How to build a great public relations cover letter

Public relations (PR) professionals work diligently to maintain a positive public image for brands, businesses, entrepreneurs, influencers, and everyone in between. As PR can be a highly involved and stressful job, it requires a candidate with a level head and strong skill set to fulfill the role.

In this guide, we teach you everything you need to know about writing a cover letter as a public relations professional. Keep reading to learn about:

How to create a header for your public relations cover letter
Why tailoring a public relations cover letter to specific employers matters
What key details to include in your public relations cover letter intro
Which skills and accomplishments to include in your PR cover letter
How to conclude your public relations cover letter effectively

1. How to create a header for your public relations cover letter

The first step when writing any cover letter for a public relations position is to create a well-formatted and visually appealing cover letter header.

Headers serve an important role in any cover letter, as they provide the employer with your key identifying information right at the top of the document.

This information includes:

Your name and professional title
Your professional contact information
The name, address, and department of the company you are applying to

Here is an example of a well-formatted public relations cover letter header

Jack Jills, Public Relations Professional
(123) 456-7890 | jackjills@email.com | linkedin.com/in/jack-jills

To: Orange County Media & PR Management
Public Relations Department
1234 Street Address
Los Angeles, CA

2. How to tailor a public relations cover letter to specific employers

When it comes to reading cover letters, many employers face the same conundrum of having to read hundreds of letters that all say basically the same things.

To make your cover letter stand out, it is crucially important to tailor your letter to each specific employer you reach out to. Tailoring a letter in this way requires you to research the company, looking for information such as the company’s values or ongoing projects you could potentially contribute to.

Additionally, as you complete this research, you should search for the specific staff member in charge of hiring new employees. Once you find them, create a personalized greeting that addresses them by name.

Here are 3 examples of personalized cover letter greetings

Dear Hiring Manager Jane Doe,
Dear Ms. Jane Doe,
Dear Head PR Manager Joe Logan,

3. How to write a compelling public relations cover letter introduction

After completing the research needed to tailor your cover letter, you can begin writing your introduction.

In this introduction, key details that will make your intro more effective include:

A brief overview of your professional history
A statement on why you are enthusiastic about applying to this company
Information on your specialized areas of expertise

Here is an example of a strong introduction from a public relations cover letter

Dear Head PR Manager Joe Logan,

I am a public relations professional with more than 9 years of experience working on PR teams for celebrities and influencers. Given your company’s high-stakes clientele, I believe my skills are the perfect match for your current needs. If given this opportunity, I will work diligently to enhance your professional relationships with clients and maintain excellent PR for each client.

4. Include the best skills and accomplishments in your PR cover letter

Following your introduction are the remaining body paragraphs of your cover letter.

A strong cover letter will generally contain between 2 to 4 body paragraphs that offer deeper insights into your top skills and accomplishments as a PR professional. These paragraphs should contain short and simple sentences, as well as bullet points for added visual organization.

Here are 6 examples of skills to include in a PR cover letter

Exceptional verbal and written communication
Creative and quick thinking
Critical thinking and problem-solving
Conflict management
Time management
Leadership

Here is an example of how to describe an accomplishment in a cover letter

As a public relations representative at my former employer, I spoke directly with the press on a weekly basis to give updates on our clients' current projects. In this role, I developed ongoing working relationships with several major publications and media outlets, including People Magazine, Daily Mail, and TMZ. These connections are long-lasting relationships that I can bring with me to this new role with your company.

5. How to conclude your public relations cover letter effectively

Finally, the last step to writing a great PR cover letter is to craft an effective conclusion.

The primary purpose of your conclusion is to persuade the employer to get in touch with you promptly. You can achieve this by applying slight pressure by naming a day by which you wish to hear back.

Your cover letter conclusion should include:

An enthusiastic sentence saying you are looking forward to hearing from them
How and when you can best be contacted
When you plan to follow up with the employer
A formal sign-off

Here is an example of an effective conclusion from a public relations cover letter

It is with great excitement that I submit this letter and application for your consideration. I hope to hear from you within a week’s time and am available to meet any day of the week between the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can best reach me to schedule a meeting or interview at (123) 456-7890. As I am eager to learn more about this role, I plan to follow up via phone call next Thursday afternoon if I have yet to hear back.

With Appreciation,

[Applicant Name]

Published on March 22, 2023

Julia Gergelova

Resume Writer

Julia is a professional writer, translator and graphic designer. She holds degrees in translation and interpretation, and has international work experience from a number of different countries in Europe as well as China and Panama. Julia formerly taught academic writing and as a graphic designer contributed to outlets such as The Business of Business. She has a passion for lifelong learning and good coffee.