Here are some effective letter writing tips – a guide.
LETTER WRITING TIPS – Everyone should know how to write a letter for various purposes and here are some tips on how to do this correctly.
Whether a business inquiry, email, personal letter, or letter-format social media post, you might need to hone that letter-writing skill to do it properly. This is a very useful skill that you can use to communicate clearly and at the same time, make a good first impression. It is important in making a strong impression and building professional relationships.
Formal and informal letters are the two types of letters clearly used for various purposes. There are handwritten letters, emailed letters, and letters typed through social media messaging. The formal letters are used for professional purposes which include cover letters, letters of intent, promotion letters, reference letters, resignation letters, and many others.
The seven parts of a letter are:
- Heading
- Date
- Inside address
- Salutation
- Body
- Complimentary close
- Signature
There are many reasons to write a letter and some of them are for documentation, to show interest, and to make an announcement. Basically, when writing a letter, you need to decide first on your format. It is also important to include your contact information and date at the top if you are using the block type in writing, the body in a standard paragraph format, and the signature.
When writing a formal letter, you might want to follow these steps:
- Left-align the text.
- Put your name, address and contact information at the top of the page.
- Write the date in exact spelling, not in figures, on a new line. For example 22 October 2017 or October 22, 2017, and not 22/10/17 or 10/22/17.
- Under the date, put the recipient’s title, name, company, address, and contact information.
- For the formal salutation, use “Dear” along with their full name or their last name followed by a colon. On the other hand, use “To whom it may concern” if you do not know the letter’s receiver.
- Write a brief introduction to state the letter’s purpose.
- Write the body of the letter indicating the supporting information. Generally, this part is made up of two to three paragraphs with each paragraph containing a clear, precise, and concise point. The tone must always stay professional.
- Add a statement summarizing the objective of the letter.
- Finish the letter with a complimentary close using “Sincerely”, “Respectfully”, and among others leaving two blank lines after for the sender’s full name and signature.