Learn how to write a business email that can help improve your image with our easy-to-use, fill-in-the-blanks business letter template.
Knowing how to write a good business letter is an important skill in today’s corporate world.
An unprofessional business letter format can cause irreversible damage to your image and that of your company.
For this reason, we’ve created some tips and advice for you. Here you will learn:
- Key forms that business letters can take
- Secrets to writing flawless formal messages
- The best way to address signature in personal letters to companies
- Useful resources to help you manage your business correspondence
- And much more!
Basic forms of business letters.
The traditional means of sending a business letter has been by mail or post. However, with the advent of fast Internet communications, the situation is rapidly changing.
Gone are the days of regular mail, which is gradually being replaced by email.
Some of the most commonly used forms of business letters include:
Letters
– are Cover letters a form of correspondence that job seekers usually attach to their resumes in their job applications. Although a cover letter is not required for all job applications, having one can be very helpful in demonstrating the candidate’s experience in the industry, your qualifications, and why you want the job.
Promotional letters.
Another common letter format that is often used in business communications is the promotional letter. The purpose of such a business letter is to grab the attention of potential clients and turn them into paying customers.
Follow-up letters.
These are usually used to continue ongoing correspondence and usually serve as a reminder. In this case, follow-up letters are usually not too long and usually contain a reference to a previous conversation or event.
Query emails
Query letters are used to get more information on a topic or issue from the recipient of the letter.
Recommendation letters.
These are usually solicited by human resources departments of potential new hires.
Complaint letters.
These letters do exactly what their name implies, which is to formally express dissatisfaction about something.
Letters of correction.
This type of correspondence is used to respond to letters of complaint. They begin by acknowledging the problems noted by the complainant and then inform the complainant of the steps that have been taken to address those problems.
Despite the different purposes of business letters and the wide range of situations in which they can be used, all of these letters basically share a common thread in how they are formatted.
The perfect professional letter format
You may be wondering: What is the format of a business letter for?
A poorly formatted business letter can give the recipient a bad impression of the sender.
An example business letter should ideally include the following.
This particular example is an American letter format, a British letter format may have some marginal variations.
- Date the letter was written, left-aligned and in day-month-year format
- Recipient’s address also on the left
- Recipient’s name with any appropriate greetings
- Main paragraphs describing the intent and purpose of the letter
- A call to action: what the recipient must do upon receiving the letter
- The sender’s name and signature
- Mention of relevant documents that are sent with the letter
Business correspondence format: how to end and what greetings to use
An example might be:
Dear Mr. Columbo,
I am writing to thank you for the tremendous support you gave me and my team during the last conference…
If your letter is addressed to a specific department, it might say instead:
Dear Recruitment Team,
I am writing to follow up on our recent interview…
Now let’s move on to how to end a professional letter format.
Closing lines are necessary when writing business letters because they emphasize the sincerity of the sender and your gratitude to the recipient.
A sample format for a formal business letter might look like this:
Business letter closings to be used
- Greetings
- With best wishes
- Best regards
- Sincerely
- Yours sincerely
- Cordially
- Very cordially yours
- Thank you
Business letter closings to avoid
- Always
- Kisses
- Cheers
- Warmly
- See you
- We keep in touch
- I love you
- Take care
- Hugs and kisses
- Talk to you soon
- Bye
- Hugs
How do I create a personal business email?
A personal business email is usually written from a personal point of view and addressed to a company or other people in a particular company.
Here are some scenarios in which a personal business email can be used:
- From customer to company
- From a prospective employee to a business
- From an individual to a government agency or official
- From an employer to its employees
- Between colleagues
- From a charity to a potential donor
The primary purposes of personal business letters usually include starting correspondence, sending greetings, expressing gratitude, receiving information, or summarizing previous correspondence or events.
Writing a professional business letter requires a good understanding of its key elements.
To begin with, a good personal business letter should include:
- Greeting
- Body paragraphs.
- Closing
- The sender’s signature
This is a sample of a standard business letter format that can be used for a formal email example:
Dear Mike:
I am writing to express my gratitude for your support during the “Burning man” last month. The logistical support you provided us was crucial in ensuring that the event ran smoothly and that all the necessary equipment was in place.
As a token of my appreciation, I would like to offer you and each member of your team a complimentary watch from our catalog that we will mail to you.
Please let me know which model each member of your team has selected so that we can prepare the watches and mail them to you by the end of the week. You can reach me at [email protected] or phone number +1(800)469-92-69.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or need more information related to our catalog.
With best wishes,
Mike Miller
[email protected]
+1(800)469-92-69