Learning how to write a letter is essential both in the professional and personal world…
While email and text messages have become the standard form of written communication in today’s fast-paced digital world, there is still a place for traditional letters.
The weight of a letter gives the communication a factor that the email and texting just doesn’t have.
Digital communication is impalpable and fleeting, and consequently lends itself to impulsive and cold transmissions. A letter, on the other hand, is tangible evidence of someone who has thought about your writing.
A physical letter shows that someone missed the time to care. And that’s hard for the recipient to ignore.
Do you want to cut through the endless stacks of apps that got hurdles? Instead of submitting another resume through an online site, send your own by mail.
Do you want to show a friend that you really have been thinking about him? Instead of sending a terse, “What have you done?” text, write him a note.
Whenever you want to make sure your message is taken seriously, choose a physical card about the fragility of digital communications.
How to write a letter, what type to write, what format would be best – everyone should be familiar with these basics. But what if you have never written a letter?
First, don’t feel bad. If you grew up in a time when the Internet was always around, you may have never thought of writing one.
But why not give it a try? By the time you’re done with this article, you’ll know how to write a letter and you’ll be ready to go.
Types of letters
First, before learning how to write a letter, we must understand that there are generally two types of letters, formal letters and informal letters. But there are also other types depending on their content, formalities, the purpose of writing, etc.
- formal letter: These follow a certain pattern and formality. They are kept strictly professional in nature and directly address the issues at hand. Any type of business letter or letter to the authorities falls under this category.
- Informal letter: They are personal letters. They do not need to follow any set pattern or adhere to any formalities. They contain personal information or are a written conversation. Informal letters are usually written to friends, acquaintances, relatives, etc.
- business letter: This letter is written between commercial correspondents, it generally contains commercial information such as appointments, orders, complaints, claims or collection letters. These are always strictly formal and follow a structure and pattern of formalities.
- official letter: This type of letter is written to inform offices, branches, subordinates of official information. Official letters are also formal in nature and follow a certain structure and decorum.
- social charter: A personal letter written for a special event is known as a social letter. Congratulatory letter, condolence letter, invitation letter, they are all social letters.
- the circular letter: These announce information to a large number of people is a circular letter. The information may be a change of address, change in management or the retirement of a partner.
- employment letters: Any letter regarding the employment process, such as letter of incorporation, letter of promotion or letter of application.
And while there are no hard and fast rules, the letter format you choose will depend on your audience.
How to write a formal letter
1. How to write a formal letter: Formal letters must be typed
While nothing is more elegant than a letter written in spectacular handwriting, handwritten letters are too personal (and possibly messy) for formal situations.
Since formal letters are used when discussing business, you need to make sure that your writing is legible and professional.
2. What type of paper to use
For most formal letters, you can use standard white printer paper. If you want to add a bit of flair, swap it out for some nice cream-colored resume paper.
This gives it a more cloth feel and harkens back to an aristocratic time when people wrote on sheepskin.
In the United States, the standard paper size is 8.5″ x 11″. In other countries, it is labeled “A4”.
3. Choose the right font
A formal letter is not the place for you to show your creative and quirky side. You must stay strictly business.
For printed letters, graceful fonts are your best bet. They just look sharp and are easy to read on paper. Fonts without “thanks” give your writing a bit of airiness and informality.
Other options you can’t go wrong with are Times New Roman or Georgia.
4. Choose the shape: blocky or indented
The purpose of learning how to write a letter is to make it easy to read and the reader knows where to look for important information.
With the block form, all text is typed flush with one-inch margins all around.
Indented, the first line of a paragraph is spaced one inch apart. You also put your address and date so that it is justified correctly.
The indented form was the way most people wrote business letters before the proliferation of PCs.
The block form is the easiest to format and the easiest to read. The indented format adds a bit of visual interest and old-school flair.
Either is acceptable for formal letters.
5. Write your address and today’s date
The first information you write in a formal letter is your name and address. Then drop a line and write the date you are writing the letter.
