What a good cover letter looks like

Rather than one letter to copy (which never survives contact with your actual role), here is the pattern that good letters follow, with a worked example of each part. Adapt the shape, write the words yourself.

The opening: specific, about them

Skip the throat-clearing and open on something real.

“Last year I rebuilt a checkout flow that was quietly losing a retailer a third of its online orders. Recovering most of that revenue in a fortnight is the kind of problem I’d relish at [Company], where conversion is clearly the whole game.”

The proof: fit, with evidence

Map two or three achievements onto what the role actually asks for, in their language.

“Your ad calls for someone comfortable owning experimentation end to end. In my last role I ran the A/B programme single-handed, shipped 40-plus tests a quarter, and turned three of them into permanent double-digit lifts. I’m equally at home in the data and in the room persuading people to act on it.”

Why them: genuine, specific

One true thing about the company, not flattery.

“I’ve followed your move into subscription pricing with real interest; it is a harder, better model than the one-off sales most of your competitors still lean on, and it is exactly the kind of problem I want to be working on next.”

The close: brief and confident

“I’d welcome the chance to talk through how I’d approach your first 90 days. Thank you for reading.”

Put those four beats together, in your own voice and matched to the role, and you have a letter worth reading. The free Standout cover letter writer assembles exactly this pattern for you from the role, the company and your details.