Business Letter Layout (With Examples)

Knowing how to write a professional business letter is crucial for communicating with your boss, colleagues, clients, distributors, and potential employers.

The term “business letter” encompasses several more specific letters, including cover letters and reference letters. Both of these usually play a substantial role in the application process. However, a business letter can also simply be a message to a boss or another professional figure.

Regardless of the type of letter, the basic formatting will remain the same. Therefore, it’s crucial that you know the best way to format your business letters.

Formatting Basics: Fonts and Spacing

As with any professional document, your business letter should pull from a group of acceptable font types, which are sized and spaced appropriately.

If you’re not sure what font types are acceptable, here is a list of ten potential fonts you can use:

• Arial

• Calibri

• Corbel

• Garamond

• Georgia

• Gill Sans

• Helvetica

• Open Sans

• Roboto

• Times New Roman

When in doubt, pay attention to the simplicity of the style. If a font seems simple and easy to read, it is probably acceptable. Simple fonts are preferred in part because heavily stylized fonts might be difficult for someone to read. Ideally, the reader should be able to skim the most important information from your letter quickly and efficiently.

After selecting a font, you should choose your font size based on the same logic as the font type. Therefore, choose the smallest size that is still easily readable—typically between 10 and 12. The font type you chose may alter the size slightly, but be sure to avoid oversizing your font, as your letter may appear more unprofessional.

Finally, the spacing of your business letter also plays an essential role in making it appear readable and professional. Typically, your letter should include a line of blank space between each paragraph, and it’s recommended that you write at least three to four paragraphs.

Remember that you should single-space your letter’s body paragraphs and align the entire letter on the left side of the page, which will maintain a nice flow for your reader.

How to Address your Letter

If you’re new to writing business letters, the headings at the top can seem a little excessive or confusing.

But don’t worry!

You will address every business letter you write similarly, so if you have a general idea of what you write, the formatting will seem much more straightforward.

First and foremost, you should write your name and address at the top of the letter, either on the left side or center of the page. If you have a relevant job title, you can include that as well.

Next, you’ll skip a line and include your recipient’s name and address.

Ideally, you should know the name of the person you’re writing to. However, it is very common not to. If you don’t know their name, simply address the letter “To Whom it May Concern.”

However, If you do know their name, make sure to use an appropriate title. You shouldn’t assume women are married, so it’s good to favor Ms. over Mrs. Also, if you know they have a doctorate or Ph.D., you should use the title Dr.

Here are a few examples of how to properly address your letter:

1. Robert Sperling
   Supervisor
   Rune Museum
   888 Lyne St.
   Hillsburg, KY, 01230

   September 8th, 2020

   Sarah Parker
   Curator
   History Museum
   742 Dru Rd.
   Hillsburg, KY, 01230

   Dear Ms. Parker,

2. Jerry Fitz
   93 Herring Rd.
   Roland, CA, 59421

   September 16th, 2020

   Best Restaurant
   58 Clarendon Rd.
   Roland, CA, 59421

   To Whom it May Concern,

Perfect! Now that you know how to address your letter, you’re one step closer to getting your message across properly.

Business Letter Etiquette and Tone

Being professional by nature, a business letter should maintain a polished tone. After all, you don’t want to throw slang at a hiring manager or your boss.

As you start your letter, your first paragraph should serve as an appropriate introduction. State why you’re writing the message, and use polite but direct language.

Words you should avoid include: kinda, yeah, totally, literally, etc. Ideally, you should cut anything that seems too informal from your letter.

Finally, you should select a brief, appropriate closing to end your letter. Some good options include: “Sincerely” or “Respectfully” followed by your first and last name.

Business Letter Examples

Now that you know how to write a business letter, here are five sample letters you can use to aid in your writing:

1. Sarah Silvers
   8 Park St.
   Dudley, TN, 01230

   September 8th, 2020

   Matt Williams
   Human Resources
   City Hall
   23 Main St.
   Dudley, TN, 01230

   Dear Mr. Williams,

   I’m pleased to recommend Heather Ingrid for the City Hall Government position. I have known Heather for over a decade now and know that she is a passionate, caring person who’s organized several community events throughout her life. With that in mind, I know she is highly qualified for a position at Town Hall.

   In high school, Heather was a member of our student council and played a pivotal part in raising money for our school’s extracurricular programs. Due to her efforts, we not only maintained the programs we were afraid of losing but also added a new art program that year. Additionally, she’s participated in several hours of community service and taken part in local grassroots campaigns. Overall, she is one of the most compassionate people I’ve ever met.

