Choose the reader and purpose
Identify who receives the memo and what they should know or decide. Use a specific subject line. Include the recipient, sender and date in the required heading format.
Support a clear recommendation
Open with the main point. Explain the relevant facts, alternatives and trade-offs in short paragraphs. End with a concrete requested action. Use headings when they make the information easier to find.
Example
Invented classroom memo outline, not an archive submission or a real policy.
- Reader and subject
- To a fictional study-club coordinator: a proposal for shared room booking.
- Purpose
- Recommend using one shared booking calendar so members can check availability before arranging meetings.
- Reason and limit
- One calendar could make conflicts easier to spot, but it will only stay useful if members update it. This is a proposal, not a measured result.
- Requested action
- Ask the coordinator to approve a two-week trial and nominate one member to review booking conflicts afterward.
Review your draft
Remove background that does not help the reader act. Check that each recommendation follows from evidence and that the requested action has a clear owner.
Further reading: Purdue OWL: parts of a memo.
Past business-memo requests
Real historical request types, described without student text or files.
- Strategy recommendation in a client memo — August 2021
- Explaining financial statements to a business owner — February 2021
- Revenue-recognition case analysis for a supervisor — March 2021
- Inventory-ratio comparison in a memo — March 2021
Common questions
Does a memo need an essay-style introduction?
Usually the reader benefits from a brief statement of purpose before the details. Follow the required memo format rather than adding a broad essay opening.
Should I include sources?
Cite information you rely on. Use the citation and attachment format required by the assignment; memo layout does not remove the need to credit sources.