10 Steps to Writing Effective Cover Letters
As an entrepreneur, writing letters are just one of the many
tasks you do every day. Taking the time to write a good cover
letter can pay off in the long run, especially when you're
trying to interest an investor in funding your business or
project.
What can a cover letter do? A good cover letter introduces your
business or product, makes a sales pitch and provides a call to
action. It arouses interest or curiosity and entices the
recipient to read through the rest of your material.
Here are some tips that will help you to write effective cover
letters, quickly and easily.
1. Always address your letter to a specific person, and include
their job title. Make sure you've spelled their name right.
2. Use a "block" letter format, with text justified to the left
and double spaced paragraphs. Have someone proofread your letter
and watch for spelling and grammatical errors.
3. Keep your letter short -- no more than one page. The longer
the letter, the less effective it is.
4. Keep your paragraphs short and to the point. Your cover
letter needs to have a beginning, a middle and an end. Most
cover letters will be between four and six paragraphs long.
5. In your first paragraph, let the reader know why you are
writing. (This is called the opening).
6. In your second paragraph, ask for what you want. If you're
asking for money, make sure you clearly state how much you need
and what you plan to do with it. Keep your letter factual and
don't use obvious flattery.
7. In your third paragraph, explain your "why". This paragraph
is your sales pitch, so make it count. Focus on what makes you
different from the competition, or why the reader should say
yes.
8. Your fourth paragraph is your "call to action." This
paragraph needs to be more than just thanking the reader for
taking the time to read your letter. What specifically do you
want them to do next?
9. Your promise. This can be included in the fourth paragraph,
or depending on the type of cover letter you're writing, you can
make it your P.S. This is how you will keep the lines of
communication open. It tells your reader what you will do next.
Are you going to call him? Will you be meeting again? Whatever
you are going to do, make it specific and time oriented, so that
the reader knows he has to do whatever you've asked him to do
within a certain amount of time. (Make sure that you follow up
exactly how and when you say you will).
10. Make it easy for the reader to get in touch with you if you
have questions. Include your phone number and/or email address
in the last sentence, and let them know that they should call
you if they have any questions.