Earlier, we used to write personal letters to our family, friends, and relatives, but that is no longer the case. Now, in the modern smartphone era, emails and text messages are the most common modes of communication. Prior to the invention of the telephone, letters were the only means of communication for sharing both personal and professional information. Except in a few cases, we now rely primarily on emails to convey important information, even for business purposes. Recently, personal letters have vanished. Also, many people don’t know how to write a personal letter format.
Have you ever written an informal letter to someone you care about? If not, consider writing one. Letters contain a lot of emotions and memories when compared to other advanced communication modes. The buzz of the inbox and chat windows in emails and messaging platforms has recently taken over the silent letterboxes. It’s heartbreaking to see the art of letter writing fading away.
Mainly, to keep the tradition of informal letter writing alive, we have included examples of how to write a personal letter in this blog post. Continue reading to know the personal letter format.
Personal Letter Format and Structure
Non-official letters that are intended to convey personal information to friends, family, or relatives are referred to as personal letters. Unlike other formal business letters, the personal letter doesn’t have many formatting rules. However, regardless of the letter, alignment, punctuation, and spacing must always be given priority.
You can be friendly when writing an informal letter. The majority of the time, personal letters are written to send a message, invite a friend to a birthday or wedding, or congratulate or apologize to people with whom you have a personal relationship.
Especially, while writing a personal letter, you can include the following elements.
Sender’s address
The recipient should know from where you are writing this letter to send a reply letter. So, mention your complete address including your city and zip code in the top right corner of the letter.
Date
This is to indicate on what date you are writing the letter. Right, justify the date on the right below the sender’s address.
Recipient’s address
Mention the complete address of the person to whom you are writing. This section should be included at the left after writing the sender’s address and date on the right.
Greetings
In order to address the person with a warm greeting, you can use “Dear” followed by their name. As it is an informal letter, you can call out the recipient using their nickname too.
Body
Here comes the purpose of the letter. For personal letters, no restrictions are there regarding the length. You can start with an introductory paragraph and write engaging content to hold the attention of the reader. At the conclusion part, include a call to action in a way that encourages the reader to reply back.
Sender’s Signature
Sign off the letter with a thank you note and include your signature at the end with your name. You can use some common phrases like best wishes, lots of love, kind regards, kindly, etc.
If you are writing a personal business letter, then include a well-defined subject line before the greetings. Also, the body should be short and written on a single page only. The tone should not be too personal, especially at the signature block, be formal, and include the contact information like email and phone number at the end. Or else, you can also use a semi-formal tone throughout.
Read also: A simple guide on how to write a Business Letter Format
Standard Template of a Personal Letter
There is not any defined personal letter format, but you can write it as per the template mentioned below.
[Sender’s Address]
[Date]
[Recipient’s Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]
Dear [Name],
I hope you are doing great. It has been a long time since our last correspondence. I am writing this letter to [mention the purpose of the letter].
[Write your message]
Thank you for your time.
With Love,
[Sender’s Name]
Read more: Claim Letter Format -Easy Ways to Write an Effective Letter
The Bottom Line
There are many different types of personal letters such as goodbye letters, condolence letters, get-well-soon letters, celebration letters, gratitude letters, etc. When it comes to personal letters, you can use customized templates or colorfully decorated letters.
In comparison to business letters, the ones written in a personal tone are special and will always stand close to the heart. So, depending on the scenarios, you can write an engaging informal note with a lot of emotions and optimism.
If you don’t have an idea about the personal letter format, you can download it online and customize it as per your needs. To make great letters, you can also refer to the letter structure mentioned in this article.
When writing informal letters, don’t ask for repeated things you already know. Don’t beat around the bush, just jump directly to the point. Even if you are discussing a problem, stay optimistic and spread good vibes through your words.
