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There may be a time you’ll need to contact another company or corporation, ask for help from a high-ranking government official, or even just talk to a client. Since I’ve previously had customer and client support duties and some recent land issues we’ve had to deal with, I’ve had a great deal of experience in writing to clients as well as high-ranking government officials.
I’ve also read several books about marketing and copywriting, and the tips inside definitely helped me get good responses.
Here’s a condensed list of tips that you should learn when you want to be more effective at writing business letters and emails.
5 Tips for Writing Business Letters and Emails
1. Focus on your main idea.
In Chip Heath and Dan Heath’s book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, one of the most important lessons there is that you need to find the core idea of your message if you want to be heard.
If you put in too many unnecessary details, you’ll bore and confuse your reader(s) and your message will be ignored. When you’re talking to an important client or an official who has the power to help you, you have to make your message count so remember to focus on your main idea.
2. Remember your “call for action”.
Robert W. Bly, the author of The Copywriter’s Handbook taught that “the last step in any piece of copy should always be a call for action”. Even if you’re able to get your idea across, if you aren’t able to get people to DO anything, then you’ve simply wasted your time.
Why did you write that letter? What do you need your recipient to do? Do you need them to contact you so you can sell them a product? Do you need help regarding some issue that affects your community? Tell it to the person directly on your letter and tell it kindly and courteously.
3. Structure your message.
Now this is something I’ve learned from an AFP General who is a family friend. When we had problems receiving some Medal of Valor benefits from the government, he asked me to draft the letter that will be sent to the relevant offices. He didn’t like my first draft, so he quickly taught me a format that he used while in the military.
- First, state what you need in the first section (e.g. help regarding government benefits).
- Next, state the facts or details.
- And finally, repeat what you need them to do (a.k.a. The “call for action”).
People are usually extremely busy nowadays, and that’s even more true for important and high ranking people. Do your best to make your letter short and easy to read while still containing the most important facts.
4. Use simple language and good grammar.
Should you embark on a foolhardy attempt to sound erudite and extravagantly loquacious, such actions may inevitably result in your communiqué’s untimely downfall. In simple terms, if you try to sound smart, your message will be bad. You won’t just confuse your reader, you’ll probably bore and annoy them as well.
Use simple, everyday language for your messages if possible. The only times you will need to use complex terms is if it’s necessary for your recipient. For example, you should use proper engineering terms if you’re writing to a fellow engineer or proper technical terms if you’re writing to a fellow expert.
Aside from that, you must always use proper spelling and grammar. If you make too many mistakes, the person you’re talking to might get the impression that you’re… not really smart. It’ll be difficult to get a good deal or get help if the person you’re talking to thinks you’re incompetent.
5. Be kind and courteous.
If you come off as rude or demanding, people will NOT want to talk to you. On the other hand, if you come across as smart, sensible, and professional, they may listen to what you have to say. When dealing with people, you’ll usually be more successful in the long term if you use kindness instead of threats.
Bonus Tip: Remember to PROOFREAD your letter!
Are you done writing your message? If you are, don’t send it yet! You STILL need to PROOFREAD! Check, double check, and TRIPLE check your letter for any mistakes, and read it aloud just to be sure. Wait a day (or maybe a few hours) at least and then check it again. You’ll be able to spot mistakes faster when your mind has had some rest and your thinking is clearer.
If you want to be good at writing business letters and emails, you have to focus on your main message, have a call for action, structure your letter well, use simple language and good grammar, and be kind and courteous to whoever you’re talking to. Remember those and you’ll likely get more positive responses than if you didn’t do them.
Of course, those aren’t the only tips you should learn but they should give you a decent start.
If you want to learn more about writing business letters and emails or how to communicate well in general, here are some books you might want to read! The lessons inside may help you a lot when you need to convince clients and employers, get help from government offices, and more.
Just click on the image links below and check them out yourself!
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