When I started tracking the information preferences of people visiting my Writing Help Central website, I was surprised to find how many people were looking for information on how to write thank you letters. In fact, the “thank you letter” information and sample templates are the fifth ranked destinations on that website.

In reality, thank you letters are among the most important letters we will ever write. Whether business or personal, an effective thank you letter should be written with sincerity, tact, and sensitivity.

Here are some tips to help you when you encounter thank you letter situations in your business or personal life.

1. make sure it’s appropriate

One of the main problems with thank you letters is knowing when to send one. As a general rule, I would say “prevention is better than cure”. However, make sure there is something noteworthy about the situation. A thank you letter for a routine situation is meaningless and dilutes its meaning.

2. Write it promptly

It is always best to send a thank you letter as soon as possible after the event you are thanking for. It will help you with the level of sincerity in your letter if the event is still fresh in your mind. In either case, a delayed thank you letter will seem like a mandatory afterthought to the recipient.

3. Remind the recipient

In your introductory sentence, make it very clear that it is in fact a thank you letter and that it refers to a specific event, situation, and / or person. This will eliminate any confusion on the part of the recipient as to the purpose of the letter.

4. make it short and direct

Get straight to the point and never exceed one page. Letters of thanks should be short, direct, sincere, and to the point. In business situations, they will always be typed, but personal thank you letters can be handwritten or typed, as appropriate to the situation.

5. make it personal

By definition, a thank you letter is a sincere personal gesture from one individual to another. It should be expressed as a sincere personal sentiment, even when writing in a business situation. At the same time, strive to have a balanced approach and not be overly effusive.

6. Always write it to one person

Always write your thank you letter to one person, not an organization or group. Even if it is a situation where a group is involved, write your letter to the elder person in the group and / or the group spokesperson. Ask that person to convey your sincere appreciation to the others in the group and, if possible, indicate them in your letter. (Contrary to advice given by certain so-called online experts, in my experience writing a group letter is NEVER appropriate and accomplishes little or nothing.)

7. Check your spelling and grammar

Just like when you write all the letters, be sure to carefully check your spelling and grammar. This is even more important for thank you letters, as they are almost always a sincere statement of appreciation from one person to another. Be sure to check the spelling of all the names used in the letter. There is no faster way to ruin your credibility and sincerity than to misspell someone’s name.

The bottom line of thank you letters is “make it appropriate and sincere,” or it really doesn’t make sense to send one.