As the business landscape undergoes constant change, you need to master the skill of concise communication in business letters. Lettercount.com offers ways for managing character limits in professional correspondence. You can write clear engaging and succinct letters. By giving priority to brevity, you attract the readers' attention and convey your message effectively. Learn how to swap phrases with shorter alternatives and get rid of unnecessary adverbs; select precise words to clarify your writing. Examples to demonstrate these methods of transforming tortuous letters into messages full of impact. Tools like character counters refine your drafts. Make sure each word does serve a purpose. That way, you will not only improve readability but also enhance your professional image. Whether you are composing cover letters, job proposals or client communications, following our suggestions will assist you in delivering your letters while valuing your readers time. Read about business letters below.

• The Role of Character Count in Writing Business Letters
• 3 ways to Manage a Business Letter’s Character Count
• Putting These Strategies Into Action
• Why use a Character Counting Tool?
• Sources

The COVID pandemic transformed perceptions of how a modern business should operate. Companies are increasingly allowing for flexible hybrid working, and online collaboration tools are now commonplace. But it is not all ‘out with the old and in with the new’.

Business Letters: An Overview

Perhaps due to their versatility, letters have remained steadfast in their place as a vital business tool. A good letter can persuade and sell, express thanks, or help a company work through challenging scenarios with unwavering professionalism. Business letters might be sent from one company to another, from a business to their customer base, or even from a job applicant to an organization.

Examples of Business Letters:

• Cover letters.
• Job offer/acceptance letters.
• Sales letters.
• Complaint/thank you letters.
• Letters of resignation/termination.

Usual Structure of a Business Letter:

1. The sender’s details and the details of the recipient.
2. Clear and succinct opening paragraph.
3. Concise but informative main body. 
4. Appropriate signoff and signature.

The Role of Character Count in Writing Business Letters

Regardless of the purpose of your business letter, it is best to keep it as concise as possible. Clear communication is a valuable skill in any business setting and will be appreciated by your recipient. A succinct, factual letter will be better able to capture and hold their attention, communicating your message successfully.

How Many Characters Should a Business Letter be?

There is no hard and fast rule, but less is usually more. While the exact number of characters needed will depend on the purpose of the letter, most should be able to fit onto a single page. If you have a lot to say, this can be challenging, but there are strategies you can use to quickly condense your letter’s content.

3 ways to Manage a Business Letter’s Character Count

Professional correspondence gets to the point. Descriptive language has its place, but business letters do not typically require unnecessary ‘filler’. The following quick tips will help you reduce your business letter’s character count without weakening your message.

1. Shorten Terms and Phrases Where Possible

Many common phrases can be replaced by something shorter, reducing character count while still making the same point.

For example:

Instead of...	Try...
In spite of	Despite
Recent research in the area has found	Research found
It was brought to my attention that	I realized
Thank you very much	Many thanks
A long period of time	A long time
General public	Public
A number of	Many/several
In order to	To
The vast majority of	Most
In an attempt to	To

Strategy In Practise: 

Before: “Recent research in the field has brought to my attention that the vast majority of office workers do not have a very good online planner system, in spite of organization being a key contributor to success in business.”

After: “Research has found most office workers do not have a good online planner system, despite organization being key to success.”

This idea doesn’t only apply to long phrases – there are lots of cases where a shorter single term means exactly the same thing as a longer alternative.

For example:

Instead of...	Try...
Utilize	Use
Generate	Create
Participate	Do
Elevate	Lift
Viewed	Saw
Nevertheless	But
Wherever	Where

2. Ditch the Adverbs and Use More Varied Language

Overusing adverbs and weak descriptive language for emphasis where one stronger term would do the same job is a common writing blunder. Drawing upon a wider vocabulary can be an excellent way to reduce the number of characters in your business letter.

For example:

Instead of...	Try...
Extremely good	Exemplary
Absolutely fabulous	Incredible
Very urgent	Pressing
Over the moon	Delighted
The absolute best	The finest

3. Write the Introduction Last

While it may seem counterintuitive, it is sometimes easier to compile your letter’s introductory paragraph last. Introductions are notoriously challenging to write and must effectively summarize the points made in the letter’s main body. Having this main body available for reference will allow you to pull out the key points for a succinct overview.

Putting These Strategies Into Action

Below you can find the same letter written in two different ways. Each letter says the same thing, but one is much more effective.

---

Business Letter Example 1

Dear (business name),

I would like to introduce myself and my varied services as a freelance content writer. I have purchased from your company many times in the past. When visiting your website, I often find myself admiring the excellent artistic design and sleek user-friendliness of your business website.

On a recent visit to your website, I realized that you have a great blog section. In spite of this, the blog has not been updated for a very long period of time (since April 2021). As a professional freelance content writer, I specialize in producing sleek website pages, informative blog posts, engaging social media content and more for a range of small businesses across a variety of industries. As a loyal customer and someone with a very keen interest in your products, I think I could add a lot of value to this section of your website. My blog posts could help you connect to your target customers by providing valuable tips and advice, all while improving search engine optimization (SEO) to help drive more visitors to your business website. 

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this letter, and if you would like any further details on my rates and specialized services, please feel free to give me a call, email or write back.

Yours Sincerely, 

(signoff)

---

Business Letter Example 2

Dear (business name),

I am writing to introduce myself and my services as a freelance content writer. As a loyal customer and fan of your brand, I often find myself admiring the design and user-friendliness of your website.

I noticed that your website has a blog that has not been updated since April 2021. I specialize in producing website pages, blog posts and social media content for small businesses. With such a keen interest in your products, I have the knowledge needed to fill this area of your website with valuable content for your customers, while also improving your site’s search engine optimization (SEO).

Thank you for your time and if you would like more details on my services and rates, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours Sincerely,

(signoff)

---

The first of these letters comes in at 1281 characters, whereas the second is just 765. While both cover each relevant point, the second letter communicates the message with more conviction and less unnecessary detail. In fact, by simply using the strategies discussed above, we were able to almost halve the number of characters in this letter.

Why use a Character Counting Tool?

Conducting a character count is a great starting point when editing a business letter. Stating your message quickly and clearly is vital, and being able to communicate succinctly in both verbal and written formats will always be a useful skill. 

An advanced character counting tool like lettercount.com will allow you to analyze the number of characters in your letter with or without spacing and punctuation. Armed with this knowledge, you can track your proofreading and editing progress in real time, seeing the results of the strategies above come to fruition.

Sources and Keywords

Sources

• https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/business-communication/how-to-write-a-formal-business-letter/1/
• https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/writing-clearly-concisely
• https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conciseness-handout/
• https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/types-of-business-letters
• https://www.ukpostbox.com/blog/how-to-format-formal-letter
• https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/two-page-business-letter#:~:text=Each%20paragraph%20can%20be%20between,three%20to%20five%20body%20paragraphs.
• https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/types-of-letters
• https://preply.com/en/blog/5-most-popular-professional-business-letter-formats/
• https://www.inpressionedit.com/2016/10/02/16-tips-on-how-to-reduce-word-counts-and-write-concisely/