Format of how to write a letter : Get valuable tips and samples for letter writing
How do you write a letter? What steps do you have to follow? Are there any samples that can help in letter writing? Edulyte’s blog deals with answers to all these questions and more.
ntroduction
Letter-writing skill is essential for everyone, not only for professional reasons but also for personal ones. Depending on their purpose, they can be brief and casual or polished and long. Communicating through a letter leaves a great impression. But we all do need guidance on the format of how to write a letter.
Types of letters. What type of letter should you write?
The type of letter you should write depends on the person you are addressing it to and the letter’s purpose. An informal letter will be the right choice if you write to a friend or a family member. They can be in the form of:
- handwritten letters
- personal emails
- social media messages
A formal letter is a way to go if you are applying for a position or writing to someone you are not associated with. During your career span, you will ask yourself and others around you: how to write a leave letter or how to write a cover letter. Hence, it is better that you are equipped with the know-how of a formal letter format that can be written for the following purposes:
- a job application
- letter of intent
- business memos
- promotion letters
- regulation letters
- thank you letters
How to write a formal letter? What to include in a formal letter?
A formal letter is ideal for official correspondence, which means you would write many of them in your professional life. A formal letter format has a proper style, which should be strictly adhered to as essential letters.
Step 1: Write the contact details and date
- It comes in the upper left corner of your letter. Place your full name and address. In such a manner, the receipt can easily find your contact details. If you use the company’s letterhead, your contact information will already be printed, and you can skip this step. Capitalise the title and place a comma at the end.
- Leave a line and write the date you are writing the letter
- Skip the following line and place the recipient’s full name and contact information. Leave a blank line after that.
Step 2: Greetings/Salutations
Begin your greeting with “Dear” and the recipient’s name. “Dear Madam or Dear Sir” is so 20th century, so avoid that. If you do not know the name, you can always place the recipient’s job title: “Dear Head of Communications Dept.” Or you can always use “To Whom It May Concern.”
Step 3: Body of your letter
This is where you place all the information that has to be conveyed. It is an official letter, so keep it simple. Also, avoid slang, contractions or a casual tone. If you share a lot of information, divide it into paragraphs and place the last section as a summary, where you highlight all the essential points of the information.
Do not forget to proofread for grammar and spelling errors.
Step 4: Sign-off
Like salutations, signing off is also significant in a formal letter. You can always use “Sincerely,” or “With sincere regards,” Always capitalise the first letter of the complimentary close and place a comma at the end.
Leave a line and sing. Place your name under the signature along with your job title.
Stop 5: Mention enclosed documents.
In case you are attaching documents or any form of information to the letter, write “Enclosure” after your job title and mention the name of the document: “Enclosure; Resume” In this way, you ensure that ht recipient does not miss out on referring to the additional documents that you have sent along with the letter.
