Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue

(https://owl.english.purdue.edu/). When printing this page, you must
include the entire legal notice at bottom.

Contributors:Courtnay Perkins, Allen Brizee.

Summary:
This handout will help you solve your memo-writing problems by discussing what a memo is,
describing the parts of memos, and providing examples and explanations that will make your
memos more effective.

Audience and Purpose

Memos have a twofold purpose: they bring attention to problems and they solve problems.
They accomplish their goals by informing the reader about new information like policy
changes, price increases, or by persuading the reader to take an action, such as attend a
meeting, or change a current production procedure. Regardless of the specific goal, memos
are most effective when they connect the purpose of the writer with the interests and needs of
the reader.
Choose the audience of the memo wisely. Ensure that all of the people that the memo is
addressed to need to read the memo. If it is an issue involving only one person, do not send
the memo to the entire office. Also, be certain that material is not too sensitive to put in a
memo; sometimes the best forms of communication are face-to-face interaction or a phone
call. Memos are most effectively used when sent to a small to moderate number of people to
communicate company or job objectives.
Contributors:Courtnay Perkins, Allen Brizee.
Summary:
This handout will help you solve your memo-writing problems by discussing what a memo is,
describing the parts of memos, and providing examples and explanations that will make your
memos more effective.

Parts of a Memo
Standard memos are divided into segments to organize the information and to help achieve
the writer's purpose.

Heading Segment

The heading segment follows this general format:

TO: (readers' names and job titles)
FROM: (your name and job title)
DATE: (complete and current date)
SUBJECT: (what the memo is about, highlighted in some way)
Make sure you address the reader by his or her correct name and job title. You might call the
company president "Maxi" on the golf course or in an informal note, but "Rita Maxwell,
President" would be more appropriate for a formal memo. Be specific and concise in your
subject line. For example, "Clothes" as a subject line could mean anything from a dress code
update to a production issue. Instead use something like, "Fall Clothes Line Promotion."

Opening Segment
The purpose of a memo is usually found in the opening paragraph and includes: the purpose
of the memo, the context and problem, and the specific assignment or task. Before indulging
the reader with details and the context, give the reader a brief overview of what the memo will
be about. Choosing how specific your introduction will be depends on your memo plan style.
The more direct the memo plan, the more explicit the introduction should be. Including the
purpose of the memo will help clarify the reason the audience should read this document. The
introduction should be brief, and should be approximately the length of a short paragraph.

Context
The context is the event, circumstance, or background of the problem you are solving. You
may use a paragraph or a few sentences to establish the background and state the problem.
Oftentimes it is sufficient to use the opening of a sentence to completely explain the context,
such as,
"Through market research and analysis..."
Include only what your reader needs, but be sure it is clear.

Task Segment
One essential portion of a memo is the task statement where you should describe what you are
doing to help solve the problem. If the action was requested, your task may be indicated by a
sentence opening like,
"You asked that I look at...."
If you want to explain your intentions, you might say,
"To determine the best method of promoting the new fall line, I will...."
Include only as much information as is needed by the decision-makers in the context, but be
convincing that a real problem exists. Do not ramble on with insignificant details. If you are
having trouble putting the task into words, consider whether you have clarified the situation.
You may need to do more planning before you're ready to write your memo. Make sure your

purpose-statement forecast divides your subject into the most important topics that the
decision-maker needs.

Summary Segment
If your memo is longer than a page, you may want to include a separate summary segment.
However, this section not necessary for short memos and should not take up a significant
amount of space. This segment provides a brief statement of the key recommendations you
have reached. These will help your reader understand the key points of the memo
immediately. This segment may also include references to methods and sources you have used
in your research.

Discussion Segments
The discussion segments are the longest portions of the memo, and are the parts in which you
include all the details that support your ideas. Begin with the information that is most
important. This may mean that you will start with key findings or recommendations. Start
with your most general information and move to your specific or supporting facts. (Be sure to
use the same format when including details: strongest to weakest.) The discussion segments
include the supporting ideas, facts, and research that back up your argument in the memo.
Include strong points and evidence to persuade the reader to follow your recommended
actions. If this section is inadequate, the memo will not be as effective as it could be.