If you are writing your letter on letterhead with your name and address, you do not need to write this information. Only the date will do.
6. Write the address of the recipient
After the date, leave a line and write the recipient’s name and address.
If the letter is going to the company where the recipient works, the recipient’s name goes first, followed by the name of the company.
When writing the recipient’s name, use their full name, including the title. If she’s a doctor, she’s “Dr. Laura Duncan.” If he’s a state representative, he’s “Rep. Mike Walls.” Teacher? “Prof. Fears.”
7. Write the greeting
Drop a line and write your greeting. You can’t go wrong with “Dear”.
If you know the recipient well, go ahead and use their name. If you don’t know them well or the relationship is formal, use their title and last name, eg “Dear Mr. Ferguson”, “Dear Prof. Slater”, etc.
Be sure to spell the recipient’s name correctly!
If you are writing a letter that is not addressed to anyone in particular in the organization, you can write “To Whom It May Concern.” Ideally, before writing a letter, do your research so that you are addressing someone specific.
Use “To Whom It May Concern” only after you have diligently researched who to contact and verified that a specific name is not available.
8. Develop the body of the letter
It is important when learning how to write a letter where the content is concise and to the point. A formal letter should not be longer than one page, unless absolutely necessary.
Use the first paragraph for a brief courtesy: “I hope you’re doing well,” and then cut to the chase: “I’m writing in relation to…”
- Use the rest of the letter to justify the importance of your main point by providing background information and supporting details.
- Use bold, crisp language.
- Avoid the passive voice when possible.
The final paragraph should restate the purpose of the letter and, in some cases, request some type of action or follow-up.
Your recipient is likely to be a busy person, and the easier it is for them to respond to your letter, the more likely you are to receive a response.
End with another courtesy like “I look forward to speaking with you soon” or “Feel free to contact me by phone if you would like to discuss in detail.”
In many cases, it is appropriate and courteous to add: “Thank you for your time and consideration.”
9. add a farewell
After your closing paragraph, leave two lines and put your closing. Also known as the “complementary closure.”
Some options for writing in this section are:
- Kind regards
- All the best
- successes
Sign your handwritten name between the farewell and your written name.
10. Additional information
enclosures. If you are enclosing additional items with your letter (such as a resume), leave a line below your signature block and write “Attachments” or “Attached.” You can also indicate the number of additional documents in parentheses.
- So if you had two enclosures, you would write “Enclosures(2)”.
Separate mail. If you are sending an additional document that is not in this mail, indicate it with “Separate Mail” or “Under Separate Cover”, followed by the name of the piece.
Courtesy copies. If you are sending this same letter to other people, inform the recipient with “CC:” or “Copies to:” followed by the names of the other recipients.
- List names in alphabetical order by last name.
Typist’s initials. If someone else wrote the letter while you were dictating, have them include their lowercase initials two lines below the signature block.
- If you have attachments or separate emails, place it below them.
How to write an informal letter
These types of letters do not have a strict protocol and are mainly used to communicate with family, friends and close associates.
- Informal letters can be handwritten. In fact, that’s the best practice, as it adds personality and character to your letter.
They all have a unique handwriting and therefore when you sent the message using your handwriting, you make the recipient feel your presence and feel your personality.
In other words, the recipient will feel that you are there even if you are thousands of miles away.
- An informal letter can be written using the type of paper you prefer. It can be a copy paper or a piece of paper from your notebook.
When you use a good paper, you will get an enjoyable writing experience.
- It doesn’t make sense to add the recipient’s address. You just need to add the date preferably in the upper right corner.
- Greeting is open for anythingyou can use your first name or add a nickname.
- Body paragraphs can also be formatted in any way. You can use the intended block or shape just to make your letter look nice and presentable.
Depending on the message you are conveying, you can decide whether to be concise or long.
Informal letters have broad coverage topics. For example, in a correspondence letter you will write about everything that is happening in your life, and then you will ask what is happening in the recipients.
Then be sure to answer the…
