• Make sure you send copies of the memo to anyone affected by it
• Consider email for informal messages or announcements
• If the situation is very formal, or the recipient is several pay grades above you, it may be more appropriate to use a formal business letter.

• Outline and Organise your Inquiry – By outlining it is meant that you have to know what sort of information you are going to present?, word limit, documents required, the tone of the language, your anticipation, common ground of consensus and other required matter. It is just like an architecture preparing a building plan. Here you have to decide ‘What to include?’ and ‘Why to include?’ Knowing this eases the writing process and also eases the reading on part of the recipient. When all the pieces are clear in your mind, it is time to figure out the best possible logical order.  Arrange a sequential order for the relevant information. In this way outlining and organising eases the further writing process.
• Gather Information – Certain inquiries may not require any search or research, certain will. For the latter one’s you have to collect information to make your case strong. If you are looking for a job, you need to know the expectations of the employer. If it is a fund that you are writing for, know your client. Research your recipient; know the principles on which they work. Analyse their intellect and weaknesses. Any information which will support your inquiry is good. It might appear daunting but you don’t need to go into all areas. Pick one or two and research on that. There are other indirect methods like visiting the websites, going through profiles, news items and other assistive methods. Knowing and delivering the anticipated speeds up the writing and the success of the inquiry. On your part you might be required to provide information to the recipient and that too needs to be sorted out before it is presented.
• Drafting – A formal letter like query letter begins from a draft. The draft maybe required for your own acceptance or for the organisation you are working for. The initial step of outlining and organising comes to aid in the draft. The logical order and the information collected are put to full use in drafting. Ideas or lines may come hard, so start with what comes first in the mind. Then weave the inquiry around it and prepare your letter. Though the layout has been planned but the content may not always live up to the layout. Drafting is a good option because you may not always come up with a good letter and you require certain revisions or consultations with your seniors. Here, you can experiment and chalk out a format for future use.
• Appropriate Recipient – Your inquiry may not yield the desired results if you are in doubt about the exact recipient. You may know about multiple recipients but who is the one, that is most likely to respond in a positive and helpful manner. To solve this query you can contact the recipient’s office and find out who is the most appropriate. For indirect methods you can use previous correspondence containing letterhead or recipient’s name. The company’s website can also be helpful in this matter. Never address your inquiry letter to a ‘Department’, ‘Head of Department’ or ‘To whom it may concern’. An individual will read your letter and this individual represents the department. So always direct your letter to 'A Person having Authority' and 'Not to Authority having a Person'.
• Impressive Opening – Inquiry letter being a representative to many types of other letters requires an impressive opening. It may not be the agenda of all inquiry letters but wherever it is applicable, you have to impress the reader. To arouse the interest you can state the profit involved in the query. You should write in an active voice and offer relevant facts. The letter should live up to the anticipation and expectations of the reader, making it effortless to read. You can also use certain apt phrases and quotes towards this effect. You can flatter the recipient with certain praises but don’t exaggerate. Self introduction in the starting itself wouldn’t be a good idea so refrain until it is anticipated.
• Be Specific and Brief – It makes sense to be specific and brief. Specificity of your letter will lead to easy perception of the information. Brief letter will be read quickly and wouldn’t appear as burdening. Moreover, there is no scope for anything apart from the request and its relative aspects. You can be specific by offering the most important information; one which will fulfil most of the needs of the reader. You can be brief by using short paragraphs and using one word whose meaning is equivalent to a number of words. Mostly an inquiry letter is of 2 to 3 pages.
• Be Straightforward – Straightforward doesn’t mean a simple go. You have to be direct but by remaining within the boundaries of etiquettes. You shouldn’t sound cold and boring. You have to be professional and follow all the observances expected from an inquiry letter. For, example you shouldn’t condemn, be sarcastic or arrogant. One may not realise it but when others read it, they can point out the anomalies. So build a momentum instead of directly coming to the objective of the letter.
• Generate and Maintain Interest – There are many ways of presenting information. It is up to you how you present it. You can utilise a question to arouse the curiosity of the recipient. You can maintain this interest by providing some hints as to what you have written next. Don’t lose the momentum of the tone as it can reduce the interest. Present your idea which forces the person to imagine a scenario.
• Supportive Documents –Don't forget to attach the required documents. These documents are supportive towards your cause. For a prospective employee these add value to the credibility of the individual. In a business scenario it is complimentary and well thought idea. They also augment the effect of the letter.
• Facilitate the Response – When you seek information which is more essential to you than it is to the reader, you are required to ease the reply process. So enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with your query. Even, otherwise it shows your presence of mind, willingness to ensure smooth and quick response. If the inquiry is more beneficial to the recipient, your contact number and other details are already there on the letterhead.
• Offer Incentives – When you make it obvious that the inquiry is beneficial to the recipient, it acts as an incentive. If you make it clear – ‘The How’ and ‘What’ of the desired outcome of the letter, it also serves to offer an incentive. You can emphasise the role of the reader in the inquiry and how it will add up to his credentials. You can use examples towards this effect; a profit to the recipient does go long down the line.
• Review and Revise – Coming to the final section, double check the address. Your letter should have all the qualities of being a professional one. Ensure the use of simple font such as Times New Roman or Arial. Check for any spelling and grammatical errors. If in doubt get a reliable proofreader to review it.

