Public Relations Cover Letter

You’re no stranger to coming up with the right PR strategy to promote a brand, but does pitching yourself in a cover letter come as naturally?

When applying for PR jobs, it’s imperative to know how to sell your skills and experience as a public relations professional in a memorable cover letter.

Use these three tips to write a public relations cover letter that sets you apart from other applicants:

1. Highlight your public relations skills

A great public relations cover letter highlights your knowledge of brand management and media outreach, and the hard and soft skills required to excel in public relations.

If you’re applying to be a PR specialist, creative thinking and attention to detail are key soft skills for developing and executing campaigns in sync with a client’s business objectives.

Here’s how you can emphasize these skills in your cover letter:

Throughout my career, I’ve been recognized for devising and implementing effective PR and media campaigns, marketing collateral, and communication plans to create positive organizational exposure.

Here’s a list of key public relations skills employers seek in PR professionals:

2. Provide examples of your achievements (with numbers)

Businesses rely on the expertise of PR professionals to help them build and maintain a successful brand image. So your cover letter should not only demonstrate you have the right skill set for the job, but also the ability to ensure your PR efforts make a positive impact.

Rather than describing your past responsibilities in your cover letter, provide examples of your most celebrated PR achievements and use hard numbers to make your contributions sound more compelling. By communicating your value more effectively, the hiring manager can easily see what they have to gain from hiring you.

Here’s how to use hard numbers when listing your PR achievements:

• Grew the firm’s ROI 215% and digital marketing lead generation 47% by launching marketing campaigns and managing relationships with 7+ mainstream outlets
• Introduced a global media and public relations strategy for 13 practice areas in line with the firm’s overall business goals
• Directed a $12 million special project of strategic importance, including managing internal communications, external community groups, and stakeholder engagement

3. End with a convincing closing statement

As a public relations professional, you’ll spend your time drafting press releases, scripts, and various content for promotional materials. Hence, the hiring manager will pay close attention to how your cover letter is worded.

Knowing how to end your cover letter in a convincing way will show the hiring manager you can write persuasively — a key skill for PR professionals.

To write a successful PR closing statement, you must restate your interest in the position, emphasize how your PR skills will benefit their firm, and encourage the hiring manager to reach out so you may discuss your qualifications further.

Here’s how to craft a strong public relations closing statement:

• Talk about what excites you the most about the job opportunity
• Why should the firm hire you? In 1–2 short sentences, explain how your strengths as a public relations professional will add value to their current workflow. For example, “With success in influencing public perceptions, managing public relations, and crisis communications, I’m prepared to enhance the reputation of your organization.”
• Hiring managers have to review dozens (if not, hundreds) of job applications so be sure to thank them for their time
• Include a call to action that motivates the hiring manager to schedule an in-person interview