A business letter is actually a communication from one business to another, or among these companies and their respective clients, customers, or whatever other external entities. The format of this type of communication is different for different types of businesses, for example between a business that is just starting up and a more established company. The content of such letters usually varies with the nature of the business involved.
In case of a business letter format, you can start with the address of the sender and the recipient, which should be the first line or the last line of the letter. In the salutation, the name of the recipient is also required to be there. The next line is the body of the letter. Here you need to briefly describe the main idea of your letter to the recipient. Then you have to close it by giving instructions to the person who has received your letter.
The basic format of a business letter format is five paragraphs including the introduction paragraph, the body of the letter, the closing paragraph, and then the paragraph in which you indicate to whom you are sending the letter and where it is to be sent. Sometimes, depending on the theme of the letter, there are optional paragraph breaks also. All these paragraphs are optional, but it is recommended that you write the opening and closing paragraphs together and give the same emphasis to each paragraph as well.
The subject line, which is also known as the “to” line, appears in all business letter formats, and is written on top of the body of the letter. The contents of these paragraphs are enclosed in single or double quotes. Inside address of an envelope, you need to type your name, address, and the title of the recipient. The outside of an envelope is simply mentioned, without any enclosed content.
When writing a business letter format for an e-mail, it is advisable not to use many envelopes. The fewer the envelopes used, the more professional and elegant it will look. It is best to use one to three-line paragraphs for your e-mails. Using small paragraphs and proper punctuation marks will make sure that your e-mails will appear well-spent and well-arranged when they reach their destinations.
The closing part of your business letter format is the “signature block”. It is written above the last paragraph and is surrounded by one space. It is customary to include a blank line beyond the signature block. The subject line, which is also written on top of the signature block, is followed by the name of the sender, a colon, and two to three lines which indicate the date and the occasion of the message.