• Begin your letter by stating who you are and giving your status or position (such as student, researcher, interested consumer, etc.), and tell how you found out about the individual or entity that you are writing to.
• Clearly state what it is that you are inquiring about and what you would like the recipient of your letter to do. Make your inquiry as specific as possible.
• You might want to briefly explain the purpose of your letter or what you hope to accomplish. Such an explanation may prompt the recipient of your letter to act more quickly.
• If appropriate, consider mentioning the letter recipient’s qualifications for responding to your inquiry (this may prompt him/her to act when he/she might otherwise be hesitant to do so). For example, you could explain that you are writing to the reader because she is a leader in her field and the accepted authority on the subject you are interested in.
• Include the date by which you need the information, services, etc., that you are requesting, and indicate that you await the reader’s response.
• Thank the person for his/her time.

• Outline and Organise your Inquiry – By outlining it is meant that you have to know what sort of information you are going to present?, word limit, documents required, the tone of the language, your anticipation, common ground of consensus and other required matter. It is just like an architecture preparing a building plan. Here you have to decide ‘What to include?’ and ‘Why to include?’ Knowing this eases the writing process and also eases the reading on part of the recipient. When all the pieces are clear in your mind, it is time to figure out the best possible logical order.  Arrange a sequential order for the relevant information. In this way outlining and organising eases the further writing process.
• Gather Information – Certain inquiries may not require any search or research, certain will. For the latter one’s you have to collect information to make your case strong. If you are looking for a job, you need to know the expectations of the employer. If it is a fund that you are writing for, know your client. Research your recipient; know the principles on which they work. Analyse their intellect and weaknesses. Any information which will support your inquiry is good. It might appear daunting but you don’t need to go into all areas. Pick one or two and research on that. There are other indirect methods like visiting the websites, going through profiles, news items and other assistive methods. Knowing and delivering the anticipated speeds up the writing and the success of the inquiry. On your part you might be required to provide information to the recipient and that too needs to be sorted out before it is presented.
• Drafting – A formal letter like query letter begins from a draft. The draft maybe required for your own acceptance or for the organisation you are working for. The initial step of outlining and organising comes to aid in the draft. The logical order and the information collected are put to full use in drafting. Ideas or lines may come hard, so start with what comes first in the mind. Then weave the inquiry around it and prepare your letter. Though the layout has been planned but the content may not always live up to the layout. Drafting is a good option because you may not always come up with a good letter and you require certain revisions or consultations with your seniors. Here, you can experiment and chalk out a format for future use.
• Appropriate Recipient – Your inquiry may not yield the desired results if you are in doubt about the exact recipient. You may know about multiple recipients but who is the one, that is most likely to respond in a positive and helpful manner. To solve this query you can contact the recipient’s office and find out who is the most appropriate. For indirect methods you can use previous correspondence containing letterhead or recipient’s name. The company’s website can also be helpful in this matter. Never address your inquiry letter to a ‘Department’, ‘Head of Department’ or ‘To whom it may concern’. An individual will read your letter and this individual represents the department. So always direct your letter to 'A Person having Authority' and 'Not to Authority having a Person'.
• Impressive Opening – Inquiry letter being a representative to many types of other letters requires an impressive opening. It may not be the agenda of all inquiry letters but wherever it is applicable, you have to impress the reader. To arouse the interest you can state the profit involved in the query. You should write in an active voice and offer relevant facts. The letter should live up to the anticipation and expectations of the reader, making it effortless to read. You can also use certain apt phrases and quotes towards this effect. You can flatter the recipient with certain praises but don’t exaggerate. Self introduction in the starting itself wouldn’t be a good idea so refrain until it is anticipated.
