How to write a thank you letter

in
a thank you letter

Thank you letters seem to have fallen by the wayside. Since the written word was invented, people have been writing thank you letters. Taking a few minutes out of their day to sit down with a pen and paper to tell someone how much they appreciated their thoughtfulness. However, we now live in the age of technology, where a thank you letter is considered to be a quick, one or two lined email with an impersonal sentiment with no meaning what so ever.

However, a genuine thank you letter is an expression of how much you appreciate the thought, gift, or time that someone has given to you. This expression allows others to know that you considered their gift, time, etc. to be something worth having. Furthermore, your expression of thanks encourages more giving, not just to you (although that is nice), but to other as well.

Writing a thank you letter requires you to spend just a small amount of time to gather your thoughts and decide what it is you want to say. You need to decide how close you are to the person you are writing the letter too and how much of yourself you want to reveal. No one can make those decisions for you; however, there are some simple steps that you can take to ensure that you are, at least, writing an appropriate thank you letter.

Writing a Business Thank You Letter

Writing a thank you letter for business purposes, whether it is a thank you for an interview, purchase, or a thank you for someone’s business, requires the format as a business letter. These steps will insure that you format your business thank you letter correctly:

  • 1.5” margins on all sides of the paper
  • Date starts four spaces under the letterhead (if no letterhead then begin at the top with the date), there should be four empty lines under the date
  • Type in your name, full address, and phone number or email address; press enter after each element is entered, four empty lines
  • Type in the full name of the recipient, title, company name, and full address; press enter after each element is entered, press enter to leave two empty lines
  • For the salutation enter the formal name of the recipient (i.e. Mr. Doe or President Doe, Dr. Doe, etc.) with a colon (:) or a comma (,) after the name
  • Enter the body of the letter, begin immediately with the reason for the letter (i.e.: I want to thank you for your time, etc.), leave one empty line between each paragraph
  • Close the letter with Sincerely, With Regards, etc. and enter four empty lines after the closing
  • Type in your full name below the spot where your signature will be, enter two lines
  • Include identification initials and enter two more lines
  • Enter the cc information

Do not forget, just like any letter, it is important that you have the correct spelling of the recipient on your thank you letter.

Writing a Personal Thank You Letter

While it is very convenient to type a letter on the computer, if you are writing a personal thank you letter then you should consider taking the extra time to write it by hand. A typed thank you letter, no matter how personal, has the feeling of being a form letter. Also, send your thank you letter as soon as possible, although within six weeks is acceptable, sending a thank you letter within two weeks shows more thoughtfulness and care.

Personal thank you letters should feel just that. Items like a nice stationary or an expensive feeling parchment or linen paper will make the letter seem more personal. When writing the thank you letter you should consider using a pen rather than a pencil. Pens give the letter a denser look, especially if you use a parchment or linen paper.

Like any letter, there is an acceptable format in which to write a thank you letter:

  • Include the date on the top
    • On the top left side of the page write the date
  • Include your return address
    • Leave a few spaces after the date and write your address below it
  • Use the recipients name
    • While you will not always use the recipients first name in a thank you letter, it is never appropriate to write “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern”
    • By not using the recipients name you are suggesting that you do not know where the gift came from
  • Get to the point
    • Begin the body of the letter immediately with a thank you, keep it personal and specifically mention what you are thankful for
  • Make it personal
    • If there is a history between yourself and the recipient take the time to share a personal story related to the gift received
  • Close the letter
    • While you can close with Sincerely, or Faithfully Yours, if the letter is personal then feel free to make the closing personal by including sentiments such as Love Always, or Always Yours
  • Mail the letter to the recipient
    • It is a nice surprise for someone to receive a handwritten letter, especially in the age of emails

Tips

  • Type the letter first on your computer and then hand write the letter using your typed letter as a reference. This will ensure that you do not misspell any words and also give you a feel of the readability of your letter (by using grammar and spelling)
  • Make sure you write legibly, take your time to insure the recipient can read it
  • Do not ask the recipient if they have received the thank you, it is considered rude
  • If someone says thank you for your thank you letter, simply say your welcome and move on

A thank you letter is always appreciated and encourages others to give, so take a few minutes to let someone know you appreciate them and the things they do.