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Have you ever wondered why you think and behave the way you do? Or why you seem to clash with certain people while effortlessly connecting with others?

The answer may lie in your personality type. And as someone who has always been introspective, I’ve found personality tests to be powerful tools for boosting self-awareness, self-discovery, and growth.

To help you find the best personality test to support your personal and professional growth, I took all 23 of the tests in this guide. I’ll also pass along some expert insights about personality theory.

Table of Contents

• Purpose of Personality Tests
• Types of Personality Tests
• Best Free Personality Tests
• Best Free Personality Tests for Jobs
• Best Free Personality Tests: FAQs

Purpose of Personality Tests

While I’ve always been fascinated by personality theory, I’m not a licensed psychologist. So, I decided to ask several psychologists about how they use personality tests, what their purposes are, and if they have merit in a business and clinical setting.

Kristen Jacobsen, LCPC, founder of Cathartic Space Counseling, explained, “My take on personality tests is that they serve as intriguing tools for sparking self-reflection and conversation, but they must be used judiciously, especially in clinical settings.”

She noted that tests that lack empirical backing have value in environments “like career counseling or personal development, where gaining insight into one’s personality and working style can be quite beneficial.”

There’s merit to learning about yourself, and understanding how you work with other people or make decisions can help you and your company find the best fit for your position.

Pros of Personality Tests

• Personality assessments can help us learn about ourselves and others. Jacobsen said, “I’ve observed clients and students using these insights to better articulate their needs and understandings in relationships, or even to guide possible career paths, which can lead to positive changes in their lives.”
• Personality tests can point us in a direction that aligns with our natural tendencies — helping us navigate our personal and professional lives more effectively. Lincoln Stoller, Ph.D, CHt, CCPCPr, psychotherapist and owner of Mind Strength Balance, shared, “Psychological theories are like road signs, and road signs do not define people. They are directions to reach destinations.”
• Tests like the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) are empirically backed and can be helpful in clinical settings.

Cons of Personality Tests

• Some personality tests, like Big Five, Enneagram, and Human Design, don’t have enough empirical support for use in clinical settings, Jacobsen pointed out.
• Many tests are subject to inherent bias. Stoller explained, “In my experience, most people rationalize a presentation they believe to be self-consistent, but isn’t always objective.”
• Personality assessments only work when the participant is fully honest and self-aware. “Even a standardized test won’t reveal well-fabricated self-inconsistencies. Tests often reveal less than an insightful observer can describe,” Stoller noted.

When I spoke with psychologists about different personality tests, the common theme was that they’re not created equally. Each has their own purpose. For instance, the MMPI is most useful in a clinical setting, while The Schema Questionnaire is best for couples.

Here are the three most common types of personality measures for personal and professional growth.

Myers-Briggs Personality Tests

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most well-known personality assessments, dating back to the 1940s. Developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, the MBTI was inspired by the work of renowned Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.

Jung’s theory of psychological types proposed that people experience the world through four principal psychological functions: sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking. He believed that these functions were expressed through a person’s attitude, which could be either extraverted (outwardly focused) or introverted (inwardly focused).

Building on Jung’s theory of personality, MBTI sorts individuals into 16 distinct personality types based on their preferences across four separate dichotomies: Extroversion (E) versus Introversion (I), Sensing (S) versus Intuition (N), Thinking (T) versus Feeling (F), and Judging (J) versus Perceiving (P).

Personally, I find Jung’s theory to be more accurate than the MBTI types. Instead of assigning a fixed type, his theory suggests that we all use different types of processing methods at various levels. You might use Extraverted Sensing as your dominant way of thinking, while a coworker uses Introverted Intuition. And I’ve found that understanding these cognitive functions can be much more reliable than using a four-letter type, like INFP.

DiSC Personality Tests

DiSC is an acronym that stands for the four main personality traits assessed by the test: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C). Mainly used in corporate settings, this test aims to help you understand your communication and behavioral styles, as well as those of your colleagues.

When I took a DiSC test for a past job, it helped our team work more efficiently in the sense that we all knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It helped discourage disagreements because we all understood each other on a deeper level — helping us grow and collaborate better as a team.

Emotional Intelligence Tests

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is your ability to recognize, understand, and manage your emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Tests that measure emotional intelligence assess key components, such as self-awareness and regulation, social skills, motivation, and empathy.

Research has shown that emotional intelligence is a significant predictor of success in both personal and professional life. And some studies suggest that EI may be even more important than cognitive intelligence (IQ) when it comes to overall success and well-being.

When taking an EI test, I found value in identifying areas where I could improve — such as active listening and stress management.

1. 16 Personalities

Best for: Learning how your personality type impacts your relationships and other areas of your life.

After taking the 16 Personalities test, I felt the assessment was extremely accurate for my personality type. While the test uses the MBTI typing system and Barnum statements (general statements that apply to most people), I believe there’s value in taking it.

The 16 Personalities test is extensive, showing how your personality type reacts to specific situations.

Pros:

• The test provides insights into work habits, friendships, and romantic and familial relationships.
• It highlights several strengths and weaknesses across your career, friendships, family, and personal life.

Con:

• It can be difficult and time-consuming to decide where you fall between the seven options from “Agree” to “Disagree” for each question. Offering fewer options would make the test easier to complete.

2. Personality Perfect

Best for: Gaining insights into how others perceive you and identifying your core values.

The Personality Perfect test is fast and easy, only taking a few minutes to complete. The results include a personality description with specific traits.

Like the 16 Personalities test, it uses the MBTI framework. One of my favorite features of Personality Perfect is its focus on how others might perceive and interpret your behaviors. It allowed me to take a moment and think about myself from a third-person perspective and identify weaknesses from past experiences.

For instance, I’m often hesitant to participate in small talk and prefer to skip to deeper levels of conversation. But small talk is the foundation of conversation, and it’s not always in my best interest to skip it.

Pros:

• The test is short but accurate.
• It offers valuable information on how your personality influences your communication style, decision-making process, and interpersonal dynamics.

Cons:

• Some of the content is behind a $5 paywall, and the results are quite brief unless you want to pay for more details.
• Although I received the same MBTI type with this test, the psychologists I spoke with say this type of test is unscientific because you can get varying results.

3. Testcolor

Best for: Quickly assessing your personality traits and learning about your emotional intelligence, creativity, and work style.

Unlike other tests that rely on lengthy questionnaires, Testcolor simply asks you to select the colors you like most and least from a provided set. The test, which has been validated by a team of clinical psychologists, psychoanalysts, and mathematicians, uses your color preferences to determine various aspects of your personality, such as intelligence and communication styles.

The test results were surprisingly accurate despite there only being two questions. It nailed how I act in group settings and communicate with others.

Pros:

• Testcolor is incredibly quick and easy to complete, taking only about five minutes.
• The visual nature of the test makes it an engaging and fun experience while still providing valuable insights.

Cons:

• Due to its brevity, the results are relatively general and don’t provide in-depth analysis.
• Testcolor doesn’t differentiate between your personality in various contexts, such as work versus personal relationships.

4. Interpersonal Skills Assessment

Best for: Identifying your strengths and weaknesses in verbal communication.

What I found most useful about the Interpersonal Skills Assessment was that the results provided me with a 1 to 100 score for each of my interpersonal skills. The test measures listening skills, emotional intelligence, verbal communication, and communicating in groups.

However, like most of the tests on this list, you can only benefit from the results if you’re honest. So, assess yourself from a third-person perspective, or perhaps have a close friend or family member help you with answers.

Pro:

• The unique results can show you your exact strengths and weaknesses in several forms of verbal communication.

Cons:

• The test only focuses on your verbal communication skills.
• It doesn’t apply these skills to different situations, such as the workplace, relationships, or friendships.

5. Big Five Personality Test

Best for: Evaluating your self-awareness and understanding how you relate to others.

The Big Five Personality Test is a well-respected and widely used assessment measuring five dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN). This test is known for its scientific basis and its ability to predict various life outcomes and preferences, such as conscientiousness influencing someone’s workplace success.

Measuring my Big Five personality traits was enlightening. While the results were sort of similar to other tests I’ve taken, I was able to look at myself through a new lens because of the specific traits incorporated into the test.

For instance, my MBTI type told me I was self-aware and diligent, but there wasn’t a scale. Big Five said I’m extremely high in conscientiousness — and I didn’t realize how involved conscientiousness is in my personality when it comes to goal setting, empathy, and even well-being.

Pros:

• It’s one of the most accurate personality tests, but is still simple and straight-forward.
• The test also allows you to compare your results with friends or colleagues, fostering discussions and building stronger connections.

Cons:

• The test isn’t specific to the workplace or relationships, so the results are only about you.
• A more in-depth analysis of the scoring system beyond simple high versus low rankings would enhance the overall value of the results.

6. Enneagram

Best for: Learning about your core motivations and how your personality affects your relationships.

The Enneagram test categorizes you into one of nine interconnected personality types. Each type is associated with a core motivation, fear, and worldview, making this a valuable tool for self-discovery, personal growth, and understanding interpersonal dynamics. You’re then provided with “wings” or other components to your primary number.

I found Enneagram useful when combining it with the MBTI typing system. I was able to see my desires and fears through the Enneagram and how those are projected through my MBTI type.

Pros:

• It emphasizes self-identification, so if you think you match another number on the scale, you’re encouraged to explore it.
• This test digs deeper into your core motivations and fears.

Con:

• Some of these interpretations may resonate with you more than others, which can lead to confusion or a sense that the results are less reliable.

7. True Colours Test

Best for: Gaining a new perspective on how others see you and how you see yourself.

The True Colours Test categorizes individuals into four color-based personality types: Orange, Gold, Blue, and Green. Each color represents a set of traits, values, and preferences.

I was impressed by the engaging questions and the flexibility in answering. Unlike some other tests that force you to choose between two extremes, True Colours allows you to select “mostly” for a more accurate representation of your personality. That way, you’re not confused about which answer you should select.

Pro:

• The results provide a concise yet informative summary of your dominant personality type, serving as an excellent starting point for further self-exploration.

Cons:

• The results are relatively broad and may require additional research to fully understand the implications of your color type.
• It’s not an all-inclusive test and doesn’t get too specific.

8. Berkeley Emotional Intelligence

Best for: Assessing your ability to recognize and interpret emotions in others.

The Berkeley Emotional Intelligence test was by far the most fun for me to take, given that it’s more like a quiz. The test gives you 20 faces, and you need to guess which emotion the face is portraying based on four options.

Pro:

• Guessing people’s emotional state based on facial expressions is a scientifically proven way to measure emotional intelligence.

Cons:

• The test is only 20 questions, which may not be an accurate sample size.
• The facial expressions shown are often exaggerated, making it either easier or harder depending on how much thought you put into each answer.

9. Character Strengths Survey

Best for: Identifying your top character strengths and exploring how to leverage them in your personal and professional life.

The Character Strengths Survey, developed by positive psychology researchers, assesses 24 character strengths that are universally valued across cultures. These strengths include traits such as creativity, honesty, leadership, and forgiveness.

Taking this survey was a refreshing experience, as it focused on identifying and celebrating my positive qualities rather than highlighting areas for improvement.

Pros:

• The test focuses on the positives.
• If you’re honest, you’ll be able to see which traits you can leverage at work and in your personal life.

Con:

• While the test questions are thought-provoking, the results could benefit from more detailed explanations and guidance on how to apply your strengths in different contexts.

10. Sociotype

Best for: Individuals seeking a fresh perspective on their personality and communication style that’s different from other personality tests.

I appreciated the unique phrasing of the questions in the Sociotype test, which encouraged me to think deeply about my preferences and tendencies. The results provided a detailed analysis of my communication style and thought processes.

You might find the results similar to an MBTI test, but that’s because Sociotype is based on Jung’s personality theory of cognitive functions — the basis for MBTI. If you’ve taken several MBTI tests, you’ll enjoy Sociotype’s unique take and different insights.

Pros:

• The test has thought-provoking questions using a hyper-accurate slider to determine your level of agreement.
• It’s thorough, leaving no stone unturned.

Con:

• The complexity of the test might make someone lose focus and not think deeply about each answer, leading to skewed results.

11. Verywell Mind

Best for: A quick and easy assessment of your emotional intelligence.

Verywell Mind offers a short, 10-question emotional intelligence test that provides instant feedback. While it may not be as comprehensive as other assessments, it’s a great option for a rapid check-in on your emotional awareness.

The questions are straightforward and explore different scenarios, from dealing with children to handling mishaps at work.

Pro:

• The test is quick, fun, and easy.

Con:

• It may not be accurate because of its brevity. However, the results I received were in line with other tests.

12. Empathy Quotient

Best for: Gaining a deeper understanding of your empathy levels and identifying areas for improvement.

The Empathy Quotient (EQ) is a 60-item questionnaire developed by Simon Baron-Cohen at the University of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre. It measures empathy using the same emotional assessment tools used by mental health professionals to diagnose social impairments.

I used the EQ test to gauge my overall emotional intelligence, empathy, and general social cues. While the result was only a numerical score, it still helped me understand that I have a lot of progress to make. And having a simple score from 1 to 80 makes it easy to measure progress.

Pros:

• The EQ is a scientifically validated assessment tool, meaning your results are reliable and meaningful (as long as you’re truthful).
• It’s different from other tests because it only focuses on how you interact with other people and how you think about specific situations.

Cons:

• You need to have a certain level of self-awareness for this test to be accurate.
• The results are simply a score out of 80, with 30 and above meaning you’re likely not on the autism spectrum.

13. Clearer Thinking

Best for: Getting a combination of MBTI, Big Five, and Enneagram types.

The Clearer Thinking test combines several major personality assessments. It gives you a seven-page report detailing each component of your personality and how you rank against other people.

For me, comparing my agreeableness against other people was intriguing, as I didn’t realize where I stood among the general population.

Pro:

• It offers a great holistic personality overview without taking multiple tests.

Con:

• The test combines several personality models into one assessment, so there are varying degrees of accuracy.

Best Free Personality Tests for Jobs

14. Humanmetrics

Best for: Exploring career paths that align with your personality type.

Humanmetrics offers a Jung Typology Test that determines your MBTI personality profile.

I found the career advice section especially helpful, as it went into detail not found in other tests. The test also explores how you work in a corporate environment with other types and how your specific personality learns best.

Pros:

• All 64 questions are on a single screen, making it easy to review and change your answers if needed.
• It offers several types of insights pertaining to your career and personality.

Cons:

• Some questions may feel situation-dependent.
• Your answers could vary based on your current mood or circumstances — as is the case with MBTI tests. It’s normal to get different results at different points in your life.

15. Crystal

Best for: Understanding how your personality affects your work relationships and communication style.

Crystal offers a free DiSC assessment that provides insights into your work style, communication preferences, and potential compatibility with colleagues. It can help you improve collaboration, reduce conflicts, and build stronger professional relationships.

The Crystal DiSC assessment helped me measure Dominance, Influence, Conscientiousness, and Steadiness. For instance, I’m high in Conscientiousness but low in Dominance — so I’m hyper-aware but don’t always make my opinion known. In the future, I’ll use this assessment to speak up when a project could go wrong.

Pros:

• It offers immediate insights into your work style and interpersonal dynamics.
• The test allows you to view your colleagues‘ personality profiles (if they’ve completed the assessment).

Con:

• While the DiSC framework is widely used in corporate settings, the experts I spoke with say there is limited research on its ability to predict job performance.

16. CareerHunter

Best for: Determining your work personality type.

With CareerHunter’s Work Personality test, you can identify how you work, your strengths and weaknesses, and your preferred work style. I liked how this test has you organize different statements in order of importance, which is different from other tests.

It includes 290 work-related statements describing various thoughts, behaviors, feelings, and attitudes, such as “I like coordinating the work of others” and “I feel comfortable expressing my thoughts openly.” Plus, the website offers four other tests about potential career paths, career motivators, interests, and reasoning.

Pros:

• The CareerHunter test interface is engaging and user-friendly, with an easy-to-interpret results report.
• When combined with the platform’s other assessments, it can provide a well-rounded evaluation of your career fit.

Con:

• While the basic results are free, accessing the full 35-page report and other premium features requires payment.

17. HEXACO

Best for: Gaining an academic perspective on your personality traits and their implications for your career.

The HEXACO personality inventory is a widely used assessment in academic research, offering a six-dimensional model of personality: Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience.

Taking the HEXACO test felt like participating in a scientific study. The questions were thought-provoking, and the results measured my responses against the average test-taker.

Pros:

• The HEXACO model offers a scientifically validated perspective on your personality.
• The results include a percentile ranking, allowing you to see how you compare to others in each trait.

Cons:

• The test’s academic language and focus on comparison to a sample group (primarily Canadian university students) may not resonate with everyone.
• The results may require additional interpretation to apply them to your career.

