There are three elements of any good letter: the content, the writing style and structure, and the formatting. While content is certainly the most important, all three elements combine to create a letter that gets read and leaves a positive impression.In its best form, the cover letter creates an image of your team and firm in the mind of the reader and encourages him/her to continue to read to learn more about your approach to the project.
The content of the letter needs to communicate a strong set of value propositions: what the client “gets” as a result of hiring your team. The value propositions need to differentiate your firm and they need to be what the client wants or needs from his/her project. I believe that a strong letter should lead with the strongest argument for hiring your team. Consider the following two examples:
Pursuant to the Port’s Request for Proposals, RFP #12345, Communication Resources is pleased to submit the following proposal for consulting services. Herewith this letter, our firm commits the necessary resources to perform the work for the Port on this project in a superior manner. [Note: Unfortunately, I don’t have to make this stuff up; I really read this in a client’s proposal and changed the name to protect the truly guilty.]
The Port has an incredible ability to garner public support and engagement for a vibrant redevelopment of the Portland waterfront. As a regional leader in public outreach and engagement, Communication Resources is ready to be the Port’s partner in creating enthusiastic support for this project.
Which introduction would encourage you to keep reading? If you said the first one, stop here. I can’t help you. In the second example, the topic sentence transforms what our research tells us the Port wishes to achieve with the current project into a strong claim (a “value proposition”). The second sentence establishes us as a regional leader and a potential partner in getting the Port staff what they want (e.g., the message is, “You want the value from the first sentence, hire us as your partner.”).
The content of the cover letter should preview the major “Win Points” in the proposal. The content should set the expectation for what is to come in the pages beyond the cover letter. As a result, the main points of the letter should be clearly articulated in the body of the proposal as proof of the claims that were made in the letter.
While from a style standpoint, I could write volumes, let me instead suggest three key writing skills. First, the cover letter should include strong topic sentences. The topic sentence represents the “announcement” of the topic of a paragraph and makes a strong claim that will then be supported in the body of the paragraph. [Note: For much more detail on this subject, any writer should reference the writing “Bible” – Strunk and White’s Elements of Style – really, read it; you’ll be amazed at how your writing improves!]
Second, the cover letter should use grammar and punctuation consistently. When you don’t know how to use a particular convention – such as the comma after the “and” in a list – either look it up or use/misuse it consistently. Nothing is more frustrating to me as a reader (and to other readers, I’m sure), than the inconsistent use of a grammar or punctuation convention.
Third (and there are so many more from which to choose), the cover letter should be checked for common mistakes such as “their” vs. “there” or that each pronoun has a referent (i.e., who is “they” or “he” or “it”?).
Finally, the third element of an effective letter is its formatting. An effective cover letter draws the reader in through a perception of clarity and ease of reading. The writer uses bullets and bold type to draw attention and highlight key claims. No formatting technique is over-used, inconsistent, or confusing. I recommend the “rule of three” – choose three formatting techniques for your cover letter, use them consistently, and use them throughout the entire proposal. This encourages the eye to land on content for which you want additional attention.
Some writers leave the cover letter to the very end of the proposal writing process, thinking that they’ll write a great cover letter when they know all of the elements of the proposal. Big mistake! The cover letter should be written first as it sets the most important claims for the proposal. The proposal should support the letter, not the other way around.
Finally, the tone of the cover letter should be neither too formal, nor too casual. All communication is intentional; this includes your writing. Determine the tone you wish to convey, and then write intentionally to convey that tone. Choose words carefully and make your writing a reflection of who you are and the firm you represent.
A cover letter is like the first chapter of a novel; it either draws you in or makes you put it down. Write a cover letter as if it were an invitation. It’s an invitation to read more, to learn about your team, and to discover the opportunities your team brings to the client’s incredible project.
