Memo Writing 101: Tips and Tricks for Writing an Effective Memo

Some newer businesses have stopped relying (or never relied) on the good, old-school memo. The problem? Memos are still relevant because your employees are leaving a lot of emails unread.

Memo writing is a great way to break through the constant influx of new emails and make sure that important announcements are heard.

The problem is that if writing a memo is new to you, you may not know where to start.

Read on for our best memo writing tips that will help you get the message across to your employees and coworkers.

Formatting Your Memo

Memos should begin with the bold header, “Memorandum.” This sends the signal that the document in question contains important information.

Memos should also be easy to read, which means that they should be easy to look at. Unlike other forms of writing, you don’t need to indent the beginning of each paragraph. Instead, begin a sentence on a new line, leave it left-justified, and put a space between each sentence.

There are also ways that you can emphasize the most important information. For example, we recommend using bullet points when you need to list things off. We also recommend writing important dates, locations, or names in bold typeface.

Most memos are less than one page long. However, we are seeing a rise in memo writing innovation, narrative memo writing being the biggest and most effective change.

What Information to Include In Your Memo

Memos are used to share important information within your company. Unlike a press release, you use memo writing to alert your staff or peers about a structural change or upcoming event, not your consumers.

Like a press release, you should prioritize the most important information. In other words, dive right in and start with the announcement your memo is meant to make.

Next, you can fill in any context as you see fit. If your memo will be followed up by a meeting or internal press conference, you can be sparing with these contextual details in your memo.

Finally, end your memo with a clear call to action. For example, your call to action may be asking everyone to attend a meeting later in the day. It can also be as simple as asking everyone to acknowledge that they’ve read the memo.

Distributing Your Memo

In pre-email days, memos were usually distributed to each individual employee in a business. Alternatively, they may have been posted in a common area that employees knew to check often.

These methods of distribution are still viable. If you need your memo to reach people who don’t work in the office with you, you can use email to send your memo out. Make sure the subject line includes the word “Memorandum” and consider marking the email as important or urgent.

Bring Back Memo Writing to Get Your Message Across

Memo writing may seem like a thing of the past, but it’s still an important and effective way to get your message across. Cut through the email chatter with effective memo writing.

Looking for more ways to boost your business? Take a look at our tips, tricks, and guides for entrepreneurs.