear Manager (respected manager).
- Dear Sir or Madam (dear sir or dear Madame). Write this if you do not know the name of the recipient.
- To Whom It May Concern (for the person concerned). In case you do not have information to whom this letter is specifically addressed.
How to sign a business letter in English? Sample
Without knowing the person personally, it is appropriate to start a letter with Dear Sir or Dear Madam, and end it by signing Yours faithfully First name Surname (with respect, first name / surname)
Yours sincerely or Yours truly phrases, which translates to “Sincerely Yours”, are used if you have previously addressed the recipient by first or last name.
How should I sign a business letter in English? A sample is provided below.
Address Design
Your address and contacts must be indicated in the upper corner, on the right. In the same place, if desired, indicate the name of your company, address, phone number. If you are sending a letter on behalf of the company, your own name should not be indicated.
On the left side, specify the recipient address. It should be below your address.
A sample design of a business letter in English (address) is as follows.
Date Design
There are no strict rules indicating in which place to put the date. Usually it is indicated above or below the address of the recipient.
It is important to know that not all countries write dates the same way. For example, in the UK, the date comes first, and then the month begins on July 26, 2019. In America, on the contrary. Example: July 26, 2019.
We advise you to write the name of the month in letters, as this will help to avoid possible misunderstanding.
Content of the letter
Any official letter should be written simply and clearly. It’s not worth writing everything on several pages (maximum 2-3 paragraphs). As we know, brevity is the sister of talent.
To get started, understand the purpose of your letter: gratitude, claims, a proposal to work together, etc.
There is a phrase with which it is convenient to start the first sentence: I am writing ..., after which you can write the purpose of the letter.
Examples:
- to inform you about - to inform about;
- ipso facto - for this reason alone;
- to recommend - recommend;
- to explain - to clarify;
- to request - request;
- in this connection - in connection with this;
- in reference - relatively;
- to remind you - to remind;
- to congratulate - congratulate.
In the next paragraph, reveal the essence and purpose of your letter. Avoid using unnecessary words and phrases. Express your thoughts intelligibly.
And in the last paragraph you can write about what you now expect from the addressee. Depending on the purpose of writing, this may be a requirement to redo the work, an offer to buy a product or service, send more information, and so on.
Letter completion
Be sure to thank the recipient for reading and let us know that you are hoping for an early reply.
Useful phrases:
- Thank you for your interesting - thank you for your interest.
- Please, let me know what you think - please let me know what you think.
Sample Email
How to issue a request letter? A pattern in business English style looks like this.
This is an example of writing a business letter in English in the form of a request. It is sent to companies that may not currently be actively looking for new employees. This way you get a chance to show your resume to the hiring manager. Thanks to the letter, the employer will notice that you are interested in the company and in a certain position.
If they did not plan to hire new employees, the letter will help you stay in sight. When the situation changes, you will be considered as a candidate.
How to write an electronic business letter?
First you need to know a few rules:
- Your email address should look professional and simple. For example, First Name Last Name@email.com or Last Name First Name@email.com. Make sure your email address is not named something like that - krasotkalisa@gmail.com.
- It is also important that letters are concise. On average, people do not spend more than a minute reading an email. In order for your message to interest the addressee, and he read it to the end, write only on business.
- Use the subject line to convince the reader to open your letter. Do not make it too long, but include more keywords. For example, if you write a letter about a request to hire, just indicate the position and your name with the surname.
- Complete the letter professionally. Take the time to sign it correctly. Your signature must contain a name and email address. You can also specify a phone number, your position or the address of a personal website.
- And the last rule - edit. Check several times so that the email is clearly written and edited. Reread it and correct all spelling and grammar errors before sending the message.
What should be excluded from the letter?
- Emoticons
- Errors and typos
- unusual or color fonts;
- superfluous and unnecessary information;
- Images;
- slang or abbreviated words.
Examples of writing different types of emails
How to write a business letter in English? Samples and templates will help you format and organize information in a letter. But while samples can be a good starting point, remember to make your email personalized.
This is what a business email in English looks like (sample photo):
This type of letter is a congratulation on the opening of a new business. Your words of support and recognition will be remembered by the recipient, and may also be useful in the future.
Here's how to write a business letter in English. Sample in the photo.
When you thank a person, say for what specifically. Make it clear to the recipient that this is not a thank you note. List how you have been helped. For example, Suzanne was very helpful in organizing the conference. In response, Mary offers her services, if necessary. This shows that her words are not empty and she is really grateful for the work done, that she is ready to offer something in return.
Cooperation
To start cooperation and further development of the partnership, you must write the first letter that will contain your offer or information about the transaction. A professional letter will interest the company or client and will favor a partnership.
This is how a business letter of cooperation looks in English (sample).
Do not forget to indicate your contacts in the letter: phone, mail and address, so that the recipient can contact you in any way convenient for him.
Using a sample business email in English, you can easily write your own.