Purpose of Business Writing

Business writing is informative, instructive, persuasive, and transactional. The goal of business writing is to transmit information to a reader, so clear language is necessary to help a reader understand information easily, says Cullen, adding, "Writing clearly is one of the harder aspects of business writing."

Ginger, a writing-reference website, notes that business writing must:

Convey information: Business communications such as research reports or policy memorandums seek to distribute knowledge.

Deliver news: Professional writing is often used to share recent events with an audience made up of others from inside or outside the company.

Direct action: Many professionals use their business writing skills to tell others what to do or how to do it.

Explain or justify: Professional writing is a suitable way to provide an explanation or justify an action that has already been taken, particularly if the matter is a complicated one.

Influence someone to take action: Business communication is often used to influence others to take a specific action, whether to use a certain tool during the course of business or to purchase a product or service that is on offer.

Brant W. Knapp, in his book, "A Project Manager's Guide to Passing the Project Management Exam," notes that,

"The main aim of business writing is that it should be understood clearly when read quickly. The message should be well planned, simple, clear, and direct."

Additionally, business writing should be transactional, meaning that it relates to business, of course, but also that it relates to buying or selling products or merchandise or that it relates to the specific and purposeful transaction between two people. Business writing is never frivolous: It always seeks to achieve a specific purpose.