If you want others to take your career or brand seriously, you need to master the art of the business letter. This letter is used when you want to come off as professional and formal. It is needed whether you are applying for a new job, sending an apology or a thank you note, or building new connections.
A business letter is a type of formal document that follows a specific structure. This includes key information like your contact information, a greeting or salutation, the body, a close, and your signature.
This post has been updated in September 2021.
What Is a Business Letter?
A business letter is a written message that is sent to a group or a person within a professional context. This is important considering the B2B industry value is at $12 trillion.
Your business letter can be short or long, depending on your purpose, objective, and message. The letter can be sent to anyone, including your customers, suppliers, managers, agencies, and other organizations. Business letters are legal documents that can be used for seven years, so it’s vital for you to hire a great writer to ensure the letter is legitimate.
What Makes a Business Letter Unique?
The major distinction of a business letter compared to other letters is its status as a legal document. This means the writer will be liable for anything that is written on it. For instance, if you state that a certain project will be completed in two weeks, you are legally bound to complete it on time. However, if you cannot perform this duty, you need to write another business letter that explains why there is a schedule delay.
Some of the major goals of a business letter are to give or request information, to continue the conversation, to discuss negotiations, and or to talk about a deal. Business letter writers are aware that this document needs to be private. Therefore, everything in the letter needs to be straight to the point and clear, and free of any personal stories.
A business letter writer does not write wordy documents. The sentences are always kept precise and short and do not contain any adverbs or adjectives that are not aligned with the message’s focus. The content also needs to be persuasive, and the tone must be formal throughout.
Types of Business Letters
A business letter will allow you to demonstrate class and professionalism. However, requesting a writer to make prepare one for you can be very confusing, especially if you are unfamiliar with the different types of a business letter.
Cover letter
A cover letter is a document that job applicants submit with their resumes. This one-page document will take a potential employer on a journey about the applicant’s life achievements and career. Whether you are an experienced professional or a student, you need a great cover letter that will show off all your talent and skills and why an employer must choose you over other applicants. Around 83 percent of recruiters think that a well-written cover letter will increase your chance of getting hired.
For this business letter, do not be pressured to fit all your work experiences into one document. Instead, curate your best experiences and ask a writer to interpret them for you. Never fake a skill you do not have since you will definitely regret it if your employer asks you to demonstrate that skill.
Cover letters should always be straight to the point since many entrepreneurs do not have the time to sit through an entire memoir.
Complaint letter
Sending out complaints is tricky, especially if you do not know how to write them well. A writer can help you craft a complaint letter to share your disappointment in a formal way. This is an effective method to report any poor customer service or bad experience or let a brand know that their product did not meet your expectations.
The secret to writing a good complaint letter is it should not seem like you are nagging the party involved. Despite not having an angry tone, a freelance writer would make sure that your complaint is not taken lightly.
If you write the letter yourself, you may be at risk of sounding too crass. A writer would help you rationalize the situation and simply state the facts. Being cordial and professional is also important. Make sure to say how you want the other party to solve the issue.
Invitation letter
This type of business letter is needed if you want to reach out to a person or group and invite them to attend an event you or your company hosted. This is specific to formal business events. If you are inviting a person for a casual event, make sure your hired freelance writer reflects this information in the invite. Invite letters need to build up the anticipation for the event, and it must have the time, venue, and date. After sending this letter, you can also send a follow to remind them.
Resignation letter
A resignation letter is a very important document since you can’t simply stop showing up for your job. This is timely considering that more than 3.5 million people left their jobs in October 2019 – the highest number since 2001. This letter will notify your employer that you will be leaving your position. Whether you work at a big shot company or not, it is part of the protocol to submit this business letter.
Ask your hired writer to keep the document simple and just state the facts. Do not complain since this letter is not the right place to share your critiques. Do not forget to thank your company for the opportunities you got because of them, and describe some of the important lessons you learned on the job.
It is vital to hire a great writer for this document, especially if you have a high-profile position. So consider your words carefully because many people may have access to this letter.
Recommendation letter
This business letter intends to recommend a person for an opportunity like a job or internship. Before a company hires an employee, they need letters like this to tell them why it’s a good idea to hire a person. This letter also needs to describe the abilities and strengths of a person.
When commissioning a freelance writer to do a recommendation letter, be as honest as possible and never do it for someone you do not know. It also helps to use concrete examples that highlight the skills of a candidate. Lastly, include why you think a person will excel in the position.
Order letter
Also called a purchase order, this type of business letter outlines the things you need to buy. This serves as a legal record of the transaction between buyers and sellers. For this type of letter, be clear. This will avoid confusion and misunderstanding. Include a list of everything you need from the seller before they get the payment.
Parts of a Business Letter
Make sure the writer you hire follows the standard structure of an effective business letter.
Information
If you want the receiver to reply to you, you need to write down your address, email address, and contact number. Many businesses include their full name on the top section, but many also think it’s unnecessary because you will sign your name at the bottom anyway. If you already have a letterhead, that will work too.
Date
Write down the entire date instead of abbreviating it with numbers. If you are writing for American companies, but the month before the day, but if you are writing to companies from Australia or the UK, the date should come before the month.
Address
The address of the recipient is important because this is where your letter will be delivered. Along with this information, write their name and title. Be specific, so it reaches the right person.
For example:
Mr. Rudy Callahan
Creative Director
Z Media
904 Mulholland Drive
Los Angeles, California
If you are not familiar with a person’s name, call them ahead.
Salutation
Business letter salutations do more than greet the receiver. It indicates respect. Choose your salutation based on your relationship with the person and the context of your letter. If you know the recipient personally, it’s fine to use their first name, such as “Dear Rudy.”
Whoever you write the letter for, make sure the salutation ends with a colon and not a comma.
Body
The body is the most vital part of your business letter. It should have concise paragraphs that serve a purpose. If you want your receiver to have a positive impression of you, keep your message clear.
In your opening statement and paragraph, introduce yourself and state the point of the letter. You can also share your mutual connections in case they don’t know you. The next paragraph should contain the details that concern your main point, and the closing paragraph should summarize your purpose and planned action.
Closing
In this part, you need to mention that the recipient can contact you if they have questions or concerns. Thanking them for reading the letter is also something you should not forget. This part should not be more than two or three sentences long.
You also need to write a complimentary closing, and your option on how to write this varies on the formality of your relationship. For example, there is a formal closing that includes Sincerely, Respectfully, or Yours Truly.
After the complimentary closing is your signature. Skip around four lines, so there is enough room for this spot. After that, just type your full name and title, and sign above it.
Enclosures
If you are sending something together with your business letter, you can include this by writing an enclosure after your signature. This part functions like a “please find attached” for emails.