18. IPIP-NEO

Best for: Assessing your personality traits in relation to your career and comparing yourself to others in your age group.

The International Personality Item Pool Representation of the NEO PI-R (IPIP-NEO) is a free, open-source alternative to the well-known NEO PI-R personality assessment. It measures a five-factor model (FFM) of personality factors: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness.

While I found the results to be similar to the Big Five test, it was fascinating to see how I compared to others in my age demographic — something uncommon on these tests.

Pros:

• The IPIP-NEO is a well-established assessment used in both psychometric research and applied settings.
• The test provides a detailed breakdown of your scores in each domain and compares them to others in your age group.

Cons:

• The test questions can feel repetitive at times, and some may find the agree-disagree format limiting.
• While the results are comprehensive, you might need to reflect further to apply them to your career.

19. Eysenck’s Personality Inventory

Best for: Preparing for potential employment personality testing and understanding your core traits.

Eysenck’s Personality Inventory (EPI) is a 57 “Yes” or “No” question test that helps you identify your temperament. It covers what your temperament is, extraversion/introversion, level of neuroticism (sometimes called “emotional stability”), and even whether you lied on the test.

The questions testing whether I was lying helped keep me accountable. And overall, I felt the test was accurate to who I am as a person.

Pro:

• The EPI is a concise and efficient assessment, making it an excellent choice for quickly gauging your personality type before taking a more comprehensive test for employment purposes.

Cons:

• The binary response format may not capture the nuances of your personality.
• The results may feel overly simplistic, general, or impractical.

20. 123Test

Best for: All-around career, personality, and IQ testing.

123Test has several career tests, including team roles tests, career assessments, work values tests, and personality questionnaires. The DiSC test about how I interact with coworkers was especially helpful, as it analyzed how I perceived other people’s actions — giving me an understanding of how I interpret certain work situations.

Pro:

• The well-rounded, in-depth tests offer distinct results and insights.

Con:

• Depending on your state of mind, your results may vary and could be inaccurate.

21. Truity Career Personality Profiler

Best for: Discovering your ideal career path and identifying the skills needed to succeed.

The Truity Career Personality Profiler is a comprehensive assessment that combines the insights of the Holland Code (RIASEC) and Big Five personality theories. The test measures your interests, preferences, and personality traits to suggest career paths and work environments that align with your natural inclinations.

I found the Truity Career Personality Profiler to be a valuable tool for discovering potential career paths. I also loved that the results gave specific tasks and projects I might enjoy within those fields.

Pros:

• The test provides detailed recommendations and potential skills you may find fulfilling.
• It’s a well-rounded assessment of your career fit, considering both your interests and personality traits.

Cons:

• Some questions may be challenging to answer if you haven’t had exposure to certain work environments or tasks.
• The accuracy of the results depends heavily on your self-awareness and honesty.

22. CareerExplorer

Best for: Exploring multiple career paths and finding the best fit for your unique personality and interests.

After taking the CareerExplorer test, I was given several different job options with detailed information about how my personality fit into the work environment and education. I also appreciated the option to compare career opportunities by education, salary, and different types of majors.

Pros:

• The test and results are extremely detailed.
• It only took about 20 minutes to complete.

Con:

• Without direct experience in a field, it’s hard to say you wouldn’t like a specific activity — so the accuracy may not be 100%.

23. PATH Assessment

Best for: Sifting through job applications and finding employee work styles.

With the PATH assessment, you can identify your employees’ (or potential employees’) Purpose, Approach, Thinking, and Habits. It’s an excellent tool for employers to build teams or see how people perceive the work environment.

Pro:

• The PATH assessment is a concise and targeted evaluation of work-related traits, making it an efficient tool for professional development.

Con:

• The short 10-minute test and the potential for dishonesty may skew the results.

Best Free Personality Tests: FAQs

What is the most accurate personality test?

The validity and reliability of personality tests can vary greatly depending on their purpose.

Dr. Craig Beach, CEO and psychiatrist at Open Mind Health, explains, “These tests, while they can be fun, are typically lacking in scientific validity. I personally do not rely on these tests in my practice because the results are pretty ambiguous and can be easily influenced.”

However, tests like the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) are reliable when used for diagnosing mental health issues in a clinical setting.

As psychotherapist Kristen Jacobsen explains, “The MMPI is […] a powerful tool for unraveling complex presentations (like a dual diagnosis) and understanding a client’s psychological functioning. I’ve found it particularly useful in contexts involving deeper clinical assessments.”

Jacobsen also occasionally uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Big Five tests, noting they “can still offer clients valuable lenses through which to view their behaviors and motivations, thus enriching the therapeutic conversation and helping guide personal development strategies.”

How reliable are personality tests?

Internet personality tests are generally not reliable on a one-time basis — but I’ve found that when you take multiple tests over the course of a few days, you’ll receive similar results more often than not.

However, as Beach points out, “Evidence has shown that these tests do not consistently produce the results or outcomes they claim to produce.” Personality tests rely heavily on self-reports, which can be influenced by the test-taker’s self-perception and desire to present themselves a certain way.

What are personality tests used for?

Personality tests are often used for:

• Job applications.
• Team building.
• Understanding yourself.
• Entertainment.

As someone who’s taken tens of personality tests over the years, the biggest value is understanding how others perceive you. It’s not something that most of us are aware of, and being assigned a type can give you insight into what people think — and how you can (potentially) change it.

How to pass personality tests for jobs?

When taking a personality test as part of your job search, it’s essential to be authentic and honest in your responses. There is no “right” or “wrong” personality type for most positions.

Employers use these tests to better understand your traits, motivations, and potential fit within their organization. Trying to manipulate your answers to fit a perceived ideal may result in a role that doesn’t align with your true self, leading to job dissatisfaction and poor performance.

How should you prepare for a personality test?

I recommend trying an online personality test so you can familiarize yourself with the types of questions. And remember to be honest with your answers. That’s the only way you’ll get an accurate representation of who you are.

What should you remember while taking personality tests?

My mind can start to drift when taking a long personality test. So take a break if you need to, and return to the test — there aren’t any time limits.

Additionally, remember to really think about each answer. If you’re unsure, try imagining yourself from a third-person point of view. It might help you be more accurate.

Why are personality tests important?

Personality tests allow you and organizations to better understand your core motivations, fears, and habits. By taking these into account, you can highlight areas for improvement as well as your strengths, allowing you to grow more successful personally and professionally.

Take a Quick Personality Test Today for Personal and Professional Growth

If you’ve ever felt misunderstood, taking a personality test can help you see yourself from another perspective. It’s a way to satisfy your curiosity about yourself and how others you care about may see you.

While you may not be able to take a clinically accepted test like the MMPI or the Schema Questionnaire, these online assessments let you see yourself from a different perspective. They help you think about yourself in different ways and highlight your strengths and weaknesses, giving you the option to grow. And for me, that’s extremely valuable.

Each test only takes a few minutes, and you might learn something you never expected to uncover.

As a content growth and innovation leader for HubSpot, I know how important it is to find impactful ways to expand your brand’s reach. In my experience, one of the more effective and underrated channels for marketers is podcast advertising.

Outside of work, I’m an avid podcast listener. I’ve been persuaded to test out a new product recommended by my favorite hosts. That’s especially true if I’ve been listening to a show for years. There’s a degree of parasocial trust that pushes me over the edge.

So podcast advertising can be effective, but knowing where to start with podcast advertising can be confusing. To help, I’ve gathered my personal experiences and insider tips from HubSpot’s podcasting team into this comprehensive guide of everything you need to know about podcast advertising.

Table of Contents

• How does podcast advertising work?
• Benefits of Podcast Advertising
• Podcast Advertising Terminology
• Types of Podcast Ads
• How to Advertise on Podcasts
• My Top 12 Tips For Successful Podcast Advertising

How does podcast advertising work?

I think of podcast advertising as similar to other forms of advertising. First, I identify podcasts that fit my target audience and demographics and negotiate a deal. From there, my team creates the ad content, and the host inserts it into the episode.

Podcast ads usually describe the featured product or service and often include the host’s personal experience. Many ads also include promo code-based discounts for listeners. When I think of examples in my life, Blue Apron comes to mind. I heard their ads dozens of times on my favorite NPR podcasts with a nice discount if I use their code.

The host experience is one of the biggest differences in podcast advertising. My ads might be recorded audio or a script the host reads and inserts their experience into to add social proof.

You can also use self-service advertising tools like Spotify’s Ad Studio, which helps produce and launch podcast ads targeted to the right audience on its streaming platform across multiple shows at once. Once an ad is published, teams use metrics such as listens, downloads, and conversions to track ad performance.

Benefits of Podcast Advertising

I’ve found that podcasts are rarely the first marketing channel marketers think of, but they’re one of my favorites. Let’s go through my top reasons for using podcast advertising in my marketing strategy.

Increased Brand Awareness

Podcasts represent a huge potential audience and have become an increasingly popular part of consumer’s lives. According to Edison Research, 98 million people listen to podcasts weekly.

More people than ever are engaging with podcasts during their daily routines — like driving to work, working out, and cleaning around the house — making podcasts an excellent medium for advertising.

Targeted Audience

I find that podcasts are beneficial for accessing niche audiences. For example, the demographics of true crime podcasts are primarily younger women. Many successful shows create very specific niches to reach their ideal listeners and build a community of individuals with particular interests and behaviors.

Higher Engagement

As a marketer and a regular human being, I know advertisements can be an unwelcome interruption. Balancing that reality with reaching more of my target audience can be tricky. Podcasts help solve that problem.

Most podcast listeners understand that advertising funds their favorite podcast shows and see podcast advertising as supporting small creators. As a result, 46% of listeners don’t find podcast advertising intrusive.

Increased Credibility

In my experience, long-form content helps build trust. Unlike influencers who leverage short-form content like TikTok videos, podcast hosts hold their audience’s attention for an hour or more.

That extra time allows them to build solid relationships and provide me with improved brand perception by association when I advertise with them. It’s a form of social proof.

Podcasts provide a unique selling point for advertisers. Audiences are often connected with the host on an emotional level. That means that when the host reads my ad copy, the listeners are already predisposed to trust the message. It’s a bit like an endorsement from a celebrity or trusted friend.

Case in point, I love to listen to The Splendid Table from America Public Media. When the host, Francis Lam, makes a recommendation about a cooking product or technique, I take note.

Measurable Results

With 43% of advertisers worried about measuring the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, we need data. One of my favorite podcast ad benefits is the ability to see how many people listened while the ad was running and use unique links to attribute clicks and conversions to each episode.

Podcast Advertising Terminology

When I first jumped into the world of podcast advertising, there was jargon I had no idea about. So, before you dip your toes in, I want to share some terms I wish I had known sooner. Let’s explore that vocabulary.

• CPM rate — “cost per mille,” the flat standard cost advertisers pay for every 1,000 impressions of an ad.
• Host-read ad — an ad voiced by the host of a podcast.
• Dynamic ad insertion — a self-service advertising method offered by many streaming services that uses software to insert a pre-recorded ad into podcast audio automatically.
• Contextual targeting — a dynamic ad placement method using software and contextual data to match the listener’s mood or actions. For example, ads for mental health services are placed on a relationship or self-care podcast.
• Programmatic ad — pre-recorded ads voiced by someone other than the host, such as an announcer or voice actor. These ads are often placed in multiple shows with dynamic insertion.
• Ad placements — when an ad takes place during the podcast episode. Pre-Roll Ads play before the podcast starts, Mid-Roll Ads are in the middle like an intermission, and Post-Roll Ads play after the episode ends.
• Live-read ad — an ad performed live by the host during a podcast episode instead of being scripted and pre-recorded.
• CTA — “call to action,” which is the hook of the ad, the action you want the listener to take. Most include URLs or promotional codes used to track the ad’s performance.
• Downloads — the number of times listeners have downloaded a podcast episode. This is the most common metric used to determine the show’s potential reach.

Types of Podcast Ads

In addition to knowing industry terms, I find it helpful to understand how different types of ads work. Here are the ones I’ve found most effective, along with examples of each.

Native Ad

Native ads are created by the advertiser and integrate seamlessly into the content of the episode. I like to use these for top-of-funnel campaigns and when I’m working with self-service streaming placements.

Typically, these short audio or voiceover clips run for 15 to 60 seconds and describe a product, service, or promotion you want to feature. They’re often placed as pre-roll or mid-roll ads and might be introduced by the host as “a word from our sponsor.”

Toyota created an ad for the RAV4 with a narrator describing several vehicle features but didn’t use the podcast name in the sponsorship message. By only saying, “This episode is brought to you by,” the ad can be used on many different podcasts.

Sponsored Content

Sponsored content (also called branded segments) is a lot like a verbal version of a blog post and can even be a complete podcast episode. Topics need to be relevant to the podcast and my company or industry, so I work with the podcast’s staff to brainstorm and create content that works for everyone.

While it’s more involved than native ads, I like to use these when a podcast overlaps heavily with my target audience because this can become an ongoing multi-season relationship.

The content doesn’t have to mention your product or brand directly, but the hosts will at least note who sponsored the episode and include a brief blurb about it.

One example is the Fresh Invest show created by Morning Brew Podcasts and sponsored by Fidelity. The host breaks down the investing environment and provides listeners with solid advice and actionable tips. As the sponsor, Fidelity receives brand mentions with the right target audience and (most importantly) at the right time — when the audience’s interest in investing is high.

Paid Interview

This type of sponsored content directly involves me or another expert in my company. We pay the podcast to interview an expert we chose on a topic we select.

This gives our company experts a great opportunity to spread brand awareness and showcase their expertise. In turn, the podcast gets sponsorship money, a credibility boost, and interesting interview content about a topic related to its own mission.

To me, it’s a powerful blend of advertising, brand building, and thought leadership.

In this episode of Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen J. Dubner interviews Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella about the possibilities and risks of AI. Nadella provides his insights for the audience, placing Microsoft at the forefront of the AI discussion for listeners.

I find that the paid interview approach can be quite valuable when you’re using a demand generation strategy. These interviews give your leadership time to provide much-needed context and explain why there’s an urgent need for the product that the market might not already understand.

Product Placement

We‘ve all seen brand placements on TV and in movies. For example, the actors drive a specific brand of car and mention features as part of the script. That’s product placement, and you can do it in a podcast, too. The hosts will casually mention your product as part of the discussion.

Totinos was placed centrally in a “My Brother, My Brother, and Me” podcast. While Totinos were constantly discussed, they still didn’t come across as too salesy or aggressive to listeners.

The hosts snacked on Totino’s pizza rolls while playing games revolving around food and having random discussions about life.

Direct Response Ad

Direct response ads are a type of native ad that combines product placement. The podcast host reads your script but then adds a call to action, like clicking a link on the podcast homepage or using a coupon code.

I like using these ad spots because they are host-read and can benefit from the listener feeling like they are getting a solid recommendation from the host.

On this episode of Julia Louis-Drayfus’s podcast, “Wiser Than Me,” you can hear multiple direct-response ads at the 27:00 minute mark featuring brands like Hairstory and BetterHelp.

Both of these ads include show-specific discount codes that listeners can use to receive a discount when they try the brand’s products and services.

Now that you‘re familiar with the types of podcast ads available to you, let’s discuss how I find and sponsor podcasts.

How to Advertise on Podcasts

Whenever I have a new campaign to plan, I follow these steps to help ensure a successful podcast advertising campaign.

Step 1. Determine the type of ad you want to run.

There are several ad formats to consider, and the best option for you depends mostly on your budget and goals. To determine what type of ad to run, I look at budget, goal, and timeline.

Budget

Not every ad can be a long-form production. I need to match my available budget to the type of ad that will give me the best return within that number. Host-read ads and sponsored content can get expensive quickly.

For a small budget, I recommend starting with programmatic native ads. Those are ads you produce and upload to a library for placement into podcast episodes through self-service software in a streaming tool like Spotify Ad Studio.

These are less costly, and streaming services have greatly improved their use of contextual data to find more relevant placements for your ads. These ads also work best for me when my goal is more centered on generating brand awareness than conversions or when I don’t have a specific target podcast in mind.

Goal

What I’m trying to accomplish with my ad is critical to my decision-making. If I want to build brand awareness, sponsored content or a paid interview work well. However, if I need direct action from the audience, a direct-response ad is usually a better choice.

Timeline

How quickly an ad needs to run is a big part of my decision process. Sponsored content takes a lot longer to produce than a host-read ad. Likewise, arranging schedules for a paid interview can take significant time. Even native ads can be time-consuming with voice actors and post-production work.

I need to balance the combination of time I have with my budget and goals to create the best outcome.

Step 2. Select the best ad placement for your campaign.

Next, consider your ad placement, which can impact your budget and ROI.

Overall, I’ve found that more people listen to the first few minutes of a podcast, but pre-roll ads have a lower CPM rate because they’re easy to skip. As such, these work well for top-of-funnel campaigns and building brand awareness.