• Be Specific and Brief – It makes sense to be specific and brief. Specificity of your letter will lead to easy perception of the information. Brief letter will be read quickly and wouldn’t appear as burdening. Moreover, there is no scope for anything apart from the request and its relative aspects. You can be specific by offering the most important information; one which will fulfil most of the needs of the reader. You can be brief by using short paragraphs and using one word whose meaning is equivalent to a number of words. Mostly an inquiry letter is of 2 to 3 pages.
• Be Straightforward – Straightforward doesn’t mean a simple go. You have to be direct but by remaining within the boundaries of etiquettes. You shouldn’t sound cold and boring. You have to be professional and follow all the observances expected from an inquiry letter. For, example you shouldn’t condemn, be sarcastic or arrogant. One may not realise it but when others read it, they can point out the anomalies. So build a momentum instead of directly coming to the objective of the letter.
• Generate and Maintain Interest – There are many ways of presenting information. It is up to you how you present it. You can utilise a question to arouse the curiosity of the recipient. You can maintain this interest by providing some hints as to what you have written next. Don’t lose the momentum of the tone as it can reduce the interest. Present your idea which forces the person to imagine a scenario.
• Supportive Documents –Don't forget to attach the required documents. These documents are supportive towards your cause. For a prospective employee these add value to the credibility of the individual. In a business scenario it is complimentary and well thought idea. They also augment the effect of the letter.
• Facilitate the Response – When you seek information which is more essential to you than it is to the reader, you are required to ease the reply process. So enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with your query. Even, otherwise it shows your presence of mind, willingness to ensure smooth and quick response. If the inquiry is more beneficial to the recipient, your contact number and other details are already there on the letterhead.
• Offer Incentives – When you make it obvious that the inquiry is beneficial to the recipient, it acts as an incentive. If you make it clear – ‘The How’ and ‘What’ of the desired outcome of the letter, it also serves to offer an incentive. You can emphasise the role of the reader in the inquiry and how it will add up to his credentials. You can use examples towards this effect; a profit to the recipient does go long down the line.
• Review and Revise – Coming to the final section, double check the address. Your letter should have all the qualities of being a professional one. Ensure the use of simple font such as Times New Roman or Arial. Check for any spelling and grammatical errors. If in doubt get a reliable proofreader to review it.

Memo Tip #1: Make sure you have a crazily-easy-to-understand request BEFORE writing your memo.

Memo Tip #2: Get the “essential info” out of the way, in the shortest space possible.

Memo Tip #3: Your memo should convey all the information in the smallest amount of text possible.

Memo Tip #4: Repeat and bold the action people should take at the end (in one sentence).

Memo Tip #5: If action doesn’t need to be taken, tS

hen tell them.

Have 6 tips:

1. Type “MEMORANDUM” at the top of the page. ...
2. Address the recipient appropriately. ...
3. Add additional recipients in the CC line. ...
4. Write your name in the “From” line. ...
5. Include the date. ...
6. Choose a specific phrase for the subject line. ...
7. Format the heading properly.

• Be clear and concise. Describe the item or service you bought and the problem. Include serial or model numbers, and the name and location of the seller. If you’re following up on a conversation, be sure to say who you spoke with and confirm the details of your discussion.
• State exactly what you want doneand how long you’re willing to wait for a response. Be reasonable.
• Don’t write an angry, sarcastic, or threatening letter. The person reading your letter probably isn’t responsible for the problem, but may be very helpful in resolving it.
• Include copies of relevant documents, like receipts, work orders, and warranties. You also may want to send copies of emails and notes from conversations you’ve had with the seller about the problem. Keep your originals.
• Include your name and contact information. If an account is involved, be sure to include the account number.

