How to Write a Cover Letter for Any Job in 8 Steps (2023)
You need to write a cover letter, but what is a cover letter, exactly? And what’s the best way to write it? Learn how to write a cover letter the best way with tips from experts.
Here’s a marketing cover letter that stands out like a campaign by Accenture Interactive.
Your cover letter for marketing jobs is the sharp edge of your sales funnel.
Your competition?
All those marketing applicants with more experience than you.
But you can do this.
Do a few things right in your marketing job cover letter, and you’ll convert like Disney.
This guide will show you:
- A marketing cover letter sample better than 9 out of 10 others.
- Cover letter examples for marketing that put you in the shopping cart.
- How to write a marketing manager cover letter with an attention-getting USP.
- How to pick the right few achievements for your marketing intern cover letter.
Want to write your cover letter fast? Use our cover letter builder. Choose from 20+ professional cover letter templates that match your resume. See actionable examples and get expert tips along the way.
Sample cover letter for a resume—See more cover letter samples and create your cover letter here.
Make sure to send your cover letter for marketing jobs with a job-winning marketing resume. Check out our dedicated guide here: Marketing Resume Example
Considering similar positions too? See other cover letter examples for jobs in your industry:
- Marketing Manager Cover Letter
- Marketing Coordinator Cover Letter
- Marketing Intern Cover Letter
- Digital Marketing Cover Letter
- Public Relations Cover Letter
- Journalism Cover Letter
- General Business Cover Letter
- Consulting Cover Letter
- Sales Associate Cover Letter
- Sales Cover Letter
- Sales Representative Cover Letter
- Social Media Manager Cover Letter
- Technical Writer Cover Letter
- Production Assistant Cover Letter
- HR Generalist Cover Letter
- Human Resources Cover Letter
- Editor Cover Letter
Want to explore your options further? See our full selection of cover letter examples for every career: Sample Cover Letters for All Positions
This digital marketing cover letter template shows you’re the best candidate:
Marketing Cover Letter Sample
Your Name
Title
Current Company (If Any)
Mailing Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Date
Hiring Manager Name
Title
Mailing Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Dear [Hiring Manager Name],
When my team at Survana Digital received the 2017 AVA Digital Award for general digital production, it was a highlight of my career. That success came from my key skills in SEO, leadership, and email marketing. That's why I'm so excited that Apex August Media is looking for a new marketing manager.
Apex August has a reputation for running massive-ROI digital campaigns with strong SEO and email marketing. Your ad says you're looking for a marketing manager skilled in those two areas. This job is the perfect fit because of my AVA Digital Award, my 6+ years of experience as a digital marketing manager, plus these achievements:
- SEO. Ran six successful client SEO campaigns, boosting site authority 28% and scoring top 3 SERP positions with 75% of posts. Three of my campaigns reached 1M+ per month in traffic.
- Email Marketing. Created 30+ client email campaigns with a 28% open rate. Slashed churn by 32% over the previous marketing manager and cut bounce rate by 29%.
- Leadership & Sales Funnel Management. Worked to integrate sales funnel across digital marketing and sales teams. Raised awareness for 15 client brands by 25% and raised sales for 3 clients by over $1M/year.
I'd be happy to talk more about how I can help strengthen digital and email campaigns for your clients. Let me know if you'd like to schedule a call.
Best Regards,
Heidi Wolff, Marketing Manager
PS—I'm also glad to show you how I boosted our landing page conversion rates by 20% in two weeks.
Perfect. That fits the job like Ahrefs to SEM.
Now, here's how to write a great marketing cover letter like the one above:
1
Choose a Great Marketing Cover Letter Template
Want your marketing cover letter to work like Nike’s Just do it campaign?
Use this marketing job cover letter format:
Cover Letter for Marketing Samples—Checklist
- your contact info
- the company’s info
- dear (hiring manager name)
- paragraph #1: big accomplishment that fits the job ad
- paragraph #2: key skills, with proof
- paragraph #3: your CTA
- best regards + your name
- PS and enticing offer
Pro Tip: If you can’t find the hiring manager’s name, try harder. But it’s okay to say, “Dear Marketing Team Hiring Manager,” in a marketing specialist or marketing internship cover letter.
Want more options for your marketing specialist cover letter format? See our guide: Cover Letter Format: A Complete How-To Guide
2
Start Your Marketing Cover Letters Right
You’re up against it.
The hiring manager, Jess, has piles of cover letters for marketing directors.
How can yours stand out like Larry Kim?
By starting with a first sentence that makes her arm hairs stand.
So kick off with a big achievement. But—
Make sure it dovetails with the job.
These digital marketing cover letter examples show the way:
Marketing Job Cover Letter Examples [First Paragraph]
The first of these marketing manager cover letter examples could be the next Gary Vaynerchuk:
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Celia Wong CEO Apex August Media 2912 August Lane Pittsburgh, PA 63540
2/26/19
Heidi Wolff Marketing Manager 1110 Losh Lane Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-670-4293
Dear Ms. Wong,
When my team at Survana Digital received the 2017 AVA Digital Award for general digital production, it was a highlight of my career. That success came from my key skills in SEO, leadership, and email marketing. That's why I'm so excited that Apex August Media is looking for a new marketing manager. |
Wow.
Let’s look at what that marketing coordinator cover letter opening does:
- It leads with a key achievement.
- It shows skills that fit the job ad.