On the other hand, I find that mid-roll ad placements (ads in the middle of the episode) have a higher CPM as they reach a more engaged audience who are likely to follow a CTA. I choose mid-roll placements if I’m trying to drive website visits, purchases, or free trial sign-ups.

Step 3. Write your script.

Now that I’ve determined what type of ad to run and determined the placement, it’s time to tackle the messaging. Even if I’m doing host-read ads, the on-air talent needs talking points from me to stay on point with my goals for the campaign.

Here are the elements I include when writing podcast ad scripts.

Length

While 30- or 60-second ads may feel standard, it’s important to tailor the length to fit the message, ad type, and budget.

Average CPM Rates

• 30-second ad placement. $18.
• 60-second ad placement. $25.

Once again, I consider my overall campaign objective here. If I’m simply wanting to get my brand’s name out there, then shorter ads can get the job done. However, if I want the listener to carefully consider my product and take action, then I would choose a longer ad so I could write a script that covers their pain points and the value my company offers.

Directions for Voice Actors

No matter how perfect my script copy is, I need to make sure I have the right people reading it and that those folks have instructions about what I want. Voice actors need direction just like live-action actors do.

The two big points I always share are tone and voice description. I include details about the emotions and style of the copy for the voice actor. Examples of tone include bright, cheerful, serious, urgent, or friendly.

I also need to make sure we hire the right voice actor. A voice description helps your staff pick the right person. While voiceover actors often have different “characters” they can create when reading your ads, we still need to ensure that the person chosen can meet gender and age styles, such as a female-sounding millennial voice.

Hook

Every script needs an attention-grabbing statement that resonates with my audience and keeps them from fast-forwarding through the ad. I find asking questions or describing the listener’s pain points to be effective.

Personal Story

Using a personal story about how my product solves the listener’s problem helps make a connection. Humor, education, and emotion are the top three storytelling tools I use when writing scripts.

I recommend choosing your method based on what fits your brand, product, and campaign. For example, if I’m advertising a medication, I might take the emotional and empathetic approach, whereas humor could work better for products like snacks or entertainment.

Call-to-Action

A call-to-action (CTA) tells the listener what action to take next, like visiting my website or signing up for a free trial. I like to create unique URLs or offer codes for podcast CTAs because they encourage action and help me track the results of each campaign.

Step 4. Record and finalize the ad.

Once the script has been finalized, it has to be recorded.

For host-reads, you just need to get the script to the podcast host. But if you will be recording the ad, you’ll select your voiceover actors, arrange for recording and post-production work, and ship the ad to the host or streaming service.

Depending on your company, you may have an in-house production team that handles all of those details for you. If you’re a small shop or solo entrepreneur, you’ll need to manage those details yourself.

Streaming platforms like Spotify have their own tools to help record native ads. However, if you record the script yourself, you’ll need a quiet place and a reasonable microphone. To hire a voice actor on a budget, check out platforms like Casting Call Club, where new voice actors are willing to work for a small fee or no cost because they need credits to add to their resumes.

Ask your voice talent to provide a WAV file, as that is the most commonly used format for native ad production.

Post-production combines voice, properly licensed music, and sound effects to create a finished ad that matches the exact time needed and meets the audio specifications, such as stereo or mono, the bit rate, and doesn’t have any unwanted background noise.

I usually use an audio producer for this, but it can be DIY’d for more straightforward ads using tools like Adobe Audition or Audacity.

Once you upload the audio file to the streaming service or podcast host, the ad will be placed in a podcast episode or multiple episodes by the host or the streaming service’s dynamic insertion technology.

1. Understand podcast demographics.

I find that podcast demographics don’t change drastically from show to show; they’re more of a fine-tuning of a larger audience.

According to HubSpot’s former corporate marketing manager, Sam Balter, the overall podcast audience is mostly made up of “affluent, educated millennials“ and is a ”good audience for brands pretty much regardless of what show you’re on.“

Most podcast listeners are old enough to make purchasing decisions and have enough income to make those purchases.

Alanah Joseph, head of creator partnerships, talks about how important understanding the show’s listeners is for successful ad campaigns.

“We’re looking at the ad from the point of view of a listener. Does the ad feel like it’s an authentic part of the show? Is it enjoyable to listen to?” Joseph postulates.

The more ads match the content of the show, the more likely listeners will stay engaged.

2. Get familiar with podcast advertising prices.

Figuring out podcast advertising pricing can be confusing at first. There are huge differences in pricing, and prices don’t always reflect the show’s desirability.

In my experience, though, podcast advertising tends to be more transparent than you might think. Most podcasters and podcast networks use the same standardized formula to calculate advertising costs.

To get a rough idea of ad costs for a specific show before reaching out to a podcast team or network, I like to look at the show’s previous episodes and plug that data into this formula.

Using CPM breaks numbers down into easier-to-digest chunks per thousand listeners so you can more easily compare numbers. On average, Balter says most podcast ad rates tend to run between $10 and $50 CPM, making it relatively affordable for even small brands, although very popular podcasts will cost more.

That means a podcast with 10,000 downloads would charge around $100 to $500 for an ad placement.

However, when I’m running more intensive promotions, like a fully sponsored podcast episode, I find formulas aren’t accurate. Costs are much more variable for long-form advertising types.

3. Choose shows related to your industry or brand.

My best-performing ads relate to the podcast series or episode because listeners are more likely to remain engaged and respond to the CTA, especially if they identify with the pain points you solve. As a result, I always aim for relevance if I’m manually reaching out to shows instead of using a self-service streaming option.

For example, if I wanted to place an ad about a B2B recruiting service, I would look for a podcast that discusses human resources for B2B companies.

The same principle applies to B2C products. This episode of TASTE opens with an ad for Taste Europe’s French butter, highlighting its uses, benefits, and why it’s the choice of many professional chefs. The ad is a perfect fit for listeners who come to TASTE to get their fill of food and culture.

I look for shows where the host would use and love my product. If the host would love it, there’s a strong chance it will be a good fit with their audience.

4. Leverage competitor analysis in your research.

I like using competitive analysis to help me discover what the other guys are doing. By examining what brands similar to mine are trying, I can find opportunities to gain an advantage over competitors.

I’ve found that watching where my competitors advertise inspires me in my search and helps me narrow my focus by identifying the types of shows and topics that could work for me. That said, I’m not a fan of copying and pasting a competitor’s strategy. I prefer to use it to generate ideas and then challenge myself to figure out what I can do better.

5. Don’t ignore smaller shows.

When I first started in podcast advertising, I had to decide whether to spend my whole budget on one ad for a big show with promising numbers or to hedge my bets across multiple podcasts. I’ve found that Balter was spot on when he said, “It’s better to play an ad multiple times on a smaller show than try to play a single ad on a big show.“

I have to pay much more for one or two ads on major podcasts with a huge listenership, and one or two ad plays are rarely memorable. While you might get great visibility, results are more of a gamble in my experience.

Without a decent ROI, you’re wasting money. By spreading ad dollars across many repetitions, you help prevent an all-or-nothing situation.

I research several smaller podcasts with engaging content related to my product or industry. From there I like to invest a bit of my ad spend in each show and look at the numbers. If one or two of them don’t meet my expected ROI, I adjust my strategy and move my ad dollars to shows that give me more engagement and brand awareness.

6. Advertise with multiple shows at the same time.

When I plan to invest in multiple podcasts — or place multiple ads in a single episode — I look for a network that produces multiple shows aligned with my product and build a relationship with that network, like Gimlet.

This type of agreement with one network is called a pulsing strategy, and Balter explains that “because people who listen to Gimlet shows are likely to listen to other Gimlet shows, you can get a solid number of impressions off of a few shows over a relatively short amount of time without inundating listeners with the same ad over and over again.“

For example, this Hendrick’s Gin ad was featured on multiple Gimlet podcasts and its advertising page.

It’s a simple native ad with a short “sponsored by Hendrick’s Gin” comment before briefly describing the flavors in the gin and highlighting the brand’s value proposition.

The ad feels unique, but because it’s not industry-specific, it can target a wide audience, making it a good choice for placement on multiple shows on the same network with minor changes to the beginning of the ad.

7. Research download numbers.

I always take time to properly vet podcasts when comparing download and listen metrics.

Balter makes a great point when he warns that aggregate podcast downloads aren’t always accurate or tracked properly, so you should always check individual episode download numbers.

Here are some strategies I use to verify a podcast’s numbers:

• Look at all the platforms that they post their podcasts on. If they post on a major website like SoundCloud or Spotify, you should be able to see platform-provided view numbers.

• Look for them on social media. While I don’t look for show numbers here, I do pay attention to follower counts and fan engagement activities that help me gauge how invested the audience is in the podcast.
• Work with a credible network. Podcast networks like Gimlet Media and Wondery vet shows before granting membership, and many have minimum download thresholds that must be bet before podcasts can sign up.

When I finally talk to the podcast producers, I make sure to get as much specific data as possible about views and impressions. I also like to ask if previous advertisers saw an ROI. If a podcaster can show proof that advertisers make money from ad spends with them, I’m more likely to sign up.

8. Look at each show’s back catalog space.

It’s an odd-sounding term, but back catalog just means how many previous episodes of a podcast exist.

I love targeting these episodes because they’re often listened to and shared by the show’s audience, but because they aren’t first runs, there isn’t as much ad competition for them.

When I’m using this strategy, I look specifically for evergreen episodes that will continue to remain relevant for an extended time.

For example, if you’re a marketer for an ecommerce home-shopping website, you could look for back catalog episodes of home decor podcasts.

9. Consider video podcasts.

While most people think of podcasts as audio-only, more shows are starting to record and post their podcasts’ videos on YouTube. I find that this combination of long-form content and the ability to highlight my product and brand visually is a double-win for me.

In this example, Steven Bartlett, host of The Diary of a CEO Podcast, presented an ad for Huel Nutrition and simultaneously showed his viewers the products.

The brand also gets product placement throughout the interview, which is over an hour long.

In my experience, video podcast ads are helpful for brands with physical products and even software companies, where a host can show a screenshot of the platform’s features.

10. Buy spots through self-service.

With a complete audio clip for a standard ad slot, I like using tools like Spotify Ad Studio to quickly purchase space and target ads to appear on multiple podcasts.

I also love host-read ads using a service like Midroll. Instead of recording a native ad, I just submit ad information and purchase slots in multiple shows. It’s fast and cost-effective.

11. Build relationships with hosts and producers.

When I’m working on placing more complex ads, in-person connections with hosts and show producers are helpful.

“By being intentional when looking for creators, we can create a truly collaborative environment and allow creators to infuse their personality and voice into our ads,” says Joseph.

Once I’ve researched and selected a few podcasts, I reach out to discuss advertising options and ideas. My first contact might be an email that includes:

• A little bit about my brand.
• Why I think it’s a good fit for the podcast.
• Questions about their growth and key success metrics.

Check out this template for a quick first-contact email idea.

I like this process because it’s collaborative, and the hosts seem to appreciate it. Many like getting involved in writing the script rather than reading something I’ve written verbatim.

Joseph adds, “I’ve learned the more we allow our podcasters to participate in the creation of the ad, the better the ad will be.”

12. Track performance and calculate ROI.

Regardless of what type of ad or ad placement I purchase, I always track the money I spend and the revenue generated by each campaign.

If I’m publishing on multiple podcasts, tracking revenue helps me decide which ones warrant more advertisements and which I might walk away from.

Need help calculating ROI on your ads? Here’s a post on a simple ROI formula you can use to get started.

Boosting Your Advertising Strategy with Podcast Sponsorships

I love finding neglected advertising outlets, and podcasts are full of opportunities. With a generally affluent audience and less ad competition, podcasting is ripe for advertising.

The right podcast advertising strategy delivers your message to an engaged audience at lower costs and higher ROI than many other channels. Podcasting advertising is a great way to gain brand awareness.

My first time getting hired — a college internship — wasn’t exactly memorable. Honestly, there wasn’t much of a new hire onboarding process at all. Instead, my boss gave me a brief rundown on how the organization was structured, what my role entailed, and what my first assignment would be.

By the time I got to my cubicle, I was feeling pretty unprepared and even frustrated. Who was on my team? Wasn’t I supposed to meet them? What do I even do? While I may have been a lowly intern, my experience wasn’t unique.

Ultimately, your new hire onboarding experience will set the stage for your overall employee satisfaction. So, I’m going to draw from experience to give you an example of an onboarding process that will help you nurture a more cohesive company culture. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

• Why Effective Onboarding Is So Important
• Onboarding Checklist
• Employee Onboarding Best Practices

Why Effective Onboarding is so Important

Before we explore my approach to onboarding, I need to highlight why your employee onboarding process matters. After all, if your company’s onboarding process just involves filling out new hire paperwork on day one and meeting a bunch of HR professionals the next day, that experience might be clouding your judgment on just how influential onboarding can be.

In essence, there are two main reasons you want your onboarding process to be effective. First, you reap what you sow. You need to give employees what they need to help you achieve your company goals.

In a 2022 onboarding survey by Paychex, 52% of the 1,002 surveyed working Americans reported feeling satisfied with their onboarding experience.

What’s really surprising is that despite that being the case, the same number of employees (52%) felt undertrained after their most recent onboarding experience, and it was even worse for employees in small businesses (66%) and remote positions (63%).

And if you’re thinking there’s a significant gap between how these workers perceive their level of preparedness for their role and how prepared they actually are, you’d be correct.

We’ve all dealt with this before — we start a job thinking we’ve received adequate training, only to learn that it wasn’t the case later on. And for the average person, it’s easy for them to start feeling inadequate or thinking their role has fallen victim to scope creep and, in turn, questioning whether they made the right decision when they joined your organization.

Which brings me to the second reason why you want your onboarding to be effective: you want the employee to feel like they made the right decision by joining your organization.

Admittedly, that’s easier said than done. As you’ll see in the next section, there’s a lot of preparation and effort that goes into it. But it’s the only way to avoid the negative outcomes after an awful onboarding experience, which, according to the same Paychex survey, include:

• Feeling disoriented (56%).
• Feeling let down (52%).
• Feeling devalued (49%).
• Losing interest (46%).
• Losing trust in the organization (33%).
• Feeling negatively about the organization (20%).

I’d be deeply concerned and, quite frankly, sad if my new hires felt any of these things. I’ve been in that position, and these are anything but good feelings.

Companies should also be worried about what that would mean to their overall retention rate and productivity — especially when you consider that a strong onboarding process can increase new hire retention by 82% and improve productivity by 70%, according to Zippia’s recent onboarding research.

So, to summarize: High-quality onboarding helps everyone involved in the employer-employee relationship avoid wasting their time and feeling frustrated. And when you’ve got an onboarding plan in place, it’ll be so much easier to hire and train marketing all-stars.

I also want to stress that onboarding is just one part of the recruitment process, and there are many important steps to take before you bring a new team member on board. To ensure you’re hiring the best person for the job, check out our ultimate guide to hiring and recruiting great employees.

Now that we’ve discussed why proper new hire onboarding matters, let’s review my onboarding checklist.

Onboarding Checklist

Although onboarding can make or break your company‘s professional relationship with a new hire, creating a solid new employee onboarding process isn’t as complex as you may think.

Managers and HR departments should approach it with the understanding that the more thorough they are while integrating new employees into the company, the more benefits they’ll reap from that employee in the long term.

We have that mindset at HubSpot, and it pays off. Not only does it help create long-lasting working relationships with our team members, we get to see first-hand how our efforts impact the employee experience.

Take it from Kuba Niechciał, director of engineering at HubSpot, who recently went through onboarding at HubSpot and had this to say: “I’m super grateful for that experience, both for the team to host and educate me, and the org to invest in long-term success of new leaders. It was very energizing, reflective, and also intimidating!”

With that in mind, I’m going to walk you through what a typical onboarding process for my team members looks like. I’m going to draw from a recent experience with a new member — let’s call her Holly. That way, you can refer back to my process and use it as a checklist when your next new hire arrives.

Before the First Day

The key to this pre-boarding stage is preparation. And although a lot of the things you’ll see here are usually part of any company’s hiring standard operating procedures (SOPs), you definitely want to account for everything to make a strong first impression.

Here’s how I prepared for Holly before she set foot in the office for the very first time:

• The first thing I did was gather the necessary paperwork (e.g., W-4, I-9, insurance forms, and direct deposit forms).
• After that, since I know Holly will need to review the employee handbook and sign a non-disclosure agreement (such is the marketing life), I added them to the list. I also made notes for where she can park and what time she should arrive.
• I also prepared a workstation for Holly since she’ll be in the office three days a week. That involved setting up her computer and updating the software she’ll be using.
• Since she’ll be working remotely for two days a week, I also compiled her login credentials for our tech stack and wrote down her company email.
• Moreover, I prepared relevant reading material that was not already included in the employee handbook (e.g., SOPs for the software she’ll be using).
• I also asked Holly’s soon-to-be supervisor what he wanted her to catch up on before she officially started. He asked me to pass on one of the campaigns our team is working on to start familiarizing her with what we do.