• Begin your letter by stating who you are and giving your status or position (such as student, researcher, interested consumer, etc.), and tell how you found out about the individual or entity that you are writing to.
• Clearly state what it is that you are inquiring about and what you would like the recipient of your letter to do. Make your inquiry as specific as possible.
• You might want to briefly explain the purpose of your letter or what you hope to accomplish. Such an explanation may prompt the recipient of your letter to act more quickly.
• If appropriate, consider mentioning the letter recipient’s qualifications for responding to your inquiry (this may prompt him/her to act when he/she might otherwise be hesitant to do so). For example, you could explain that you are writing to the reader because she is a leader in her field and the accepted authority on the subject you are interested in.
• Include the date by which you need the information, services, etc., that you are requesting, and indicate that you await the reader’s response.

• Be courteous. Remember, by making this request you are imposing on the reader’s time and/or resources.
• Don’t send an inquiry letter for information you could easily find out by other means, such as with a quick search on the Internet.
• Your letter can be fairly short, but it should be long enough to adequately explain what it is that you are inquiring about and what you want the reader to do in response to your letter.
• Generally, give at least a couple of weeks for the person, company, or organization to respond to your inquiry before you send a follow-up letter or make a follow-up phone call.
• If appropriate, you may want to mention that you will keep confidential any information provided. (This may increase the likelihood that the reader will respond to your inquiry.)
• Make it as easy as possible for the person to respond to your request. This might mean offering to pay for any needed photocopies or mailing costs, or perhaps including a self-addressed, stamped envelope; necessary forms, questionnaires, or other documents; and so forth.
• Make sure to include contact information so that the person can easily get in touch with you if necessary, such as your cell or home phone number or e-mail address.
• When the person responds to your inquiry, it is a good idea to send a quick note of thanks expressing your appreciation and telling how the information helped (or can help) you. If appropriate, you may want to offer to return the favor in the future.
• http://www.writeexpress.com/How-to-write-an-inquiry-letter.html

• Be clear and concise. 
• State exactly what you want done 
• Don’t write an angry, sarcastic, or threatening letter.
• Include copies of relevant documents
• Include your name and contact information

• Double space between this line and the next line of the heading.

• If you are sending a memo to the entire staff, you might write: “TO: All Employees.”

• For example, instead of writing, “Ants,” for the subject, be more specific by writing, “Ant Problem in the Office.”

• A sample heading would look like:
  TO: Name and job title of the recipient
  FROM: Your name and job title
  DATE: Complete date when the memo was written
  SUBJECT: (or RE:) What the memo is about (highlighted in some way)
• When constructing the heading, be sure to double space between sections and align the text.
• You may choose to add a line below the heading that goes all the way across the page. This will separate the heading from the body of the memo.

• Think about your audience’s priorities and concerns are.
• Try to anticipate any questions your readers might have. Brainstorm some content for the memo, such as examples, evidence, or other information that will persuade them.
• Considering the audience also allows you to be sensitive to including any information or sentiments that are inappropriate for your readers.

• As a general guideline, the opening should take up about one paragraph.

• If it’s relevant, continue your memo by stating why the policy is being implemented. For example, you might write: “The county government voted to require all employees in the county to receive a $15/hour minimum wage.”

• Feel free to include graphics, lists, or charts, especially in longer memos. Just be sure they are truly relevant and persuasive.^[8]
• For longer memos, consider writing short headings that clarify the content of each category. For example, instead of stating "Policies," write "New policies regarding part-time employees." Be specific and brief in every heading so that the basic point of your memo is apparent to the reader right away.

• For example, you might write, “All employees must use the new accounting system by June 1, 2015.”
• This can also include some evidence to back up your recommendations. 

• You might write, "I will be glad to discuss these recommendations with you later on and follow through on any decisions you make."
• You might end with something like, “We are excited about the expansion of this product line. We’re confident that this will grow our business and make this company a more sustainable business.”
• This should generally be one to two sentences in length.

• Check for stylistic requirements with your job. Does the company that you work for have a standard form when it comes to writing memos? If so, is it downloadable?
• Make sure that the body of the text is written in clear, concise and grammatically right language.
• Do not use long and overly wordy sentences. Keep it simple.
• Do not use a greeting or a salutation. You should simply go right into the subject of the memo.
• Feel free to use bulleted lists and headings to convey your message.
• Conclude the memo with any closing statements that may inspire the recipient to take action.
• Mention any and all attachments at the end of the memo using the single word “Attachment.”