Meanwhile—
This marketing cover letter example first paragraph is like Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner fail:
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| I’m applying for the marketing manager position at Apex August Media. I’m a highly skilled marketing manager with six years of experience. My core strength areas are marketing funnel management, leadership, communication, and SEO. My resume is attached. |
Ew. You and every other marketing specialist on the block. The last of those marketing cover letter samples is worse than stock images in a national campaign.
Next, what if you’re writing a marketing intern cover letter?
Marketing Intern Cover Letter Examples [First Paragraph]
But I don’t have eye-popping achievements!
Entry-level marketing cover letters still need to glitter.
So ditch the, “I’m new but eager” refrain.
Instead, find accomplishments in school, past jobs, and personal projects.
Do it like the first of these marketing intern cover letter examples:
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| Graduating at the top of the marketing program at Villanova University was nice, but the real fun came from my social media campaign that raised $35,000 for childhood cancer. I’d love to put my social media outreach and tracking skills to work as a marketing intern at Apex August Media. |
Nice job.
That’s a marketing cover letter example opening with no experience. Yet it proves you’ve got the chops.
But this one’s Edsel-level:
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| I’m sending you my resume because I’m very interested in the marketing internship at Apex August Media. I haven’t yet held a marketing job, but I’m a very fast learner and hard worker. I listen well and I’ll do my very best for you. |
Not an achievement in sight. The manager will ignore that cover letter for marketing internships.
Pro Tip: You don’t need a snail mail address in an email cover letter for marketing. Just put your phone number and email handle at the end.
There’s more than one way to start a marketing internship cover letter. You can do it with company needs, facts, name-dropping, or passion. See our guide: How to Start a Cover Letter: Sample & Complete Guide
Are you writing an entry-level marketing job cover letter? See our dedicated guide: How to Write a Cover Letter For an Internship
3
Put Wings on Your Marketing Job Cover Letter Middle
Nice work.
Your great cover letter for marketing first paragraph got you flying.
Now you’ve got to stay up there.
Do that by showing why you’re perfect for this marketing position.
To stick the landing:
- Know your audience. That means, “read the job ad.”
- Show you know your audience. Tell them what they need.
- Deliver evidence with matching achievements from your past.
These digital marketing cover letter examples show the ins and outs:
Marketing Cover Letter Examples [Middle]
The next of our marketing manager cover letter examples is Wendy Clark-worthy:
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Apex August has a reputation for running massive-ROI digital campaigns with strong SEO and email marketing. Your ad says you're looking for a marketing manager skilled in those two areas. This job is the perfect fit because of my AVA Digital Award, my 6+ years of experience as a digital marketing manager, plus these achievements:
|
Fantastic.
That marketing job cover letter 2nd paragraph does three things:
- It repeats what the hiring manager is looking for. (SEO, email marketing)
- It shows you have those things, in bold, with big accomplishments.
- It says why the job is such a perfect fit.
Not so the next of our marketing assistant cover letter examples:
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| I’m free to start working as early as next Monday. I’m ready to start a new position and excel at it. Marketing is my passion, and I hope you’ll read my resume carefully. |
Ouch.
That marketing cover letter sample’s middle is like a Flash animation CTA. It’s generic and it gives no evidence you’re special.
Pro Tip: Not sure why the job’s a perfect fit? Do some research on the company. Lorem Ipsum text won’t cut it in a cover letter for marketing jobs.
Should a marketing specialist cover letter be half a page? Three paragraphs? 300 words? See our guide: How Long Should A Cover Letter Be? Sample & Guide
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
4
End Your Marketing Cover Letter With a CTA
You goofed it.
You wrote a great cover letter but forgot to make an offer.
That’s like a fantastic website with no CTA.
End your cover letter for marketing with clear next steps.
Plus—dangle bait they can’t refuse.
See these sample marketing cover letter clips:
Cover Letter Examples for Marketing [Ending]
The first of these marketing manager cover letter samples is Sonage Claudio-level:
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I'd be happy to talk more about how I can help strengthen digital and email campaigns for your clients. Let me know if you'd like to schedule a call.
Best Regards,
Heidi Wolff, Marketing Manager
PS—I'm also glad to show you how I boosted our landing page conversion rates by 20% in two weeks. |
Pow.
That cover letter for marketing jobs ending offers an engaging conversation. The PS adds a free gift the employer really wants.
Contrast it to this next marketing cover letter sample:
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| Thank you for your time. I sincerely hope you consider me for your marketing position. My resume shows my high-level skills and qualifications. |
Not good. The last of those marketing coordinator cover letter examples is tired boilerplate.
Pro Tip: Don’t say “thank you for your time” in a cover letter for marketing jobs. The employer has seen it 100 times today already. It means, “I’m unoriginal.”
What’s better in a marketing internship cover letter ending? Sincerely? Respectfully? Kind regards? See our guide: How to Write a Cover Letter in 8 Simple Steps
Key Takeaway
This is how to write a job-winning marketing cover letter:
- Pick the right marketing job cover letter format. The 3-paragraph format is as time-tested as referral programs.
- Kick off with an accomplishment. Make your marketing manager cover letter first sentence as catchy as I’m lovin’ it.
- Give evidence. Show you’ve used the skills they want, and you’ll convince them like Brian Dean.
- End your marketing cover letter with a CTA. In it, make an offer as enticing as free ice cream.
Do you have questions about writing great marketing cover letters? Need more help for a marketing intern cover letter? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!