Before the first day, I think you should also consider leaving a note on your new hire’s desk or sending them an email. I opted for an email to strike up a casual chat with Holly, and it was nice to get to know her a bit before we officially met.

This helped us build a little rapport before she clocked in for training. Plus, I found out that she likes Indian food, so I knew what to plan for lunch on our first day.

Lindsey Chastain, founder and CEO of The Writing Detective, a content strategy and media relations company, also does this, and told me she prepares by “sending the employee a welcome email and what to expect for the first few days. I ensured the new hire had the contact information of an employee other than me, ‘just in case.’”

On the First Day

If you prepared everything in the previous step, everything on the first day should sail smoothly. Plus, you’ll have more time to focus on the human side of things on the first day as opposed to having to problem-solve because something went wrong.

Here’s what I focused on during Holly’s first day:

• I had her arrive at 9:00 a.m., so I could prepare the team that’ll be working with her ahead of time. That way, they could say hi and introduce themselves to her when she arrived at her workstation.
• When Holly got settled, I provided her with the welcome packet containing the hiring paperwork, employee handbook, agreements, and other guidelines so she could start reviewing them.
• By the time she was done, it was lunchtime. So, I took Holly and a few team members to a nearby Indian restaurant. I was happy to see her connect with her co-workers and that she enjoyed the meal.
• When we got back, I gave her a tour of the office, including the bathrooms, the kitchen, and the support desk. I also introduced her to everyone as we walked by and gave her a brief idea of what everyone does in each department. Joel Wolfe, president and founder of HiredSupport, also likes the tour approach. He says, “It helps break the ice and get them well acquainted with the company.”
• Then, I set up a meeting between Holly’s direct supervisor and her. This meeting allowed the supervisor to introduce himself, explain how the department is structured, and answer a few questions Holly had.
• Lastly, I had Holly meet her onboarding mentor (a fellow marketer on the team). This is the person she’ll go to whenever she has any questions to get her up to speed.

The first day will vary depending on how many new hires your company onboards at a time and how you engage them. But generally, this is what the new hire onboarding process looks like on the first day at HubSpot, and it’s something even our directors go through.

Niechciał found this experience at HubSpot humanizing, to say the least. Since he felt “The experience of working day-to-day with a team is something easy to forget if you stay in leadership positions for long,” he believes these first-day activities helped him connect with his co-workers from the get-go and hit the ground running.

Pro tip: To boost employee engagement and keep things focused, I also gave Holly a “30-day plan,” which included:

• Names of people she should reach out to for lunch or coffee. I went with people she’ll be working with closely or people I believe can offer her guidance.
• Reading material that will help her succeed in her new role — since she’s one of our new social media managers, I included some blog posts about the current landscape of social media that I’d like her to keep in mind.
• My expectations for her first month (e.g., “I’d like you to brainstorm and present one marketing video campaign idea by the end of this month”).

During Week One

After the first day, the true challenge began. Not because I expected things with Holly to get difficult, but because after the first day, my team and I must work hard to be there for Holly and hold our end of the bargain moving forward.

After all, we didn’t want Holly to think we just made empty promises at the start — we want her to feel like we’re truly there for her and are invested in her growth as much as we expect her to be invested in ours. With that in mind, here’s what Holly’s first week looked like:

• Within the first few days, we assigned Holly her first project. I find this helps new hires feel like a valuable asset to the team and allows them to become more comfortable in their roles. She checked in both with me and her boss on questions she had, but it was great to see how quickly she took the initiative.
• Meanwhile, I double-checked that all of her paperwork was completed by this point.
• Holly, her supervisor, and I also went over what the set goals and employee performance evaluations would be for her first month. We did this together to make sure everything was clear on both sides.
• Lastly, I made sure to set aside a bit of time to go over her HubSpot portal. She was already pretty familiar with the software, but there were a few features she still had questions about, and learning the software is vital to succeeding in her new role.

Pro tip: It’s critical to keep your schedule open if you’re mostly in charge of a new hire’s integration into the new team, like I was with Holly. I made sure she had some one-on-one lessons and we went over our software or work processes a bit each day.

During the First Month

Although my interactions with Holly dropped quite a bit after the first week, I still made myself readily available in case she needed anything. On top of that, I did the following:

• I scheduled weekly meetings to give Holly constructive criticism regarding her first couple of assignments. Although these meetings were straight-to-the-point, I really took time to highlight Holly’s strengths and show appreciation for the efforts she made. I really recommend doing these sessions where you share meaningful feedback — Gallup even deems it a great manager’s most important habit to keep employees engaged.
• I continued to give Holly blog recommendations, and threw some books in the mix. As a marketer, I really want to foster a culture of keeping up with current trends across my team.
• I checked in a few times to make sure she was meeting the right people and getting together with core members of her team.
• I also asked for feedback from Holly. If I’m working with a large group, I’ll offer the option to fill out an anonymous survey. But in this case, I just asked her if she needed anything else to succeed or what she wished we could provide.
• As day 30 approached, I organized a team outing to help Holly bond a little more with the team — we went out to lunch with her whole team that day, and I made sure the conversation kept up all afternoon.
• Finally, I checked in with her mentor to see how their meetings had been going so far.

After the First Month

After a month, some companies will consider the new hire onboarding process finished. However, HubSpot has a pretty long new hire onboarding process that can often last at least six months (even up to a year).

That said, here’s how I’ve been handling Holly’s onboarding now that she’s been with us for five months:

• I still make sure to send Holly an email at least once a month, but it’s usually every other week.
• I also asked her supervisor for feedback on how she was doing after about three months. Note that this isn’t me just trying to assess her performance. I’m also trying to determine the areas in which our onboarding process can improve.
• Lastly, I’ve been having weekly or biweekly one-on-one check-ins with Holly. I use these sessions to talk through any tricky task-related situations and discuss personal goals and performance with her. Having this clear line of communication has proved invaluable in measuring her performance and finding areas where we, as a team, can improve.

Employee Onboarding Best Practices

There’s quite a bit to keep in mind to create a solid employee onboarding process. That said, I’ve personally found coming up with a process much easier after laying out the fundamentals that will help me build it.

So, to help you get started, I’ve compiled some of what I think are the best practices that will help you build a successful onboarding program.

1. Work backwards.

I know it sounds weird, but starting from your end goal is a great way to make sure you accomplish your onboarding goals. It’s a bit less overwhelming to frame things like “I need to get these seven forms signed by Friday” rather than “I need to start our new hire onboarding.”

For example, in a past job, I was tasked with helping train a new employee in my department. My boss and I sat down before the new guy ever walked in the door and decided what we wanted him to be able to do on his first day.

We talked about the programs he needed to learn, what he’d be helping me with the first week, and even which email templates he needed to learn first. From there, we figured out how to build his training.

2. Decide what your employees need to learn.

Whether you want to familiarize a new team member with a process or your company policies, you need to figure out how to get them there.

Now, that doesn’t mean dumping loads of company documentation on the new hire and walking away. Trust me, I’ve been on the receiving end of that and to say it’s sigh-inducing would be an understatement.

Instead, focus on the tasks the employee will be performing and develop documentation based on that. You’ll be surprised at how much fluff you can trim to give way to meaningful, actionable guidance that empowers your employees to do their jobs.

For instance, if I was being hired to work in an ice cream shop, and I was expected to know serving sizes and how to work the ice cream machine, I’d like to receive thorough guidance about these things to ensure I’m understanding or doing them correctly — and not much else.

Beyond that, make sure to anticipate any questions the employee might have and include the answers in the documentation. Nothing beats the nice sense of comfort in knowing you can find the answers to your questions right away.

3. Delegate part of the onboarding process to key team members.

While a team leader or HR manager might seem like the obvious pick to lead a successful onboarding, they aren’t the only stakeholders in this process.

Think about it — new employees will spend more time with the members of their department, so they might learn their new job better from those familiar with it. Not to mention, it’s in the team’s best interest that the new hire carries their job successfully to meet their goals.

Pro tip: As you might’ve noticed from Holly’s onboarding process, this is why I like giving my new hires a mentor — someone who is close to the processes and work the new hire will come in contact with and can relate to any struggles they may have.

It gives them the much-needed hands-on experience they’ll need to perform their job effectively and iron out issues moving forward.

4. Use the right tools.

Yes. I, too, have been knocked over by onboarding notes containing instructions for ten different tracking tools that basically do the same thing. It’s overwhelming and fuels you with the desire to run in the opposite direction of the job you just got.

The (obvious) truth is that having the right tools for the job makes learning and doing the job easier for everyone involved. Take it from Kuntze, a water analysis instrumentation company that was using multiple products to create and track its sales deals.

That system was so complex and inefficient that the mere thought of welcoming someone new to the company made team leads shudder, fearing how long it’d take to get someone up to speed with their processes.

But then they switched over to HubSpot’s Sales Hub, Service Hub, and Marketing Hub to replace the hodgepodge of other automation software they’d been using before. The results? They were able to grow their team by 66%.

“Being able to segment functions into roles, and hire new employees to step into those roles, may not sound like a big deal,” said Hannah Blinn, former project manager at Kuntze. “But for a small company like us, it really is. No one struggled to find information because it’s no longer spread out all over the place,” she added.

I’ve found there are clear-cut, company-wide benefits to simplifying your tech stack. Still, one that isn’t immediately apparent is how much easier it is to pass on knowledge of your internal processes when your operations aren’t bogged down by a trillion tools and guides to use them.

5. Don’t make people go at it alone.

I know some of you might be more concerned with remote employee orientation and onboarding. Luckily, Amanda Stephens, vice president of operations at seoplus+, an Ottawa-based digital marketing agency, is pretty familiar with that.

Her solution is to pair remote employees up, similar to the mentor system I mentioned earlier.

She notes, “It’s much harder for new hires to build connections with their peers, particularly outside of their department in a remote or hybrid environment. There are no accidental conversations, no water cooler talk. We overcame this with a few initiatives, the best of which is our ‘onboarding buddy’ program.”

Level Up Your New Hire Onboarding Process

Ultimately, I feel like a good onboarding process should account for what your team needs from your new hire and what your new hire needs to succeed in their role. It might require flexibility and patience, but it’s fundamental to making the new hire feel like they’re a valuable asset to your team.

I hope you’ve found some useful advice on how to improve the workflow of your new hire onboarding. Whether you’re working in-person or remotely, an effective onboarding process will help you improve your new hire experience and set your team up for long-term success.

A memo is the best way to share news when you have a significant update or important win within your company.

Unlike an email, your memo will go out to your entire department or everyone at the company, so knowing how to format a memo is just as important as what you write. No pressure. (Well, maybe some pressure…)

Before writing a memo, I take some time to hype myself up. This bit of internal communication will be read by my peers, my boss, and likely my boss’s boss. Getting the language right is essential, and every word counts.

In this post, I’ll share my experience writing memos and tips from my HubSpot peers. From there, I’ll showcase stellar memo examples and a template to help you create your own. Let’s dive in!

What is a memo?

How to Write a Memo

Types of Memos

When to Write a Memo

Best Practices for Formatting a Memo

Business Memo Template

Memo Examples

Memos are shared to inform readers about new information and have applications for different communities and businesses.

Communities can use memos to tell people within it about public safety guidelines, promote various events, and raise awareness on subjects that affect their lives.

Businesses can use memos to relay information involving newly updated policies, changes in procedure, important milestones, or necessary employee actions, such as attending an upcoming meeting or convention.

I often find myself writing memos when there are significant changes to my program at HubSpot. Perhaps we’re implementing a new workflow, reorganizing the structure of our team, or sharing insights from a project we just completed. Memos denote importance, so I only write them when I have important updates to share that impact multiple stakeholders.

Below, we’ll explore when memos are necessary. But first, let’s discuss how to write a memo.

You can put together a memo in a few short steps. To give you an idea of how each step is formatted, I’ll write an example memo and break it down for each step. My example memo will be an internal announcement for a writing training session.

1. Write a heading.

No matter what kind of memo you’re writing, you’ll need to include a heading. This section should include who the memo is for (whether an individual or department), the date, who the memo is from, and a subject line.

Your subject line should be short, attention-grabbing, and give readers a general idea of what the memo is about.

“The headings you use should be descriptive enough that your readers can infer what they’ll get in each section,” suggests Kaitlin Milliken, senior program manager at HubSpot. “Cut the cute language and keep your headings very tactical.”

Make sure the tone of your title matches the seriousness of the subject matter and your organization’s communication style. A witty opener won’t be right for every memo.

Testing It Out

Here’s how this would look for my example memo about a writing training session:

2. Write an introduction.

Remember, you want your memo to be brief and information-packed. Your introduction should be an efficient use of space. It should highlight the issue or problem and the solution you decided to move forward with.

“The beginning of any memo should state a clear purpose of what the memo will cover,” says Karla Hesterberg, director of content marketing at HubSpot. “Depending on the subject, this could be as simple as an overview of a statement that establishes the need for a new investment. The more simple and straightforward, the better.”

That’s a reality that I personally struggle with. As a writer, I want to include those eloquent phrases and thoughtful transitions that sound great when read aloud. However, I need to take a different approach to writing memos.

My introduction should just summarize the purpose of the memo in two to three sentences.

Testing It Out

Using Hesterberg’s tip, here’s how I’d write the introduction for my memo:

3. Provide background on the issue.

Remember, memos go out to a wide group of employees. Not everyone reading your memo will have the same background that you do as a writer. You’ll need a section to explain any necessary context that folks need to know before going forward.

So, what do you put in? I asked Basha Coleman, one of the best memo writers on my team. Coleman is a principal marketing manager on HubSpot’s audience development team.

Coleman says she includes a section at the top of her memos that cover the following:

• The situation
• The impact of the situation
• Recommended solutions

“This gives stakeholders the need-to-know info right away in case they don’t have time to read the whole memo at once,” Coleman says.

Beyond that, I like to link to other important documents that provide context on a topic.

That could be a related memo from a different team with more information, a news article that you’re directly responding to, or a relevant dashboard that showcases the issue.

You don’t want this section to be long. However, if folks are interested in learning more, you’ve just given them the power to do so.

Testing It Out

4. Outline action items and timeline (optional).

Depending on the purpose of your memo, you may have action items for employees to complete or provide a timeline of when changes will take place.

For example, they may need to complete a task or provide information by a certain deadline.

This section should include the following:

• When employees can expect changes to go into effect.
• What changes have already been made and what to expect in the future.
• Deadlines they need to adhere to.

When developing a timeline, avoid just creating a paragraph with dates interspersed throughout.

“Don’t be afraid to use visual cues in your memo, like tables, heading colors to display hierarchy of information, charts, and graphs. These can keep a memo brief and skimmable,” suggests Coleman.

Milliken agrees. In a recent memo on building a thought leadership program, she included tables that laid out each step her team would take, more details about what was needed, and when it would occur.

“I also included an infographic of a pipeline to show the stages of the project and how long each would take proportionally,” she says. “This makes it easier to visualize a timetable than just skimming chunks of text.”

Testing It Out

Here’s a sample table I created to demonstrate.

If no action is needed on the employee’s behalf, you can leave this section out.

5. Justify any reasoning.

If you’re communicating a request or anything new that could ruffle some feathers, you can make your case by offering a rationale as to why your announcement or request is so important.

“Think about your target audience and try to anticipate areas where they might ask questions, have concerns, or need more clarity,” says Hesterberg. “Try to re-read as someone who doesn’t have all the context you have to identify areas you need to build up.”

Remember, as the memo writer, you’re an expert on the subject. You may need to ask a manager or a peer to review your memo with a skeptical eye. Where do they have questions? What needs additional justification?

From there, you can strengthen your case. This often includes featuring statistics as to why it’s critical and urgent to make a change.

“Keep in mind that data is super powerful but must be presented in a way that enhances the narrative rather than confusing it,” says Amanda Sellers, a blog strategy manager at HubSpot.

For example, the phrase “58.97% met the benchmark and 10.26% far exceeded the benchmark” is clunky. Instead, Sellers suggests writing,”Our strategy is working nearly 70% of the time.”

The first example is unwieldy, Sellers notes, referring to a methodology that a broader audience is less likely to care about.

Meanwhile, “the second audience demonstrates the more important thing: why that methodology was important and what you can take from it,” Sellers explains.

Testing It Out

To justify the importance of the quarterly writing training session, especially in conjunction with AI tools, I’d add this data point in my memo:

6. Soften any blows (optional).

If you’re making a big change that could be seen as controversial or making bold statements where people might feel slighted, you can soften this with a well-placed caveat.

For example, with the rise of AI, you might be communicating a new company policy related to using AI.

