Marketing Intern
Cover Letter Sample

1. Add a personal anecdote about why you’re interested in the company or marketing.

Let’s be honest: hiring managers are looking at tons of cover letters every week, and many of them will sound exactly the same. Incorporating a story into yours is an effective way to differentiate yourself from other candidates.

Instead of a retelling of your resume with the same cliche phrases, try making an introduction that explains why you’re passionate about marketing or excited about the prospect of joining the company. See below for examples of questions you can ask yourself before writing, complete with sample answers. These will assist you in making your introduction personable.

What excites you about the company?

I initially had no idea which company I wanted to work for after graduating from Iowa State this semester. I could have gained the necessary skills and experience at anywhere, but I knew I wanted to get an internship at one that offered mentorship, opportunities for growth, and would allow me be creative in producing content. That company is Arctic Holidays.

What made you love the company?

When I was young, I would imagine going to Antarctica and plan out trips to see penguins, polar bears, and seals. A childhood dream became reality when I saw the job opening on your website. I’ve been impressed with Arctic Holidays’ dedication to providing the best tours to Antarctica, and now I would like to offer my knowledge in social media strategies to build its customer base.

What are your key achievements or qualities?

During my four years at Iowa State, I was known to take initiative in all my class group projects. I have always worked well with others, and I would love to bring my teamwork skills to the marketing intern position at Arctic Holidays.

2. Research the company well, and use the information in your writing.

Let’s look at the first thing you should research: the hiring manager’s name. You can ensure yours will be seen if you address it to an actual person and not just “Hiring Manager.” Use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or the company website to find out who you will be in contact with about the position.

After Googling or visiting the company website, pick some facts to include throughout your letter. These facts can be statistics or any background information you’ve found. In our sample, the student chose to talk about the marketing department’s expansion:

Finally, show you understand the company culture after digging around. Does it mention it’s fast-paced, relaxed, competitive, fun, traditional, or cutting edge? When you’re tailoring your cover letter, you should be able to answer three questions by the end:

• What does the company do?
• How does the company describe its culture?
• Will you enjoy this kind of culture?

3. Show the results you’ve achieved in your projects.

When you compose a marketing intern cover letter that details your work history, numbers and statistics are extremely helpful. But what if you don’t have quantified experience to show yet?

That’s when you need to look back at your past projects or assignments. Like your resume, use any marketing campaigns, studies, research, etc. that you’ve done and what you achieved by doing them. The cover letter is the perfect place to sell yourself and how you can bring similar results to next company.

As mentioned in the first tip, you can open your letter with an achievement – but aim to put in 3-4 accomplishments in your cover letter. Bullet list format will work, too.

But what if my accomplishments aren’t impressive? Well, there are ways to make them sound more appealing to hiring managers. Check out our example below.

• Less impressive: While at Iowa State, I took part in a business plan competition and my team received 2nd place. I was in charge of the marketing campaign.
• More impressive: While at Iowa State, I was a part of a business plan competition and received 2nd place out of 50 contestants. With a team of five classmates, we built a mock food delivery app startup company. I led the campaign using all marketing facets of a business plan, including consumer analysis and trends and brand management.

After you’ve made the results examples heartier, your cover letter will be looking sharp and distinct from other candidates!

And if you’re still having trouble, consider letting our cover letter builder do the work for you!