You wouldn’t start off an e-mail with “My Dear X”, or “Dearest X”, since that would be too personal for a professional email, so “To X” being more impersonal seems like it would make the letter more professional-sounding, compared to “Dear X”.

  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
    123·
    6 months ago

    Because you’re doing it wrong?

    For business correspondence,

    It’s all right-aligned:

    [your name]
    [your position]
    [your company]
    [company address, and successive lines have other contact details]
    [empty line or two]
    [their details, if you know them. “To whom it may concern” if you don’t.]
    [empty lines again]. [the message. Be concise but informative. Even a little terse.]
    [some empty lines.]
    [parting instructions like “please call if you have questions]
    [post salutation]
    [signature]

    The post salutation is something bland and generic like “Thank you”, or “with regards” or “kindly,” anything more assumes a relationship that’s not there.

    For emails, your contact info usually goes below the signature, and frequently you omit their contact details. You can omit more and get more terse the better you know someone in emails.

    The letters used to be laid out like that because usually there would be a mail clerk or assistant that would open them and read them first, in a large company; and that way if the envelope gets lost you don’t have to wonder who it’s for. Emails… well… you already sent it directly there.

    Just as long as you’re not missing anything important. Trust me, as long as you’re both complete and concise, they’ll thank you.