Business writing falls into 4 main types: instructional writing explains how to do a task, persuasive writing moves the reader to act, transactional writing keeps the daily operations running, and informational writing records facts for reference.
The world of business is full of documents, lots and lots of them. They come in many forms, but you can sort nearly all of them into those four categories.
Instructional business writing
This type of writing gives readers the steps to complete a task. It comes in the form of a memo, a technical specification, or a user manual.
When you write instructions, consider how much your readers already know. If you overestimate their familiarity with the topic, they will struggle to follow you, and the result is a bad user experience and an unhappy customer.
Also think about the tone. A memo, for example, tends to be informal but must stay professional. That balance can be tricky to get right.
Persuasive business writing
Press releases, sales emails, and proposals fall into this category. The writer shapes the information to persuade readers to take a desired action, such as subscribing or buying the product or service on offer.
This type of writing is not only for marketers. In any position, the ability to persuade your readers is a valued business skill. The types of persuasive writing go into more detail.
For this type of writing, focus on your customer: "you" comes before "I" or "we". When you write with your readers' interests and preferences in mind, your message gets across more easily.
Transactional business writing
Writing that supports the general operations of a business is called transactional.
Most day-to-day business writing falls into this category, from emails between employees to forms, invoices, and inventory lists. Interview questions, invitations, and speeches belong here too.
This type covers a very broad range of writing, so always keep in mind who your audience is and what your text is meant to achieve.
Informational business writing
The main goal of this type is to present or record information. It comes in the form of handbooks, meeting agendas, reports, statements, and minutes. Because people will refer back to it, it must include every necessary detail, so the business can act on it accurately and consistently.
Check before you send
Those are the 4 types of business writing. Whichever one you write, your business partners will take you more seriously when your text is free of errors, so weed out the common grammar mistakes. When your eyes are tired, a mistake slips through easily. The Spell Checker marks spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes in your text before you send it.