A professional business letter usually opens with Dear and the person's title and name. Hello is a little less formal, Greetings works when you do not know who will read the letter, and To Whom It May Concern is the traditional choice for an unknown reader.
The perfect business letter starts with a good greeting. The way you address the other person sets an impression that can make or break the rest of the letter, so a thoughtful opening is worth the time. Here are 4 greetings you can use in your next business letter or email, and when each one fits.
Dear [title and name]
For a formal business letter, this is probably the safest greeting: Dear Ms. Lopez or Dear Dr. Chen. It is polite, professional, and respectful. It works for anything from very formal to slightly informal business writing, and it is the one to use when you contact someone for the first time.
In a formal American business letter, the greeting ends with a colon (Dear Ms. Lopez:). In emails and in British English, a comma is usual (Dear Ms. Lopez,).
Some people find Dear a little stiff, but it is safer than a simple Hi. Keep Hi for people you already know well.
Hello [title and name]
If Dear seems too formal, use Hello instead: Hello Mr. Patel. It is not as informal as Hi, but it sounds more relaxed than Dear.
Greetings
Yes, that one word works too, especially when you are not sure who will receive the letter. It is also a good opening when you write to a general inbox such as contact@example.com.
It helps, too, in the awkward moment when you have forgotten the name of your contact person, or when you are not sure how to spell it. Was it Jaden, Jayden, or Jaydon?
To Whom It May Concern
If you want to go by the old book, use this greeting.
There is some debate about whether it is still appropriate. People who dislike it say it is a sign of laziness: it shows that you could not be bothered to look up the name of the contact person.
People who still use it say it is simply a more traditional way of saying Greetings in business writing, and that is a fair point. Still, if you can find a name, or at least a job title such as Dear Hiring Manager, use that instead.
After the greeting
Spend as much time on the content of the letter as on the greeting, and avoid misspellings at all costs: they have no place in professional business writing. The Spell Checker helps you find them before you send the letter. For greetings in emails, see how to formulate greetings in business mail.