How to write a formal letter

Follow these five simple steps to make sure your English emails are perfectly professional.

Begin with a greeting

Thank the recipient

State your purpose

Add your closing remarks

End with a closing

Dates

number of the day:

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

months:

Capital letter

,

Year

Titles

The answer to how use titles for men and women effectively lies at the junction between business etiquette, social graces and personal preferences.

Man

A man always goes by "Mr." or "Mister" or "Sir"

The last variation is used in more formal writing

Woman

A woman goes by

"Miss" > young girls, unmarried ladies

"Mrs." > abbreviation of missus > refers to married women

"Ms." > unknown marital status

"Madam" > used in formal writing

Begin with a greeting

Always open your email with a greeting, such as “Dear Lillian”.

If your relationship with the reader is formal, use their family name (eg. “Dear Mrs. Price”).

If the relationship is more casual, you can simply say, “Hi Kelly”.

If you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, use: “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”.

Thank the recipient

If you are replying to a client’s inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks.

For example, if someone has a question about your company, you can say, “Thank you for contacting ABC Company”. 

If someone has replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, “Thank you for your prompt reply” or “Thanks for getting back to me”. 

Thanking the reader puts him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more polite.

State your purpose

If you are starting the email communication, it may be impossible to include a line of thanks.

Instead, begin by stating your purpose. For example, “I am writing to enquire about …” or “I am writing in reference to …”.

Make your purpose clear early on in the email, and then move into the main text of your email.

Add your closing remarks

Before you end your email, it’s polite to thank your reader one more time and add some polite closing remarks.

You might start with “Thank you for your patience and cooperation” or “Thank you for your consideration” and then follow up with, “If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know” and “I look forward hearing from you”.

End with a closing

The appropriate closing with your name. 

“Best regards”, “Sincerely”, and “Thank you” are all professional.

Avoid closings such as “Best wishes” or “Cheers” unless you are good friends with the reader.