Business Letters Format Content
  Visual Design

The following sections are typical to business letters:
  • Letterhead
  • Dateline

    • under the letterhead: e.g.. January 10, 1996
  • Inside Address
    including
    • Name,
    • Title,
    • Company Name,
    • Street address,
    • City, State and Zip Code.
  • Salutation

    • e.g. "Dear Ms. Murphy:", "Dear Professor Hymark: "
  • Message

    • Begin by stating why you are writing the letter.
  • Complementary Close

    • "Sincerely," or "Sincerely Yours," are proper.
    More formal closing include "Very truly yours," and "Resepctfully yours    ,"
  • Signature Block

    • Signature followed by Name and Title:
    James Brown
    Rock Star
  • Enclosure (or Enc.)

    • Below the last line of the signature block, indicate what, if any, documents accompany the letter
  • Copy Line (CC)

    • If others are receiving copies of the letter, they should be listed in alphabetical order. If they are with different companies or divisions, their titles should be included as well.