Closing Segment
After the reader has absorbed all of your information, you want to close with a courteous
ending that states what action you want your reader to take. Make sure you consider how the
reader will benefit from the desired actions and how you can make those actions easier. For
example, you might say,
"I will be glad to discuss this recommendation with you during our Tuesday trip to the spa and
follow through on any decisions you make."

Necessary Attachments
Make sure you document your findings or provide detailed information whenever necessary.
You can do this by attaching lists, graphs, tables, etc. at the end of your memo. Be sure to
refer to your attachments in your memo and add a notation about what is attached below your
closing, like this:
Attached: Focus Group Results, January- May 2007
Contributors:Courtnay Perkins, Allen Brizee.
Summary:
This handout will help you solve your memo-writing problems by discussing what a memo is,
describing the parts of memos, and providing examples and explanations that will make your
memos more effective.

Format
The format of a memo follows the general guidelines of business writing. A memo is usually a
page or two long, should be single spaced and left justified. Instead of using indentations to
show new paragraphs, skip a line between sentences. Business materials should be concise
and easy to read. Therefore it is beneficial to use headings and lists to help the reader pinpoint
certain information.
You can help your reader understand your memo better by using headings for the summary
and the discussion segments that follow it. Write headings that are short but that clarify the
content of the segment. For example, instead of using "Summary" for your heading, try "New
Advertising Recommendations," which is much more specific. The major headings you
choose are the ones that should be incorporated in your purpose-statement in the opening
paragraph.
For easy reading, put important points or details into lists rather than paragraphs when
possible. This will draw the readers' attention to the section and help the audience remember
the information better. Using lists will help you be concise when writing a memo.
The segments of the memo should be allocated in the following manner:
Header: 1/8 of the memo
Opening, Context and Task: 1/4 of the memo
Summary, Discussion Segment: 1/2 of the memo
Closing Segment, Necessary Attachments: 1/8 of the memo
This is a suggested distribution of the material to make writing memos easier. Not all memos
will be the same and the structure can change as you see necessary. Different organizations
may have different formatting procedures, so be flexible in adapting your writing skills.
Contributors:Courtnay Perkins, Allen Brizee.
Summary:
This handout will help you solve your memo-writing problems by discussing what a memo is,
describing the parts of memos, and providing examples and explanations that will make your
memos more effective.

Sample Memo
TO: Kelly Anderson, Marketing Executive
FROM: Jonathon Fitzgerald, Market Research Assistant
DATE: June 14, 2007
SUBJECT: Fall Clothes Line Promotion
Market research and analysis show that the proposed advertising media for the new fall lines
need to be reprioritized and changed. Findings from focus groups and surveys have made it

apparent that we need to update our advertising efforts to align them with the styles and trends
of young adults today. No longer are young adults interested in sitcoms as they watch reality
televisions shows. Also, it is has become increasingly important to use the internet as a tool to
communicate with our target audience to show our dominance in the clothing industry.
Internet Advertising
XYZ Company needs to focus advertising on internet sites that appeal to young people.
According to surveys, 72% of our target market uses the internet for five hours or more per
week. The following list shows in order of popularity the most frequented sites:
Google
Facebook
Myspace
EBay
iTunes
Shifting our efforts from our other media sources such as radio and magazine to these popular
internet sites will more effectively promote our product sales. Young adults are spending more
and more time on the internet downloading music, communicating and researching for
homework and less and less time reading paper magazines and listening to the radio. As the
trend for cultural icons to go digital, so must our marketing plans.
Television Advertising
It used to be common to advertise for our products on shows like Friends and Seinfeld for our
target audience, but even the face of television is changing. Young adults are tuning into
reality television shows for their entertainment. Results from the focus group show that our
target audience is most interested in shows like American Idol,The Apprentice, and America's
Next Top Model. The only non-reality television show to be ranked in the top ten most
commonly watched shows by males and females 18-25 is Desperate Housewives. At Blue
Incorporated, we need to focus our advertising budget on reality television shows and reduce
the amount of advertising spent on other programs.
By refocusing our advertising efforts of our new line of clothing we will be able to maximize
the exposure of our product to our target market and therefore increase our sales. Tapping into
the trends of young adults will help us gain market share and sales through effective
advertising.
Attachments: Focus Group Results, January- May 2007; Survey Findings, January - April
2007
This is a sample memo; facts and statistics used are fictional.

Copyright 1995-2016 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of
this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.