How to Write a Formal Business Letter: Step-by-Step Tips

A business letter is used to communicate or share important details or news with another company in an elegant and official style. Unlike internal memos, they are between two companies and this is the reason for their formal and official structure. However, these letters are flexible and can be used for other purposes such as announcements, cover letters, and a lot of others.

Despite its formal structure, these letters can sound friendly especially because of the brief introductions involved before the main point is gotten. At all times, no matter the purpose or tone, the writing should be clear, concise, and easy to read and understand.

The Structure of a Business Letter

The exact structure of this letter is what makes it a formal business letter. To make it a proper business letter, you must follow the structure below:

Opening

This consists of your mailing address, the date in full (e.g. November 26, 2019), the recipient’s name, name of the company, and address. Leave a line between your address, the date, and your recipient’s information. Don’t include your address if there is a letterhead that contains it.

Salutation

Address the recipient starting with the word, “Dear” and follow with their title and last name. For instance, “Dear Miss Elizabeth” or “Dear Doctor Gabriel”. If the gender of the recipient is not known, use their full name, e.g. “Dear Blake Kinney”. Always add a colon at the end of every salutation. What about a dot? Well, no. Remember that after salutation comes a colon. These details are the ones that matter when it comes to writing letters and cards.

Body

Use the first paragraph to introduce yourself and the letter’s main point. The following paragraphs should give further details of the main point and the concluding paragraph should reiterate the purpose of the letter and if necessary, a call to action.

Closing

The best formal closings are “Yours truly” or “Sincerely”. If you want a more personal closing, you can use “Cordially” or “Best regards”. No matter your choice, add a comma at the end.

Signature

Leave four lines after the closing before typing your name. Leave a line before typing your job title and company name. If the letter is to be submitted as a hard copy, sign in the space you left using either blue or black ink.

Enclosures

If there are any supporting documents with the letter, this is where they should be listed.

Layout

This is an especially important part of the structure as it decides how the text should be formatted. The most used layout for a business letter is the block format where the text is left-justified, single-spaced with the exceptions of the double spaces between the paragraphs. This layout gives the letter a clean and legible look.

Revision

This is a vital part of writing. Review it for conciseness, proofreading, and grammatical errors. You can ask someone to go over the letter to provide feedback and ascertain that you have missed no errors. Ensure all enclosures are attached and any hard copies are duly signed. 

After a full content revision, look at the letter’s appearance. If it is a hard copy, print it on only quality paper. Use the letterhead to give an official look at the document. Here you can check for Letterhead Printing.