You could soften the blow by sharing that it hasn’t been an issue for most people, but it’s important to have a clear policy in place for handling it.

Testing It Out

Let’s say my memo took a different position regarding AI for writing. Here’s how I’d format my memo to soften the blow:

7. Include a closing statement.

Your closing statement will include any information you’d like to reinforce. Are there any specific contacts readers should reach out to for questions? If so, include them here.

“A conclusion that just reiterates your main points is boring and likely to be skipped,” Milliken says. “End on your most compelling points. You can either reassert urgency or discuss the resources you need to be successful.”

Milliken often closes on the support her team requires to find success. That could be additional financial resources, a champion within leadership, or more time to establish the change.

Testing It Out

8. Review and proofread before sending

This step may seem like a no-brainer, but it‘s important to review your document before sending it out. Memos are meant to inform readers of upcoming changes and relay important information.

You don’t want to risk causing confusion with a typo or misstatement.

“Memos often have a broad audience, so you’ll want to craft a narrative that is easily understood no matter who is reading it,” says Sellers. “That means telling a persuasive story, getting to the point quickly, anticipating questions, and cutting jargon to find the simplest way of saying something.”

Testing It Out

Ask a coworker to review your memo or use an editing tool like Grammarly or Hemingway to review and proofread.

Here’s an example of Grammarly editing my memo and making suggestions for improvement:

9. Create any audio or video aids,

Once the memo is written, I like to give it one last pass. What would make the message even more clear? Should I work with creative to build an infographic? Should I amplify the document over our email channels?

Now that I’ve invested the time, I want to make sure my message is heard.

Coleman often creates a recording with a deck, highlighting the most important points in the document.

“Including video summaries of my memos with Loom is helpful for accessibility and busy stakeholders who like to listen to updates while working on other tasks,” she notes.

10. Communicate urgency (if necessary).

The last important tip? Up the urgency. If your memo pitches something new or timely, you want to explain why the change is urgent and the importance of moving now.

“The best way to do this is to explain what we’re at risk of losing if we don’t take action here,” says Hesterberg.

For pitch memos, Hesterberg suggests telling readers why this problem is important and why people should care. For explanatory memos, she recommends explaining what the information in the memo will be used for.

Testing It Out

Here’s how I’d add urgency to my memo about the training session:

Types of Memos

Now you know how to write a memo, but before you start banging away at your keyboard, it’s helpful to know the types of memos that are out there.

1. Request Memo

In a nutshell, request memos are exactly what they sound like: memos that are designed to make a request and get a positive response.

When writing request memos, focus on using persuasive language and, where possible, stats or numbers to highlight why a “yes” is the right answer.

Some sample uses of request memos might be to request a new purchase from your company or authorization for professional learning or volunteer opportunities.

When writing request memos, be clear in your request, state any costs, share why it’s important, and keep emotion and personal feelings out of the request.

2. Informative Memo

You might see these called announcement memos as well, and they make up the bulk of most memos I’ve seen. The goal of informative memos is to communicate new information to your audience.

Sample uses of informative memos might include changes in policy, company news, new processes, or even new staff members.

Ultimately, you can think of an informative memo as a clear, concise way to share announcements with your audience and provide any justification necessary for the new information.

3. Confirmation Memo

You can think of confirmation memos as a paper trail to make sure key stakeholders have a record of discussions.

Sample uses of confirmation memos are documenting conversations, so you have justification should it ever be called into question, clarifying anything that has ambiguity to avoid misunderstanding down the road.

When writing confirmation memos, specificity and clarity should be your number one goal.

4. Directive Memo

Directive memos are largely self-explanatory. When you need to communicate how to do something to your audience, you might write a directive memo offering detailed instructions that are easy to follow.

Sample uses of directive memos include sharing how to implement a new process, comply with new requirements, or even complete necessary tasks.

When to Write a Memo

As you’ve seen with the types of memos above, most memos are designed to communicate new information. However, memo purposes stretch far and wide.

“Memos serve a variety of purposes, but generally speaking, they either pitch or propose something new, consolidate information into one place for the sake of alignment, or explain or clarify information about a project or program,” says Hesterberg.

You might write a memo in the following scenarios:

• You have a new policy, and you need to explain it to your audience.
• Sharing important company updates and information.
• Announcing new staff members or promotions.
• Confirming details of a discussion to get everyone on the same page and create a paper trail.
• Teach or tell people how to do something.
• Requesting something and justifying why it matters.

There are lots of possibilities out there. In a nutshell, if you have something you need to share, a memo might be the answer.

Best Practices for Formatting a Memo

Now that you know when to write a memo, what types of memos there are, and what elements to include in your memo, I have a few parting tips. To sum it up, here are a few best practices for formatting a memo.

Cater to your audience.

Before you start writing your memo, consider who your audience is. Understanding who will read your memo will help you tailor your message, tone, and CTA for that audience.

Pamela Bump, head of content growth at HubSpot, suggests considering the following questions.

“Are the leaders you’re writing for busy executives who want a quick one-pager focused on the most need-to-know information?” she says. “Or are the readers more inquisitive and interested in soaking in all the information they can get?”

Make it skimmable.

HubSpot’s Kaitlin Milliken recalls a time when she wrote a memo that wasn’t skimmable.

“When I was asked to write my first memo, I created a document with huge walls of text,” she says. “My manager gave me great feedback, encouraging me to use charts and graphs throughout the document. That makes total sense to me now. No one wants to read a huge string of lengthy paragraphs, but they’ll definitely skim a table.”

To make your memo easier to read, use headings and separate paragraphs to break up new thoughts or talking points. You can also add tables and graphs to create a visual break when it makes sense.

Milliken adds, “Bullet points are your friend. They create breaking points throughout your document and keep information easy to digest.”

Be mindful of length.

The length of your memo depends on the type you’re writing. Generally speaking, a memo is one or two paragraphs long. But the length can vary if you’re writing an informative memo versus a request memo.

If your audience is interested in learning, an informative memo can provide more detail, while a request memo should be brief and to the point.

“If you’re unsure, go for a shorter 1-2 page document, but link it to another page or dashboard with further data, context, or information that they can dig into if they choose,” Bump suggests.

Now that you’ve learned what goes into a memo, here’s an easy-to-follow business memo template with examples of how to use them to serve different needs as guidance.

Business Memo Template

MEMORANDUM

TO:

FROM:

DATE:

SUBJECT:

I’m writing to inform you that [reason for writing memo].

As our company continues to grow … [evidence or reason to support your opening paragraph].

Please let me know if you have any questions. In the meantime, I’d appreciate your cooperation as [official business information] takes place.

Business Memo Template Format

The business memo template format is designed to effectively communicate your message. A memo should disseminate the necessary information in a way that is easy for a mass number of employees to digest.

An accurate subject line will alert them that this memo is relevant to them specifically. And beginning with an executive summary allows recipients to understand the general message before they dive deeper into the details.

The background information offers context to the message, and the overview and timeline should answer questions that are likely to come up.

Header

In your header, you‘ll want to clearly label your content “Memorandum” so your readers know exactly what they’re receiving. As previously mentioned, you‘ll want to include “TO”, “FROM”, “DATE”, and “SUBJECT.”

This information is relevant for providing content, like who you’re addressing and why.

Paragraph One

In the first paragraph, you‘ll want to quickly and clearly state the purpose of your memo. You might begin your sentence with the phrase, “I’m writing to inform you … “ or ”I’m writing to request … ”

A memo is meant to be short, clear, and to the point. You’ll want to deliver your most critical information upfront and then use subsequent paragraphs as opportunities to dive into more detail.

Paragraph Two

In the second paragraph, you‘ll want to provide context or supporting evidence. For instance, let’s say your memo informs the company of an internal reorganization.

If this is the case, paragraph two should say something like, “As our company continues to grow, we’ve decided it makes more sense to separate our video production team from our content team.

This way, those teams can focus more on their individual goals.”

Paragraph Three

In the third paragraph, you‘ll want to include your specific request of each employee — if you’re planning a team outing, this is the space you’d include, “Please RSVP with dietary restrictions,” or “Please email me with questions.”

On the contrary, if you‘re informing staff of upcoming construction to the building, you might say, “I’d appreciate your cooperation during this time.”

Even if you don’t expect any specific action from employees, it’s helpful to include how you hope they’ll handle the news and whether you expect them to do something in response to the memo.

Downloadable Memo Template

Want to see the above memo format in its final form? Download HubSpot’s free business memo templates, shown below.

The document gives you a framework that sorts your memorandum into subtopics to help employees better digest the information and understand what’s expected of them after reading it.

Download This Template

Memo Examples

Different industries or situations will require slightly different memos. Certain ones will need to be longer or shorter, others may not have a timeline, and some will have extensive background information.

The format of your memo should change to fit the message you want your employees to receive.

Launch Delay Memo

The objective of this memo is to announce that the launch of a product will be delayed. The introduction includes the new date, so a timeline or long overview isn’t necessary.

This format of this memo could be applied to other situations where a simple, but important, change is occurring.

What I Like: The launch memo provides readers with insight into product launch delays, which can alleviate some frustration that customers or employees may otherwise feel if they were not informed.

Other date changes, promotions, milestones, or product announcements could also utilize this format.

Building Update Memo

There are logistical aspects of a business that concern your employees but don’t necessarily involve their work. This memo depicts an example of a kitchen remodel in the office. It’s a bit of an inconvenience but not one of a large magnitude.

What I Like: This memo demonstrates a business’s understanding of the impact that renovations can have on employees and shows respect and consideration for their needs.

This memo format could be applied to other building updates, work-from-home days, or other widespread but minor announcements.

Community Memo

Celebrations, events, theme days, or other fun things for your employees can also be communicated through memos. Community memos like this example are generally shorter because they don’t require much background information or many details.

What I Like: This memo has clear directions on where to find the event taking place, something which would’ve been less effective if it only included the floor number.

Memos of this nature should include a summary, date, and location at a minimum.

Persuasion Memo

Persuasion memos are used to encourage readers to take action regarding an event or proposition, like voting or petitioning.

What We Like: This persuasion memo prioritizes giving the reader information to learn on their own and make a decision based on their findings.

The main components of the persuasion memo should include an overview of the task at hand, context to learn more about it, and a call to action that emphasizes the impact the reader can potentially make.

Write Your Memos To the Point

The main difference between a memo and just an email is not the level of complexity. It’s the size of the audience.

A memo can be simple or intricate as long as it effectively communicates your message and is relevant to the receiving group of employees. And, the message itself should be clear and concise, no matter which memo format you use.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

I used to roll my eyes at the word “community.” It sounded like just another marketing buzzword. But after becoming actively involved in building and maintaining online communities around brands, I realized the immense value hidden behind what I once dismissed as a mere fad.

For example, here at HubSpot, building a strong community has enabled us to connect with our target audience on a much deeper level and foster growth. And it’s not just us — 86% of social media marketers believe having an active community is critical to brands’ success on social media in 2024. And an impressive 60% say their companies are already building such communities.

In this complete guide to community management, I’ll tell you everything you need to know, and include practical steps to integrate it effectively into your brand’s marketing strategy.

Why Should Your Brand Care About Community Management?

So, what makes community management so special? Why should you even care? To answer these questions, we need to go back in time a bit.

Communication in the business world used to be largely one-directional. Brands would blast out broad and generic marketing messages to a mass audience and then hope for the best. There wasn’t much room for two-way conversations or feedback from the audience.

Meanwhile, for most customers, it was all about the price. Wherever it was cheaper, that’s where they would buy. They didn’t care much for a deep connection or engagement with a brand.

But we live in a whole different world now.

Today, people expect not just to passively consume content or messages from brands but to interact with this content — and, by extension, with the brands themselves. In fact, consumers are more inclined to support businesses that engage with them on a personal level.

As Viktoriia Khutorna, communications specialist at Promova, puts it:

“People are likely to go to a company that not only sells at a reasonable price but also communicates humanly, jokes, supports, or honestly admits mistakes and goes to fix them.”

Enter community management.

Community management addresses these changing expectations head-on by building a space where your brand can interact with your audience, become an integral part of their lives, and make them feel heard and valued. And trust me, that’s a powerful tool in today’s competitive business landscape — I’ve seen it firsthand.

Community management enables your business to:

• Get feedback and gather ideas from your customers and audience through real conversations.
• Provide timely support to fans, customers, and other stakeholders.
• Increase brand and product awareness within your target demographic.
• Gain deeper insights into your customers’ preferences, expectations, and needs in regard to your products, content, services, and support.
• Build both individual and group relationships between your brand and your audience.
• Increase customer engagement with your brand, fostering trust and loyalty.
• Boost conversions and sales.
• Deliver value that extends beyond a product or service, like a sense of belonging.

Community management comes in many forms. In the next section, we’ll review them so you can determine the most appropriate approach for your brand.

Types of Community Management

There are many ways to look at the different forms of community management, but the easiest one is through the SPACES model. This framework, proposed by CMX, organizes community management strategies based on their primary function and the focus of the community in question.

The acronym “SPACES” represents six distinct types of community management:

• Support
• Product
• Acquisition
• Contribution
• Engagement
• Success

Here’s a breakdown of what each type entails.

Support Community Management

How it works: Support communities empower members to help each other out by answering questions or solving problems. These communities can be organized as an online forum, discussion board, or community website where members ask questions and fellow members answer them.

You can also offer other support resources within these communities. For example, I like to share frequently asked question (FAQ) documents that members can use to get quick answers.

Benefits: Reduced customer support costs, lower workload for your customer service teams, quicker resolution of common issues, and a greater sense of community among members.

Best for: Brands with in-depth product lines, like software or electronics companies, where users can benefit from sharing tips, tricks, and troubleshooting advice.

Community management examples: HubSpot Developers, Microsoft Community, and Fitbit Community.

Image Source

Product Ideation, Innovation, and Feedback Community Management

How it works: In this type of community, you create a safe space for your target audience to share thoughts and feedback on how you can improve your product and services or innovate. In a nutshell, it invites members to participate directly in the product development process.

Benefits: Improved product-market fit, continuous product improvement based on user feedback, and higher user satisfaction. Involving users in the development process also cultivates a sense of ownership in the brand, which can boost loyalty.

Best for: Consumer-oriented software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies where user feedback is crucial for iterative product development.

Community management examples: LEGO Ideas and Spotify Ideas.

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Acquisition and Advocacy Community Management

How it works: Acquisition and advocacy communities take the form of networks of brand ambassadors or advocates who help build awareness and promote your products and services through word of mouth, affiliate programs, or even social media.

Benefits: Increased brand awareness, lower customer acquisition costs, and higher conversion rates.

Best for: Almost every type of company can benefit from acquisition and advocacy communities, but from my experience, this form of community management is particularly effective for startups and brands launching new products or entering new markets.

Community management examples: Apple’s Distinguished Educators, Nearpod PioNears, Sephora Squad, and Lululemon Global Ambassadors.

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Content and Contribution Community Management

How it works: These communities encourage users to contribute content and ideas or participate in collaborative projects. Contributions can range from guest blog posts to media submissions (like photos and videos) to involvement in open-source software projects to listings on your website.

Dedicated team members typically curate the user-generated content to ensure it’s appropriate, meets quality standards, and aligns with the community guidelines.

Benefits: Increased member engagement, a strong sense of ownership among contributors, and more valuable content for the entire community.

Best for: Media companies, creative industries, and open-source projects that thrive from user-generated content.

Community management examples: GoPro Forums and Photoshop’s Lightroom community.

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Engagement Community Management (External and Internal)

How they work: There are two types of engagement communities: external and internal. External engagement communities connect individuals who have a shared interest related to a company or brand. For instance, if I run a company that sells outdoor gear, I could create a community of hiking enthusiasts.

Conversely, internal engagement communities bring together a brand’s internal contributors, such as employees, partners, vendors, or suppliers. These communities can serve as a hub for sharing internal news or resources or promoting the company’s culture. A Slack channel made up of an international company’s remote workforce is a great example.

Benefits: External engagement provides people with a sense of belonging that can lead to a stronger connection with your brand. These communities can also organically increase brand awareness via word-of-mouth recommendations.

Internal engagement communities can help align staff members with the company’s goals and values, improve morale and retention, enhance collaboration, and strengthen partnerships with suppliers, vendors, distributors, and other business partners.

Best for: External engagement communities can benefit any type of business. But they’re especially great for lifestyle brands or companies with a strong brand identity that resonates with a particular lifestyle or set of values (e.g., fitness or beauty). Internal communities are beneficial for larger organizations with many departments or teams spread across different regions or countries.

Community management examples: Internal: HubSpot’s Slack community, which is a platform for employees to connect, share ideas, and ask questions. External: HubSpot’s community for inbound marketers, Nike’s Run Club, and Sephora’s Beauty Insider Community.

