Why your public relations cover letter matters
A public relations cover letter is your first pitch to a future employer, and PR professionals know better than anyone that first impressions shape perception. Hiring managers in business and finance roles expect you to demonstrate strategic thinking and measurable impact from the very first paragraph. Unlike a resume, your cover letter lets you connect the dots between your media wins and the company's communication goals. If you need a refresher on structure before diving in, review our guide on how to write a cover letter that holds attention from the opening line.
What employers look for in a public relations cover letter
PR hiring managers scan for evidence that you can generate results, not just activity. Your cover letter should address the core competencies they care about most:
- Media relations — Show you can build and maintain journalist relationships that lead to consistent earned coverage.
- Press release writing — Demonstrate your ability to craft newsworthy stories that get picked up, not ignored.
- Crisis communication — Prove you can protect brand reputation under pressure with clear, timely messaging.
- Event promotion — Highlight your experience driving attendance and media interest for launches, press conferences, or industry events.
- Brand messaging — Show you understand how to keep every touchpoint aligned with a company's voice and positioning.
- Media monitoring — Mention tools and processes you use to track coverage, sentiment, and share of voice.
- Earned media metrics — Quantify outcomes with impressions, placements, or share-of-voice improvements whenever possible.
Covering even three or four of these areas with specific examples puts you ahead of candidates who speak only in generalities.
How to write a public relations cover letter that gets interviews
1. Open with a relevant media win
Skip generic introductions. Lead with a result that mirrors what the employer needs, such as a campaign that earned national coverage or a crisis you navigated successfully. This signals you understand the role before they finish reading your first paragraph.
2. Match your skills to the job description
Read the posting carefully and mirror its language. If the role emphasizes social media integration, reference your experience coordinating earned and owned channels. If the company needs someone with marketing expertise, show how your PR work has supported broader marketing objectives. Specificity beats buzzwords every time.
3. Quantify your media impact
Numbers make your claims credible. Include metrics like total media impressions, number of placements per quarter, or growth in share of voice. A social media marketing overlap is increasingly common in PR roles, so mention relevant audience growth or engagement figures if applicable.
4. Show you understand the company's communications landscape
Research the employer's recent press coverage, brand positioning, and competitors. Reference a specific campaign or challenge they face and briefly explain how your experience equips you to help. This level of preparation is exactly what a marketing manager or communications director wants to see in a candidate.
Cover letter example
Adapt names, metrics, and achievements to your own experience.
Subject: Application for the Public Relations position
Dear Ms. Caldwell,
When Brightline Health needed to reposition its brand after a product recall, I led the crisis communications response that restored positive media sentiment within six weeks and secured 42 earned media placements across national and trade outlets.
As a Public Relations Specialist at Brightline Health, I managed media relations for a portfolio of four product lines, generating over 18 million earned media impressions in 2025. I wrote and distributed an average of eight press releases per month, maintaining a 34% pickup rate with targeted outlets. I also planned and promoted the company's annual innovation summit, growing attendance from 320 to 510 attendees year over year.
Your posting for a Senior PR Coordinator at Greenleaf Partners emphasizes brand storytelling and measurable earned media results. In my current role, I improved our share of voice from 12% to 21% within a competitive health-tech category by securing features in TechCrunch, STAT News, and three top industry podcasts. I also built a media monitoring dashboard that our leadership team now uses for quarterly board reporting.
I would welcome the chance to bring this results-driven approach to Greenleaf Partners. I am available to discuss how my media relations experience and crisis communication skills can support your communications goals.
Sincerely, Jordan Alvarez
Before you send your application
Use this quick checklist to make sure your public relations cover letter is ready:
- Your opening line references a specific, quantified PR achievement.
- You address at least three core skills from the job posting.
- Metrics appear at least twice in the body of the letter.
- You mention the company by name and reference a real communications challenge or goal.
- The tone is confident and professional without being overly formal.
- You have proofread for errors — PR professionals are expected to write flawlessly.
Once your letter is polished, pair it with a strong resume tailored to business and finance roles. If you are pivoting from a related field like social media marketing, make sure your transferable skills are clearly highlighted.
FAQ
How long should a public relations cover letter be?
Keep it to one page, ideally three to four paragraphs. Hiring managers review dozens of applications, so concise writing that hits key qualifications will outperform a lengthy narrative. For detailed formatting guidance, see our cover letter format guide.
What if I have no professional PR experience yet?
Focus on transferable skills such as writing, event coordination, or social media management from internships, volunteer work, or academic projects. Quantify whatever you can, even campus event attendance or blog traffic. Our entry-level cover letter guide walks through how to present limited experience effectively.
Should I mention specific media contacts in my cover letter?
No. Naming journalists or editors can come across as unprofessional and may raise confidentiality concerns. Instead, reference the types of outlets and the results you achieved, such as the number of placements or impressions earned.
How do I write a PR cover letter if I am switching industries?
Emphasize the communication, storytelling, and stakeholder management skills that transfer across sectors. Frame your industry switch as a strategic move and explain why the new field excites you. Our career change cover letter guide has a step-by-step approach for making this transition convincing.
Do I need a different cover letter for agency vs. in-house PR roles?
Yes. Agency roles value versatility, client management, and the ability to juggle multiple accounts. In-house roles prioritize deep brand knowledge and cross-functional collaboration. Tailor your examples accordingly and mirror the language used in each job posting.