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Topics & Tips
Business Tips
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.
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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 |
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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.
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