   Without hesitation, I am happy to recommend Heather for this position, as I know she would be an incredible asset to our local government. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or (333) 333-3333.

   Sincerely,

   Sarah Silvers

2. Nathan Burns
   632 Park Ave.
   Villtown, VT, 01301

   September 2nd, 2020

   Villtown Auto Sales
   553 Central Ave.
   Villtown, VT, 01301

   Dear Hiring Manager,

   I am interested in applying for the Automotive Sales Representative position at Villtown Auto Sales. As a recent graduate with a degree in Sales and experience in customer service, I believe I’d be a perfect fit for this position.

   I have over four years of customer service experience, including the work I did at Helpers Retail while taking college courses. I have also participated in two summer internship programs related to sales, where I gained knowledge of accounting, customer patterns, and had in-person experience with sales pitching. I also have experience working with cars, as my father was an auto mechanic, and I worked with him for many years before I went to college.

   Given this experience, I believe I possess the skills necessary to succeed in your company. I even bought my first car at Villtown Auto Sales and loved the representative I worked with at the time. Therefore, my experience is highlighted by knowledge of your company and taking into account that I have all of the requirements for this position, I am ready and willing to start working immediately.

   I hope you will consider my application, and I look forward to hearing back from you. You can reach me at 444-222-1111 or [email protected].

   Sincerely,

   Nathan Burns

3. Jerry Fitz
   General Manager
   Good Eats
   93 Herring Rd.
   Roland, CA, 01230

   September 8th, 2020

   Best Restaurant
   58 Clarendon Rd.
   Roland, CA, 01230

   To Whom it May Concern,

   I’m writing to recommend James O’Leary for the Line Cook position at Best Restaurant. As James’ previous supervisor, I worked with him for nearly five years. I know he is highly qualified for a job in your kitchen through my experience working with him.

   At Good Eats, James excelled at his work. He always had orders ready at a fast pace, without sacrificing the quality of the food. He communicated very well with the rest of our team and made sure that our other chefs and line cooks were all on the same page. On top of that, he’s a hardworking young man who has a passion for cooking.

   Without hesitation, I am happy to recommend James for this position, as I know he would be an amazing asset to your team. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or (222) 222-2222.

   Sincerely,

   Jerry Fitz

4. James Tudor
   767 Semloh Rd.
   Dewfield, MA, 01230

   August 17th, 2020

   Ron Johnson
   General Manager
   Pet Inc.
   401 Main St.
   Dewfield, MA, 01240

   Dear Mr. Ron Johnson,

   As a detail-oriented, experienced dog enthusiast, I was excited to see an opening for the Dog Groomer position at your company. Considering my deep passion for dogs and dog care, I believe that, if given the opportunity, I would be a valuable asset to your team.

   I have over five years of dog grooming experience, including the work I did at Love Dogs Co. for the past three years. During my time in this position, I learned how to professionally neaten a dog’s coat and specialized cuts such as the lamb cut, lion cut, and teddy bear cut. I am also knowledgeable in calming methods, such as keeping dogs under control while being washed or having their nails clipped. All of this experience is highlighted by my overwhelming passion for our canine friends.

   Given this experience, I believe I possess the skills necessary to succeed in your company. I even received my dog trainer’s certificate from Dog College. Therefore, considering that I have all of the requirements for this position, I am ready and willing to start working immediately.

   I hope you will consider my application, and I look forward to hearing back from you. You can reach me at 222-111-3333 or [email protected].

   Sincerely,

   James Tudor

5. Robert Sperling
   Supervisor
   Rune Museum
   888 Lyne St.
   Hillsburg, KY, 01230

   September 8th, 2020

   Sarah Parker
   Curator
   History Museum
   742 Dru Rd.
   Hillsburg, KY, 01230

   Dear Ms. Parker,

   I’m writing to invite you or another representative from your organization to speak at the annual Museum Conference, which will be held at Rune Museum, October 27th.

   The theme of our upcoming conference is “skills students should hone when looking for jobs in the anthropology field.” Considering your position at the History Museum, I believe you’d have ample knowledge to offer to our students.

   As part of the speaker’s package, we offer a modest honorarium and a table for ten at the Friday night dinner.

   If you have any questions or wish to know more about the speaking opportunity, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or (444) 444-4444. I look forward to hearing back from you.

   Sincerely,

   Robert Sperling

Author

Jack Flynn

Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.