Copywriting Tutorials and Lessons

Keep it short!We should end our lesson right there, because really, there is no other piece of advice that will better serve you in your cover letter writing endeavors than those three little words.Keep. It. Short!Yes, the exclamation mark is intentional. That’s how important “Keep it short” is; the point must be driven home with aggressive punctuation!“Keep it short” should be your cover letter writing mantra.IMAGINEImagine if your cover letter was as long as that bit of writing above — the beginning of this article, in other words. From that first line of “Keep it short,” down to the heading “IMAGINE” adds up to just 70 words.And do you know what? Your cover letter needn’t be much longer than that. A couple of tight, concise paragraphs is all you want. 100 words is plenty; 150 words should be your maximum.WHAT YOU WANT YOUR COVER LETTER TO ACHIEVEFrankly, it doesn’t need to achieve much. (That the cover letter should accomplish a great deal is the first mistake people make when they write one, which is why they tend to be too long and end up not even being read.)It’s your résumé, remember, that will do the real work. That’s where your achievements are to be found. All you want your cover letter to do is help get your résumé noticed.So in your cover letter, you want to:1) Introduce yourself (that’s one sentence);2) Mention the job you’re applying for (that’s your second sentence);3) Say why you think you’re right for the position (that’s your third sentence, and it might involve a brief mention of your work experience);4) Refer the reader to your résumé (fourth sentence);5) Thank the reader for his or her time (your fifth and final sentence).And… that’s it!Trust me, if you feel anything else needs to be said — say it in your résumé, not your cover letter!THINK OF YOUR POOR, BLEARY-EYED READERImagine if you had to read 75 cover letters in one sitting…Just imagine how lovely it would be — what sweet relief for your sore eyes! — to come upon a cover letter that was a mere 70 or 80 words in length. A cover letter you could read, in its entirety, in about ten seconds. Wouldn’t that be a welcome sight?I tell you, any bleary-eyed Human Resources manager would put you in the “Call for an Interview” pile just because you were so courteous and thoughtful in keeping your cover letter short!It’s true. I promise you. Ask anyone in HR. When it comes to cover letters, “Keep it short” is that important.

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