Sometimes you need to write a letter to someone you don’t know.

Maybe you need to write to an organisation for information to help you with a school project. Or you might need to find out the activities being provided by your local council’s school holiday program.

These sorts of letters are often called business letters, and they’re written more formally than personal letters (the ones you write to your family and friends).

Important tips

Follow these tips to make sure you write business letters properly so you receive the information you need:

• Make sure you put the date on your letter.
• Always include your address so they know where to send the reply.
• Address your letter to Dear Sir/Madam if you don’t have a contact name, because you don’t know if the person you’re writing to is male or female.
• Keep your letter clear, simple and to the point.
• Check a dictionary to make sure all your words are spelt correctly. If you don’t have a dictionary, you could try this online one at www.dictionary.com (If you click this link, you’ll be taken to a website that’s outside the Australia Post site. To return, just close the window.)
• ‘Yours faithfully’ is a polite way of finishing a letter to someone you don’t know. Otherwise ‘Yours sincerely’ is the way to close your letter.
• Always keep a copy of the letter as a record of having sent it.

New Letter Writing Interactive

This is a fun way to learn about letter writing, check out the sample letters, helpful hints and the fantastic letterhead designs to choose from. 

Sample letter

Have a look at this sample letter (pdf  43kb) for hints about what you need to include. You will need Adobe Acrobat on your computer to display this file. If you cannot access the file, call 13 13 18.