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Success Community Engagement Management

How it works: As the name suggests, success communities are aimed at helping users succeed with a particular product or service or achieve desired outcomes — such as by sharing best practices, user experiences, and success stories.

Benefits: Greater customer satisfaction, reduced churn rate, and valuable testimonials that can attract new members.

Best for: SaaS, business-to-business (B2B), and service-oriented businesses where product success is closely tied to continued product use.

Community management examples: Salesforce’s Trailblazer Community and WeightWatchers Community.

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How to Build a Community Management Strategy: A Step-By-Step Guide

We’ve looked at the main types of community management. Let me now walk you through my step-by-step process for crafting a community management strategy that gets results.

1. Define your objectives.

The first thing to do when building a community management strategy is to define your primary objectives. Ask yourself: “What is it I want to achieve by building and maintaining a community?”

For example, I’ve built and managed online communities focused on:

• Increasing brand awareness.
• Gathering product feedback for product development.
• Increasing engagement.
• Enhancing customer support.
• Building a network of brand advocates.
• Increasing traffic to a website.
• Increasing customer satisfaction and retention.
• Boosting sales and conversions.

Remember, these are just examples. Your objectives will be unique to your brand or project.

Regardless, defining them upfront helps you lay the groundwork for the entire strategy. Everything from the choice of platform to the type of content you create and share with your community will be geared toward achieving the objectives you’ve defined.

2. Identify your audience.

After defining your primary objectives, the next thing to do is identify and understand the audience.

That means gathering data on your current customers or target demographic, including:

• Demographics. Who are they (age, gender, profession, etc.)?
• Psychographics. What are their values, attitudes, and lifestyles?
• Behaviors. How do they interact with brands and content online? What social media platforms do they use?
• Needs and challenges. What are they seeking to gain from being part of a community? What challenges are they hoping to overcome?

To gather this intel, I use various tools and resources, including market research, social media analytics, and customer surveys.

Taking time to understand the target audience will help you:

• Choose the most effective channels for community building.
• Determine the most appropriate style and tone of communication.
• Tailor content and activities to their needs and interests.
• Predict and manage any potential challenges that might arise within the community.

3. Choose the right channels.

Next, choose the channels where the communities you’re hoping to build and nurture will live. That could include social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram, a forum on a brand’s website, Slack channels, or even offline meetups.

When choosing the best platform for your target community, consider these factors:

• Audience preferences. Ensure the platform(s) align with the way your current customers or target audience prefers to communicate. For example, I might choose to focus my efforts on TikTok if I have a young target audience, Instagram if I’m going for a broad audience, or LinkedIn if I’m targeting a B2B crowd.
• Objectives and type of interaction. Remember those objectives we talked about earlier? They play a big role here, too, as do the type of interaction you desire from your audience. ​​For example, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are fantastic for real-time engagement and boosting brand awareness.
• Control. Another critical consideration is control over the user experience and data management. Hosting a community on your own website, for example, offers more control than using a third-party social media platform.
• Platform tools and features. Consider the community management tools and resources each option offers. For example, if you’re hoping to engage your audience via quizzes, polls, or live chats, focus on platforms that have these features.

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For in-depth discussions, user-generated content, and gathering valuable feedback, dedicated forums on your brand website are the way to go.

4. Set your targets.

With the primary objectives set, the audience understood, and the platform(s) chosen, the next step is to set targets. These targets will naturally flow from your primary objectives.

For example:

• If the primary goal is to increase engagement, a sample target could be to increase the average comments per social media post by 15% in the next three months.
• If the goal is to gather feedback in order to improve a product, a potential target could be to collect and respond to at least 100 customer feedback submissions each month.

Needless to say, it’s crucial to set realistic targets. Here are my top tips for setting achievable goals:

Consider industry benchmarks.

This entails looking at similar communities from other brands in your industry and their average past performance. That gives a solid baseline to set your own targets on.

For example, if historical data indicates that similar communities typically see a 10% month-over-month increase in forum participation, you could set a comparable target for your community.

Run your own experiment.

A great alternative to using industry data is to run your own experiments and then use your findings to inform your targets.

Say my primary objective is to increase customer engagement. I could track relevant engagement metrics (brand mentions, likes, shares, and comments) for a set period (like 4- 8 weeks). At the end of this period, I would average out engagement rates to set a baseline. I would then use this baseline to establish an achievable goal for the next period and then update my targets as time passes and I collect more data.

In the course of this experiment, I would also do A/B tests to see what approach resonates most with my followers. In other words, what drives the most engagement? For example, do they comment more on funny memes or insightful industry articles? These findings can then guide future decisions.

Start small.

Building a thriving community takes time and consistent effort. Setting unrealistic goals could lead to discouragement and hinder progress. That’s why I always start with small goals and gradually escalate them as my community grows.

For example, instead of aiming to double the number of user-generated content submissions (photos, videos, and reviews) on your platform in the first month, you could target a 15% increase each month for the first three months.

Align targets with your company resources.

When setting targets, make sure they’re aligned with your resources, including time, budget, and staff. It’s great to aim high, but at the same time, it’s important to remain realistic about what’s achievable with your current resources.

For example, if you’re a solopreneur managing a community on a limited budget, you could set a target of responding to each comment within 48 hours rather than a more ambitious target of 12 hours.

5. Post regularly and engage with your audience.

Consistent posting and active engagement are crucial to keeping your community vibrant and sustaining interest among members.

To help with this, you can develop a content calendar to ensure a steady stream of new content for your audience to engage and interact with.

Depending on your goals and the type of community, content could include:

• Blog posts or articles. Establish yourself as a thought leader or authority in your field.
• Polls and quizzes. Gather valuable insights.
• Discussion prompts. Spark conversation.
• Contests and giveaways. Encourage member participation.

In addition to keeping your community lively, regular posting helps maintain visibility in your members’ feeds, keeping your brand on top of their minds.

That said, life happens, and you can‘t be online every minute. Don’t let that silence your community. Tools like HubSpot’s Marketing Hub let you schedule posts in advance, ensuring there‘s always something for your audience to engage with, even if you’re unavailable.

Besides posting, remember to interact with your people.

Show them that they aren’t just numbers and that they’re valued by:

• “Liking” their comments.
• Upvoting their forum posts where appropriate.
• Responding to their questions or concerns.

If you’re primarily managing your community on social media, consider following back your biggest brand advocates — if you deem it appropriate — or interacting with the content your audience shares (even if it’s not directly related to your company). It’s a small gesture that shows you support their interests and builds stronger relationships.

By actively engaging with your community, you not only make them feel valued but also create more opportunities to glean valuable insights into their needs, preferences, and challenges.

6. Measure your results.

Finally, it’s time to measure the results. This lets you know whether what you’re doing is working or whether you need to change tactics.

But before we jump in, here’s some advice from my own experience: Don‘t get hung up too much on quantitative data. Numbers can’t always capture the magic of a thriving community. Additionally, building a vibrant community takes time, so be patient and focus on the long game.

Now, let‘s talk about how to measure those results. It’s easier than you might think. Here are my go-to methods:

Social Listening

Social listening means monitoring your social media accounts and other digital platforms to understand what people are saying about your brand and/or its products and services. It involves keeping track of any mentions, keywords, or discussions related to your brand (or those of your competitors). Social listening lets you know whether your community management efforts are paying off. If more people are talking positively about your brand, then you know you’re doing something right.

Platform Analytics

Many community management platforms have built-in tools you can use to measure progress and success. For example, I use tools like X Analytics, Instagram Insights, and Facebook Analytics to get direct insights into the engagement and reach of my posts and interactions on these platforms.

Analytics Tools

If your platform of choice doesn‘t include an analytics tool, or if you’re looking for deeper analysis, consider a third-party tool or platform. HubSpot’s Social Media Management tools, Google Analytics, Databox, and Sprout Social are some of the options I use. They provide valuable data that helps me refine my strategy and maximize my community’s impact.

Community Managers: Who They Are and Why You Need Them

According to Joe Kevens, founder of B2B SaaS Reviews, “A community needs to be actively managed to create and sustain the ongoing engagement community members seek.”

He adds: “Without sufficient community management, you run the risk of your community discussions going stale and your user engagement dropping — or losing them from your community altogether.”

This is where a community manager — the person responsible for overseeing your community management efforts across various platforms — comes in.

If your business has the resources, consider hiring a community manager. Depending on the community you build, you might need more than one, each focusing on a different area. HubSpot’s research shows that 60% of brands have a dedicated community manager.

What is the Role of a Community Manager?

James Watts, community expert and founder of teach.io, says that the role of a community manager is “to be the brand’s voice, ears and heart within the community. They’re there to welcome and help people, start discussions and address any concerns.”

Here’s a look at the many hats a community manager wears:

• Develops and implements strategies for building, growing, and nurturing a community.
• Creates engaging content that resonates with the community.
• Responds to comments and questions and actively encourages member participation.
• Acts as a liaison between the community and the brand.
• Maintains the voice of your brand in all interactions.
• Organizes relevant online events like webinars or contests to keep communities excited and boost engagement.
• Tracks and analyzes metrics to measure success.
• Enforces community guidelines, ensuring respectful interactions and removing inappropriate content.
• Stays current on trends to identify new opportunities for content creation or engagement.

What are the Traits of a Community Manager?

Ready to bring a community manager on board? Here are the key qualities I recommend looking for to ensure you hire the best possible candidate:

• Authenticity and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills, i.e., ability to articulate ideas clearly or respond to questions and comments appropriately.
• Empathy toward the needs and feelings of community members.
• Strong time management and organization skills to ensure all aspects of community management run smoothly.
• Flexibility and adaptability to new trends or new audience expectations.
• Creativity and problem-solving ability.
• Patience and resilience (as building a successful community takes time).
• Familiarity with the technical specifications and functionalities of different community engagement platforms.
• Ability to interpret data and metrics to track progress or measure success.
• Passion for the brand and industry to foster more authentic interactions.

Where to Find a Community Manager

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The good news is there are multiple places to find great community manager candidates. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Community Club. This nonprofit offers an excellent resource for connecting with experienced community managers.
• CMX Hub. This website includes a job board where you can post and search for community management positions. It’s especially valuable for finding candidates who are specifically looking to grow in these roles.
• LinkedIn. LinkedIn allows you to explore profiles of potential community managers, their experiences, and endorsements. You can also post your own job openings and join numerous groups dedicated to community management where professionals discuss industry trends, share advice, and exchange job opportunities.
• Facebook Groups. Facebook is home to community management groups, some of which are location-based while others are industry-specific. These groups are excellent for posting job openings, asking for recommendations, and connecting directly with potential hires.
• Upwork. Upwork is great if you are looking to hire a community manager on a contract or freelance basis. You can create a job post that outlines the project you’re hiring for and the qualifications you need.

Community management, on the other hand, involves building and nurturing a brand’s community across multiple channels and mediums — both offline and online.

Social media community engagement is one of the easiest forms of community management to implement because all you need to do is:

• Sign up on your social media platform of choice.
• Gain followers (some of which will naturally be your current and potential customers).
• Interact and engage with them.

According to HubSpot’s research, Facebook is the most effective platform for building an active community, with 48% of social media marketers who build social communities putting it in their top three. Also popular are YouTube (46%), Instagram (40%), TikTok (28%), and X (20%).

Why is Social Media Community Management Important?

Building a community on social media can provide numerous benefits for your brand. Let’s look at a few.

1. It increases brand visibility and awareness.

One of the biggest benefits of building social media communities that I’ve seen is that it increases brand awareness. In fact, social media is one of the top ways that people discover new products in the modern day. HubSpot’s research found that 41% of Gen Zers and 34% of millennials said that social media is among their top three preferred channels for discovering new products. And a third of consumers have discovered a new product using social media in the past three months.

With over 5 billion people using social media, the potential reach is staggering. Actively managing and nurturing a community on social media allows you to tap into this huge audience and make your brand known among them.

2. It humanizes your brand.

Social media is the chance to ditch corporate formalities and showcase the human side of your business. Engaging in real conversations, replying to messages and comments, and being authentic helps build a stronger personal connection with your audience. They feel like they’re interacting with real people rather than a faceless entity.

3. It cultivates brand loyalty and advocacy.

Consistently delivering valuable content, actively listening to feedback, and showing that you care about their needs will help you cultivate a tribe of loyal customers. And here’s the best part: Loyal followers are one of your biggest assets. They’ll recommend your products or services to others, driving sales and boosting your brand’s reputation organically.

4. It unlocks customer insights.

Social media is a goldmine of useful data and information. I like to think of it as getting a front-row seat to your audience’s preferences, pain points, and feedback. These insights can help you refine your products and services, tailor your marketing strategies, and provide solutions that truly resonate with your audience or cater to their needs.

5. It drives traffic and conversions.

Social media community management is a powerful tool for conversions. Organic interactions with followers create natural opportunities to direct them to your website, blog, or landing pages. For example, by strategically inserting relevant links within comments or posts, I create a seamless transition for my audience to explore my offerings and take the next step in their customer journey.

Community Management Versus Social Media Community Management: Why You Need Both

So, do you need community management if you already have an active and engaged community on social media? I’ve often encountered this question, and my answer is always a resounding yes.

You need both because:

• They offer complementary strengths: Social media platforms are excellent for broad reach and initial engagement but often lack the depth needed for stronger, long-term relationships. Personally, I’ve found that they offer a perfect springboard directing users to more focused communities, like forums on websites, which are ideal for deeper interactions. Conversely, insights gained from these dedicated communities can inform your social media strategy, ensuring content is resonant and targeted.
• Audiences have different preferences: Different segments of your brand audience might prefer different modes of engagement. For example, some might be active on social media, while others might prefer other niche platforms, like dedicated forums. So, using social media alone might cause you to miss out on meaningful engagements and connections with a significant portion of your audience. By implementing both strategies, you make sure no segment of your audience is overlooked and that your brand maximizes its engagement potential across all platforms.

Best Practices for Community Management

Effective community management can transform your followers into loyal customers and potential brand advocates. Here are some useful tips for managing your community effectively on social media platforms.

1. Establish clear guidelines.

Whenever I’m managing a community, one of the first things I do is set firm rules and guidelines for all members and contributors. These guidelines typically cover everything from the type of content allowed to the tone of comments and the handling of disagreements.

Clear guidelines help maintain a safe and respectful environment where each member feels comfortable interacting or engaging.

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2. Encourage members to interact.

A community thrives on interaction beyond just you and your audience. As Hellen Katherine, senior marketing and PR manager at MG Empower, explains:

“Community isn’t solely formed through brand-to-consumer interactions. The interactions among consumers themselves are truly significant elements of a strategy, with the brand serving as the platform or facilitator for these engagements.”

In any brand community I’m managing, I’m always trying to encourage member-to-member interactions. For example, I often highlight any standout posts or comments from members and then encourage others to respond to them.

3. Recognize and reward participation.

An important part of managing a successful community is showing appreciation for your members. It shows you value their time and commitment to your brand.

There are many ways to recognize and reward participation. For instance, try to welcome each member to a community personally. You can thank them for joining and ask what you can do to make their experience a great one.

You also can keep track of the most active members and then acknowledge their contributions via special mentions or gifts from time to time.

4. Personalize your interactions.

Move beyond generic responses — let your brand’s personality shine through your interactions. I like to use a conversational tone in posts and replies to show the audience that there are real people behind the brand. I also address people by their names and try to personalize every interaction.

There are many other ways to humanize your brand. For example, you can share behind-the-scenes content to give members a peek into the brand’s operations and its staff or share personal stories that resonate with community members.

5. Be transparent and authentic.

Try to be as honest and authentic as possible in your interactions with community members. Address any negative comments, feedback, or challenges openly and acknowledge mistakes when they happen. Being authentic builds trust and can help foster stronger connections with your audience.

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6. Use technology to your advantage.

Many community management platforms, including social media, offer features to streamline your workflow and enhance engagement. Whether it’s polls or live chats, take full advantage of them to deliver value to your community and maximize engagement.

7. Respond promptly.

Timeliness is critical in community management. Therefore, another important thing I do within communities I’m overseeing or managing is to make sure to address comments, concerns, and questions from audience members as quickly as possible. This shows members I’m attentive to their needs.

According to Jan Crewe, a social media community manager at ICUC, responding to incoming comments fast is key for building relationships with your audience. She says that “this increases the chance of subsequent responses, extending the interaction.” It also allows you to address any pressing issues before they snowball.

8. Celebrate milestones with your community.

Celebrate any milestones or achievements, both yours and those of your community members. Whether it’s attaining a certain number of followers or members, the anniversary of the community’s founding, or individual achievements of community members, sharing such moments can strengthen the sense of community and deepen the connection your audience feels to your brand.

9. Maintain your brand voice at all times.

It’s important to maintain your brand voice when managing a community. Your brand voice is what makes your business unique and ensures it’s identifiable to your members and audience. If your brand is known for being easy-going, this personality should be reflected in all your interactions and content.

10. Embrace continuous learning.

Community management is constantly evolving. Stay open to learning new ideas and best practices and incorporating them into your strategy.

I try to stay updated on industry trends, changes in social media algorithms, and evolving audience preferences. This proactive approach allows me to adapt my strategies as needed and consequently keep my communities engaged and relevant.

Community Management Examples

1. Gymshark

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Gymshark is a UK fitness apparel retailer that has witnessed tremendous growth in the last decade. A big part of this growth has to do with its impressive community management strategy.

Here’s a breakdown of how the company has managed to cultivate and nurture a thriving community of fitness enthusiasts:

• Social media engagement. Gymshark uses various social media platforms, including Instagram, X, and YouTube, to engage with its community. It maintains a consistent brand voice and tone across all channels, which helps community members feel connected regardless of where they interact with it.
• Influencer collaboration. The brand often partners with fitness influencers who embody its values. These influencers actively promote the brand by participating in both online and offline campaigns, attending brand events, or just wearing its apparel during workouts. That increases brand awareness and boosts its credibility.
• Fitness challenges and competitions. Gymshark often hosts challenges for its community. An example is “Gymshark66,” a 66-day challenge that encourages followers to pursue, achieve, and share fitness goals. Such challenges increase engagement and strengthen the connection that community members feel toward the brand.
• Global pop-up events. The company regularly holds global meetups and pop-up events that allow community members to engage directly with the brand, each other, and some of their favorite influencers; try out its products; or participate in live workouts.
• Responsive community management team. The brand’s community management team is known for its prompt responses to customer inquiries or comments on social media. That builds trust.
• User-generated content. The brand encourages user-generated content through special hashtags or contests. It then showcases these submissions on its social media channels or website, crediting the creators. That creates a sense of ownership and belonging among community members.

Via these strategies, Gymshark has cultivated a very loyal and engaged community, helping drive success.

2. LEGO

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LEGO, the construction toy production company, is another example of a brand that exemplifies great community management.

Here are some key elements of LEGO’s community management strategy:

• LEGO Ideas platform: LEGO’s most notable community management initiative is the LEGO Ideas platform. Here, fans can submit their own set designs, which the community votes on. Winning designs could be made into official LEGO sets, giving fans a direct role in product development. This fosters a sense of ownership and deepens connection with the brand.
• LEGO events: Lego regularly hosts live events and workshops in its stores, where members can interact with other members, participate in cool building challenges, and generally celebrate their love for LEGO together. Again, this helps deepen members’ connection with the brand.
• LEGO ambassador network: This community network connects adult fans of LEGO (AFOLs) with one another and directly with LEGO through ambassadors who represent local fan communities. Through the network, ambassadors gather insights, share news, and relay community sentiment back to the brand, which it then uses to shape community activities and even business strategies.
• Social media: LEGO also has a strong presence on social media channels, such as Instagram, TikTok, and X, where it interacts and engages with fans through initiatives like interactive polls, themed challenges, and user-generated content showcases.

Through these programs and strategies, LEGO actively maintains and nurtures a vibrant, engaged community that supports the brand’s continued growth and evolution.

Start Building Your Community Today

The power of community management is undeniable. It humanizes your brand, increases brand awareness, provides valuable customer insights, and enhances trust in and loyalty to your brand — all of which are vital ingredients for long-term success.

In this day and age, I think it’s an element that every brand must incorporate into their overall business strategy. So, don’t wait any longer. Use the knowledge, tools, and strategies explored here to craft a winning community management plan.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2023 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Videos are integral to any marketing campaign; however, they can be tedious and difficult to create if you aren’t savvy with editing or are short on time.

Fortunately, you can leverage many AI video generators to streamline your video production and create content that engages your audience. But what’s the best AI video generator for your task at hand?

This article will explore 14 different AI video generators, their features, and how you can best use them in your next video marketing campaign. Time to press play on easier video creation.

Table of Contents

• Can AI make videos?
• Transforming Text to Video With AI
• What makes a great AI video generator?
• Best AI Video Generators

Can AI make videos?

Yes, AI can make videos.

AI video generators can instantly produce basic presentation slides with text, B-roll, and background music, all the way up to advanced videos of lifelike humans “speaking” to you (also known as AI avatars).

AI’s impressive — but it’s not perfect.

What works well with AI video generators:

• Video scripts. Being able to generate video scripts in a few seconds is incredible and saves so much time.
• Stock imagery, B-roll, and background music. Even though it still requires editing, having multimedia pulled automatically for you by the video generator makes it feel like you have an assistant.
• Video editing. The video editing capabilities are incredible and often beginner-friendly, which is a huge leap in the video editing world.

What isn’t working (yet):

• Believability. The realistic AI avatars are incredibly advanced, but most are still identifiable as non-human models. The eyes, mannerisms, and articulation give them away.
• Pacing. There’s been a lot of research done on how quickly a video has to move from scene to scene to hold viewers’ attention, and I found that not all generators factored this into their algorithm.
• Decision overload. The number of video templates, AI avatars, and effects at your fingertips can make the editing process feel overwhelming.

AI is rapidly advancing, and some of these quirks will soon be passé.

Transforming Text to Video With AI

When ChatGPT catapulted to popularity in 2022, I don’t think the average person had any idea just how quickly AI video would follow. It needs to be used ethically to be useful to society, but when leveraged correctly, it’s an incredible tool.

The most sought-after AI video feature is the text-to-video generator. This allows you to type in a sentence and, in a few seconds, be presented with an editable AI-generated video.

I tested this feature using two different prompts:

• A vague prompt: “I’d like to educate viewers about AI-generated video.”
• A specific prompt: “I’d like to inspire beginner marketers to try their hand at AI video generation. The video should explain the benefits of AI video generators and should inspire viewers to try this new video tool.”

As my pinky finger gently tapped the “enter” button on my keyboard, it felt more like a magic wand than a measly appendage. I used HubSpot’s free AI video generator Clip Creator, and here’s what I saw.

They were both high-quality videos. Both videos had appropriate stock images, music, and were tailored for human behavior. The content was very similar for both videos.

After testing many AI generators, I’ve found that a marketer’s time is better spent editing rather than making their prompt more specific. No matter how perfect your prompt feels, the end result will still require edits.

What makes a great AI video generator?

So, how does one evaluate all of the different software on the market? The best AI video tools all have a mix of these different features.

Intuitive User Interface

While most platforms go on and on about their list of fancy AI features, what users need first and foremost is an easy-to-use AI studio. This enables a quick editing process.

AI Scripts

Automatically-generated video scripts save an incredible amount of time when producing video content.

They turn written content (such as a blog post, email, etc.) or a prompt into spoken language. Sometimes, they even use an AI narrator to read it out loud for you.

Not all software can generate video scripts, but it’s an enormous time saver. To be fair to the software that doesn’t offer this: It’s replaceable with a few clicks in ChatGPT.

After trying more than a dozen AI video generators, I found the AI scripts were one of the features that made the greatest difference, along with the next feature.

Factoring in Human Behavior

Some software have tailored their AI to match human behavior, and some haven’t.

For example, humans prefer videos with a brisk pace and visuals that don’t stay on the screen too long. In the video world, this is referred to as “pacing.”

Not all software is tailored for this, and as a result, will produce slow, lengthy slides that feel like a bad PowerPoint presentation.

This isn’t a detail that software companies list on their “features” page, but it’s something that’s apparent based on the first draft of the video that the software gives you.

Template Library

Start from scratch? What is it, 2018?

There’s no need to start from scratch with video anymore, as most platforms have built-in template libraries. Bonus points if these libraries include variation in:

• Intended audience.
• Aspect ratio.
• Project type.

Editing Capabilities

It’s normal for different software to offer different editing options, but most AI studios will cover the basics, such as:

• Text.
• Fonts.
• Music.
• Colors.
• Timing.
• Transitions.
• Animations.
• Stock footage.
• Different video styles.

More advanced software will also include avatars, where you can edit an avatar’s:

• Face/body.
• Clothes.
• Accent.
• Tone.

Pricing Tiers (or Free Plan)

The cost of an AI video generator ranges from $0 to $50 a month (paid annually).

All of the paid software include a discount when purchasing an annual package, and the cost of month-to-month service is always higher.

I know you’re on a budget — all of the suggested AI tools below are either free or include a free trial/demo.

Multilingual

Look for software that supports multiple languages if your business requires it.

Best AI Video Generators

AI video generators have come extremely far in a short time. You can now make professional videos with the numerous text-to-video generation tools on the market.

I’ve tried all of the most popular AI video generators so that you don’t have to. Here’s what I found.

1. Clip Creator

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Clip Creator is the best AI video generator for beginners. It can be used by someone with no video experience and walks you through the video creation process painlessly.

You start by answering a few basic questions (like video type and video tone), then provide a brief overview of the video you’d like to create.

You can choose from video templates, which are oriented for both landscape videos and vertical videos.

Then, Clip Creator uses AI to generate the text on your slides, plus the background imagery. You’re instantly given a video with editable text, stock images, background music, etc.

The video creation workflow is very intuitive (think: the ease of Canva, not the struggle of Adobe Premiere Pro).

My experience: I love how streamlined this software is. Instead of bombarding you with endless features, options, and pop-ups, Clip Creator starts simple and allows you to make any edits you need after it generates the video.

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Pros: Incredibly intuitive user interface, great customization options, and makes for a very fast video creation process.

Cons: Smaller template library than paid AI video generators, and no advanced features like realistic AI avatars.

Best for: Video creation beginners and marketers on a budget. Most user-friendly interface and best free AI video generator.

2. Pictory

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Pictory is an excellent AI video generator for creators and marketers who don’t have experience creating videos. All you have to do is provide a script or article to guide your video content.

For example, you can submit a blog post, and Pictory will create a video based on the post that can be used for social media or your website. Furthermore, you can edit videos in minutes by using text.

Pictory also includes a feature that creates shareable video highlight reels that can be used as a trailer or a short-form video for social media such as a Reel.

Even better, Pictory can automatically caption and summarize your videos.

My experience: I provided the same prompt for Pictory as I did for the Clip Creator video, and it initially generated much less content (only 1 slide).

I went back and instead provided a URL of a blog post and tested the blog-to-video generator. This feature automatically creates video scripts based on a blog post, and using their realistic AI voices, I could have it automatically narrated too.

The writing on every slide needed to be edited significantly to be useful, but I was impressed with the options. Pictory supports multiple languages (currently English, Spanish, French, and German) and has a huge library of AI voices.

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Prices for Pictory start at $19 per month, and users can try a 2-week free trial.

Pros: Users have a lot of options for how to begin their AI-generated videos, and they can thoroughly customize the video output.

Cons: The first draft of the automatically-generated videos needs heavy editing. It may be faster to let ChatGPT write a script for you and use that.

Best for: Marketers and creators with limited video editing experience who want to convert content like blog posts or webinars into shareable video content.

3. Simplified

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The Simplified AI video generator transforms a long-form video into multiple AI-enhanced clips with just one click. This allows users to create videos from text and make an entirely new video using its accessible editing interface.

Simplified simplifies the way we produce content by providing users with easy access to an expansive in-app library that hosts thousands of templates, all available for free.

I like that it not only does it guarantee exceptional video quality, but it also pairs this with an intuitive, user-friendly interface, ensuring that users can craft high-quality videos without sacrificing ease of use.

Its comprehensive suite of features goes beyond basic editing options to include animation enhancements and multilingual translation capabilities, making it a versatile all-in-one tool for video creation. Users can save their brand settings in

Simplified’s “brand book” which I think is a great time-saving feature.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting, this platform equips you with everything you need to bring your vision to life. Brands like Bloomberg, DuckDuckGo, and Cashify use Simplified for their marketing needs.

My experience: I prompted Simplified the same way I prompted the other video generators, and I was immediately asked to describe my target audience in addition to providing my video topic.

This was a nice step to get more personalized videos but required more user-generated input than Clip Creator, which had a multiple-choice intake process.

If you stick to the free plan, it’s time-consuming to sift through all of the features to see what’s actually free to use.

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Prices for Simplified include a forever free plan, paid plans start from $15.20 a month, billed annually.

Pros: If you pay for this software, you have many creation options at your fingertips that not all other platforms offer (AI meme creation, AI image generation, AI carousel maker, etc.).

Cons: Not the best free AI video generator; other platforms are more generous with their features. You’re not able to test the text-to-video generator without joining a paid plan, as you’re about to do with other features.

Best for: Creators who want to create, edit, and schedule videos for all social media platforms.

4. Synthesia

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Synthesia is an AI video creation platform that can generate videos in more than 120 languages, accents, and voice tones.

Users can create custom AI avatars to represent their brand in videos or choose from more than 150 diverse stock AI avatars.

Other interesting features include text-to-speech, which allows users to type in their texts to be converted into professional voiceovers.

Users can also clone their own voice and pair it with their avatar. Brands like Nike and Google leverage Synthesia in their videos.

My experience: I tried the free video demo of Synthesia. Rather than using AI to write video scripts based on a prompt, you enter a script, and then an AI avatar reads it for you.

While it does generate very realistic AI avatars, they do have the mannerisms of video game characters and tech-savvy viewers would be able to spot that this is AI-generated.

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Prices for Synthesia start at $22/month, and you can create a free AI video using their demo generator.

Pros: The realistic AI avatars allow you to choose the “model” and tone of your video.

Cons: The free version is more limited than the other AI video tools, and viewers will likely detect the unnaturalness of the AI avatars.

Best for: Brands looking to create videos that feature a host or stand-in for on-air talent.

5. HeyGen

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HeyGen provides a variety of helpful tools and features for users to generate videos in minutes. Users can choose from 300+ voices available in 40+ languages.

They can also create a custom avatar that uses their own voice via uploaded recordings. Users can also personalize their avatar by using its face swap feature.

My experience: HeyGen offers many competitive features, such as voice cloning, realistic AI avatars, and even basic avatar animation.

The avatar voices have variety in their tone and intonation, which creates a very realistic experience for the listeners.

HeyGen auto-populates your video clips with background music, stock photos, and more, providing a really quick process for making professional videos.

I was surprised by how easy it was to generate videos and found it to have one of the smoothest interfaces.

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HeyGen is free to use for one minute daily. For longer use, prices start at $48 per month, when paid annually.

Pros: HeyGen provides easy-to-follow video tutorials to explain its features further and answer common questions. The user interface isn’t overwhelming and guides you through creating videos.

Cons: The lowest pricing tier is more expensive than many other AI video tools.

Best for: Quickly produce professional videos with this fast and user-friendly AI video generation platform.

6. Movavi Video Editor

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Rather than generating AI videos from scratch, the Movavi Video Editor uses AI to make video editing easier. Video editing can be a time-consuming chore, and for many, it’s the less enjoyable side of content creation.

However, with Movavi Video Editor’s nonlinear AI technique, you’re not just replicating traditional tool functions but also enhancing your videos through advanced AI video editing.

With AI background removal, you can cut out and replace backgrounds, adding a new dimension to your visuals.

Plus, the AI noise removal feature enhances audio quality by automatically eliminating unwanted sounds, ensuring your videos are of the highest standard.

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The app also offers a host of advanced options like PiP, chroma-key, titles, keyframing, motion tracking, and more. Following the free 7-day trial, paid plans start at $49.95 per year.

Pros: The presence of built-in training rapidly familiarizes you with the software, and it has features that many other AI video editors don’t.

Cons: This AI video editor brings high-level tools (like color correction) to marketers’ fingertips, but total video newbies may be overwhelmed with some of the more advanced features.

Best for: Creators and marketers who already have video footage and want help editing videos to be more engaging (or who just need to speed up the editing process).

7. Deepbrain AI

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With Deepbrain AI, users can create videos by uploading their script and using the text-to-speech feature. The platform will then generate a video in five minutes or less. You can manually type in the script or copy and paste it into the platform.

From there, you just need to select the appropriate language and AI model and finish editing. Deepbrain allows users to select a custom-made avatar that suits their brand.

My experience: New users are allowed to input a 300-character script, and using the Deepbrain AI text-to-video generator, an AI avatar will read your script.

I found the Deepbrain AI models to be less convincing than others; the mouths sometimes moved between sentences, and I think all viewers could identify these as non-human.

However, since the advent of TikTok’s text-to-speech narration feature, the public has become more accustomed to artificial narration, and there are many situations where this type of AI would work well.

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Prices for Deepbrain start at $30 per month.

Pros: The platform’s intuitive features make it excellent for beginners with limited or no video creation experience.

Cons: The Deepbrain AI avatars are identifiable as being non-human.

Best for: Marketing videos that need text-to-speech narration and have visuals for B-roll.

8. Synthesys

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A popular choice for brands looking to create videos for commercial use, Synthesys is an AI video generator that aims to enhance your content.

The platform uses its Synthesys text-to-video technology to turn scripts into engaging media.

With Synthesys, you can create video content without a camera or crew. Just choose an avatar and type in your script in one of 140+ available languages.

From there, the generator will create a high-quality video to be shared across multiple platforms.

My experience: I like that Synthesys allows you to try their video editor for free without signing up, which is a really user-friendly approach that allows you to test the product easily to see if it meets your needs.

You’re immediately offered a range of video templates, and can easily customize the text, narration, colors, and AI avatar. With the free plan, you can download AI-generated videos, images, and voiceovers.

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After the free plan, prices for Synthesys start at $20 per month when paid annually.

Pros: The AI avatar options with this software are really diverse, allowing you to choose standing avatars, seated avatars, and even create a custom avatar to help distinguish your videos.

Cons: This AI video maker requires you to input your own text and doesn’t include language generation that some other platforms have.

Best for: Explainer videos, eLearning, product descriptions, and social media content, particularly across multilingual channels. Videos can be translated using AI.

9. InVideo

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You don’t need a background in video editing or creation to use InVideo. Like many AI video generators on this list, InVideo creates video from input text.

Moreover, the platform has various professionally designed and animated templates that users can choose from.

To create your video, input your text, select or customize a template, and download the finished video. From there, you can share it directly to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

My experience: I entered a short prompt, and it generated a video title. Then, InVideo asked me to select the audience, look and feel, and platform.

From there, the AI-generated a script, planned video scenes, generated video scenes, and created an outline for the video.

The AI-generated script was informative, thorough, and well-paced. It was narrated by a lifelike AI narrator and automatically paired with background music as well as background stock imagery and dynamic visuals.

In addition to being able to manually edit the video, I could also give commands, and AI editing would make my changes.

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InVideo is free to use and has plans starting at $20 per month (when paid annually) if you’re a small business or creator looking to create watermark-free content.

Pros: The fastest AI video generator for creating and editing professional videos that check all the boxes (visuals, script, narration, and music).

Cons: The video editor has fewer controls than other platforms, as they’d rather you give commands and let the AI video editor handle the edits. You still have an incredible amount of control over the video generation and editing.

Best for: Quickly creating and sharing social media videos and making minimal manual edits.

10. Veed.io

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With Veed.io, you can use custom text, colors, font, and music to create a unique video for your brand. One of its standout features is Auto Transcribe.

You can upload your video, hit the Auto Transcribe button, and immediately download the script. Even better, there is no software to download, and the platform is easy to use for those without video editing experience.

My experience: I entered my “Pinterest marketing for beginners” prompt, and Veed.io quickly generated a short vertical video.

The AI video generator automatically provided the script, AI narration, background music, stock videos, and close captioning.

The on-screen captions were really engaging, using color-changing text and emojis — perfect for social media.

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Veed.io is free to use for videos under 10 minutes. To access more features, prices start at $18 per month (when billed annually) and go all the way up to enterprise custom pricing.

Pros: The pacing, on-screen captions, slang, and tone were very engaging.

Cons: The stock video that was automatically inserted into the video was off-topic at times but can be easily edited.

Best for: Short-form videos designed to hold attention on social media.

11. Elai.io

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Elai is simple and requires no video editing skills. To use Elai, copy and paste a blog post URL or HTML text, choose a template from its library, and let the generator do the rest.

This AI video maker is specialized in corporate learning. Once the video is complete, review it to make any changes before rendering and downloading it.

My experience: I found that the format that Elai uses is unique. Even though the AI avatar doesn’t pass as a real human, the small display size of the avatar makes it feel less distracting.

The avatar compliments these videos instead of dominating them. I also really like the audio options: you can upload an audio file of you speaking, and Elai will generate a realistic AI avatar to narrate the text.

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Elai has over 60 languages and 25 avatars to choose from. You can use Elai for free with a 1-minute credit. For more features, Elai’s plans start at $23 per month (billed annually).

Pros: As a specialized AI video generator, this tool allows you to quickly create training videos for new hires or product onboarding videos.

Cons: Being a platform specialized for educational videos, it would be more time-consuming to create general marketing videos.

Best for: Generating videos at scale and creating training videos and product videos.

12. Colossyan

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Colossyan provides a diverse range of avatars who can recite your script in a variety of accents and languages.

You can also customize your avatar’s outfit. Colossyan’s key features are auto translations, subtitles, and the ability to enhance messages via screen recording.

My experience: The AI avatar options from Colossyan are advanced. You can add multiple AI avatars to a single video screen in the video creation workflow, starting a “conversation.” You can even customize the pauses between speakers.

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There’s a free trial, and the prices start at $19 per month (when billed annually).

Pros: The advanced avatar options make this a highly customizable AI video generator.

Cons: The sound of the AI narrators isn’t the most natural-sounding.

Best for: Creating training videos and explainers for workplace learning.

13. FlexClip

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This AI video generator features hundreds of video templates, AI-generated subtitles, background remover, and a text-to-speech engine. And its intuitive interface makes it simple for creators at any skill level.

My experience: I created my video by inputting a URL and letting FlexClip automatically pull content from my website.

The AI generator took an enormous amount of work out of the video creation process, but still required editing. The pacing of the video was slower than other AI tools, but I was able to easily customize all elements of the video.

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After the free plan, pricing starts at $9.99 per month (when billed annually, which saves 50%).

Pros: The price point of the basic plan makes this a very budget-friendly AI video generator, and this is a great straightforward AI video generator for beginners who don’t want to feel overwhelmed.

Cons: The AI-generated first draft requires more editing than some of the other platforms.

Best for: Creating videos for internal communication and product promos.

14. Wave Video

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Wave Video is a popular choice among content creators thanks to its many tools, which include image and video assets, text overlay effects, audio, and captions.

The platform also provides a variety of video formats for Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and website-based applications.

Other key features are:

• Text-to-video AI.
• Video hosting.
• Voiceovers.
• Text-to-speech.
• Millions of stock assets.

My experience: I tested Wave Video by inserting a blog post URL and letting the AI video generator populate text and graphics based on the content.

The video background graphics, pacing, and text populated on the slides needed significant editing to be ready for viewers.

I like how easy it is to change the video format and edit any of the content. Wave Video also has many live-stream video tools.

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Wave Video is free, with monthly plans starting at $16 (paid annually).

Pros: The features on this software are very beginner-friendly, and the user interface doesn’t feel overwhelming.

Cons: The stock images it pulled were of lower quality than some of the other AI tools. The images were blurry and stayed on screen much too long before switching slides (video pacing needed editing).

Best for: Livestream videos.

Making the Most of AI Video

How will AI-generated video help your brand? You can create amazing videos in just a few clicks, which is something that felt unimaginable a few years ago.

Now that you know what AI video generators are available, you’re ready to find the right one to leverage for your next video.

Over the course of my career as a marketing executive, I’ve found that an effective product landing page template can be a vital resource.

After all, a landing page is a great way to turn traffic into conversions — but not all pages are created equal.

In this article, I’ll start by going through a number of product landing page examples, exploring the wide range of templates you can use to get started crafting your own landing page today.

Then, I’ll offer some of my favorite, tried-and-true best practices for creating a winning landing page.

25 Free Professionally-Designed Landing Page Templates

Ready to get started? Below, I’ve compiled a list of 25 of my favorite free, professionally-designed landing page templates that you can use to build your next landing page. So, let’s dive in!

1. Royce

Available on Squarespace

Royce is a template designed specifically for event reservations. It doesn’t include a navigation bar, sticking to a clean layout that features a customizable background image, a headline, and a call-to-action (CTA) button that says “RSVP.”

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What I like: To fill out the form and reserve a spot, visitors can either click the RSVP button to see a form appear or simply scroll down below the fold to see a static reservation form, offering visitors two ways to convert.

2. Click Through

Exclusively Available With HubSpot’s Free Landing Page Builder

The Click Through landing page template is ideal for capturing blog subscribers.

It includes an attractive hero image at the top, space to provide context about what users can expect if they subscribe, and a module for past content right below.

Pro tip: This template can also be customized with your brand and edited with HubSpot’s drag-and-drop interface.

3. Simple Conversion

Available on HubSpot

This design includes a photo, customizable text, and a short form. It has no navigation bar, keeping visitors focused on your offering, and you can also customize and add other elements, such as the icons below the form.

Below the fold, you can also add more information about your offering or company.

Best for: This template is a great option if you’re looking to add some custom elements to your landing page.

4. Blank

Available on HubSpot

The Blank template has a simplistic look and feel, but it devotes a bit more room to text than some of the other templates on this list. As such, Hubstrap might be a good option if your content offer doesn’t need as much imagery.

For example, you might use this page to describe an offer, such as a long whitepaper on a topic related to your industry. As with other templates, you can also personalize the design and add drag-and-drop sections to the page.

What I like: Unlike the landing page templates above, this example does include a navigation bar. However, it’s simple enough that it doesn’t distract from the offer, making this a great option if you’re looking to include navigation.

5. Video

Exclusively Available With HubSpot’s Free Landing Page Builder

If you don’t want your conversion elements at the top of the page, a longer-form sales page might be your best bet. Video is a modern, minimalist-looking template that you can customize with your detail-rich sales copy.

Pro tip: Pairing each section of text with a compelling video is a great way to create a user experience your prospects will love.

6. Session

Available on HubSpot

This template includes a hero image, a headline, text, bright CTA buttons, and a form. I love how it eliminates the navigation bar but still includes a button at the top of the page.

The image keeps information visible but less distracting. As you scroll below the fold, this template also includes places for more imagery and details that could relate to your product or offering.

Best for: The single button at the top of the page makes this template a great option for marketers looking to direct visitors’ attention directly to a CTA.

7. Focus

Available on HubSpot

Focus is a sleek, modern design for a content-based offer. It has a simple layout with a form, headline, description text, photo, and logo, and as with many of the other templates I’ve shared, it has no navigation element.

I especially like how this template enables you to add a photo or product shot. I also like the bright background that keeps me engaged.

Pro tip: For extra customization, this template allows you to adjust or change the color of the background.

8. University

Available on Wix

I’d recommend this layout for marketers seeking leads for an educational event, course, or similar service.

The form is more detailed than some of the other templates on this list, and the layout itself also allows room for more text and imagery.

Above the fold, you can see a headline, supporting images, and a form. Then, if you keep scrolling down, there are additional sections where you can place even more text and imagery.

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What I like: This template includes some great components specifically designed for educational offerings.

9. Skyline

Available on Wix

This template is a good option for a company or individual that hasn’t yet launched their website or product but still wants to gain some leads in the meantime.

Above the fold, there’s a giant headline area with the text “Coming Soon.”

When you scroll down, you can see a place for a short description of the company and a box where visitors can add their email. In addition, this template also lets you add a photo or video to the background.

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Best for: If you’re promoting an offering that isn’t yet available, Skyline is definitely a great template to consider.

10. Sprocket

Exclusively Available With HubSpot’s Free Landing Page Builder

With a big headline, a short subtitle, and a conversion element above the fold, Sprocket helps you make your point concretely and succinctly.

This makes it a great landing page for nearly any piece of gated content, from ebooks to newsletters and tools.

What I like: Sometimes, less is more. This template doesn’t have too much going on, and that makes it one of my favorite options for a clear, straightforward offering.

11. Online Store Coming Soon

Available on Wix

This template is very simple. Like the “Coming Soon” template I shared above, this template allows you to edit the text, so you can use this layout for a range of different purposes.

There is no navigation element, and information about the company is off in the corners, keeping the prime real estate of the page clear and focused.

This layout includes space for a strong product shot (in the example below, it’s an image of a pair of shoes), as well as headline text, a small amount of descriptive text, an email box, and a CTA button.

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Pro tip: This template also lets you link your social media accounts to the icons under the “Notify Me” button.

12. Lead-Gen Landing Page

Available on Wix

In my experience, this template is especially effective for B2B products. It allows you to edit and customize the text and images, as well as enabling you to place background videos into the layout.

The page is designed to be on the longer side, with a form and CTA above the fold, followed by sections that can detail different aspects of your company, such as staff information, below.

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Best for: If you’re focused on B2B offerings, I definitely recommend taking a look at this template.

13. Proland

Available on Envato Elements

This template has a little more going on than some of the other ones I’ve shared, but I think it’s a great option for marketers looking to include some more detailed information alongside their CTA.

The template includes a minimal navigation bar, a headline and subtitle, and a button you can use to launch a video.

Envato does require a paid subscription to access this template, but it offers a 30% discount for students and unlimited downloads once you become a member.

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What I like: With its clean design and minimalist aesthetic, this is a great template for a modern brand looking to share some more details about its offering.

14. Atlas

Exclusively Available With HubSpot’s Free Landing Page Builder

Specifically designed for ebooks, Atlas establishes a simple format to help your website visitors visualize the offer, digest what it’s about, and convert above the fold.

If they need more information — for example, if you’re offering an in-depth white paper or report — additional modules can be added to further persuade them to opt in.

Best for: I’ve found that Rally is an especially effective template for landing pages promoting an ebook or similar content offering.

15. Real Estate Landing Page

Available on Wix

The focus of this template is to invite visitors to contact the company. While it doesn’t offer a resource for information by default, it can be edited and customized to include such an offering.

In addition, as you scroll down the page, the background image remains static, and there is room to add company information below the fold.

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Pro tip: You can use the second form at the very bottom of the page to give visitors another chance to convert.

16. Construction and Lawyer Landing Pages

Available on WordPress.org

While the Lawyer Landing Page and Construction Landing Page templates target two different industries, their designs are very similar. Both have a header image, overlaid text, and an arrow pointing to a decently sized form above the fold.

Furthermore, both these templates have a place to offer visitors a free quote.

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What I like: Although these templates are designed for the legal and construction fields, they can easily be customized to fit other brands and industries.

17. Accelerator

Exclusively Available With HubSpot’s Free Landing Page Builder

Another landing page that combines versatility with a flexible layout, Accelerator is a great option if you want to create a gripping narrative around your copy.

This template gives you plenty of room to provide additional context about your offering before presenting visitors with a conversion element, and you can also add extra modules with its simple, drag-and-drop interface.

Best for: This template can be adapted for either long-form content or short, snappy, hard-hitting copy.

18. Gardenhouse

Available on MailChimp

This template does not include a navigation bar, which ensures that your visitors will be focused on your offering and CTA. In addition, like all landing page templates from MailChimp, this layout is optimized for mobile.

That means it will automatically adjust to different screen sizes — a feature that I’ve found especially important in recent years, as more and more traffic comes from mobile devices.

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Pro tip: You can customize this template with your company’s logo and/or other company information toward the bottom of the page.

19. Bandmates

Available on MailChimp

This template is also pretty simple, but it’s got plenty of room for customization.

As with many of the other templates I’ve highlighted, it has no navigation bar, but it does have space for a company logo, text description, and a subscribe form above the fold.

With Bandmates, you can also drag more elements, like text or form boxes, into the design. In addition, just below the form, you can include either a product shot or another image.

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What I like: The default blue background allows the form and CTA button to pop, but you can also customize the colors to fit your brand.

20. O-Book

Available on Unbounce

Unbounce requires a subscription, but you can test out layouts like O-Book for a free, 14-day trial period.

As such, this template would be a good option for a company that has already gained revenue from existing landing pages and is looking to test out a more detailed (though still affordable) design.

This template includes a clear spot for a product image, headlines, and detailed description text as well as a form box to collect visitors’ contact information.

In addition, O-Book’s top navigation bar is minimal, but it does include social media buttons.

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Best for: This template is designed for lead generation specific to ebooks, making it a great option for marketers looking to promote a longer-form content offering.

21. Webinar

Available on Wix

This template is specifically designed for marketers looking to promote a webinar or similar event-based offering.

With its limited navigation elements and prominently displayed headline and CTA, this is a great option if you’re looking for a more minimalist approach.

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Pro tip: Below the fold, this template has space for you to add some more detail about the event, including background information and a testimonial.

22. Essex

Available on Squarespace

This template is another fun, minimalist option. Essex has no navigation bar. Instead, it includes a single, brightly colored CTA at the top corner of the page.

It includes a massive heading and image above the fold, as well as space for more details if you scroll down the page.

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What I like: I especially love the unique color schemes available with this template, from its default purple and green to a range of additional options you can choose from.

23. Marketing Launch

Available on Wix

Another solid option for promoting an offering that is not yet available, the Marketing Launch template is a sleek yet engaging layout.

It includes space for a prominent headline, a box to collect visitors’ email addresses, and a full-page background image or video.

At the bottom of the page, this template includes small social media icons, keeping viewers focused on the main CTA in the center of the page.

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Best for: I’ve found that simple landing pages like this one can be a great way to build excitement about an offering that’s still “coming soon,” while also enabling you to collect contact information from potential customers.

24. Product Landing Page

Available on Wix

This brightly-colored template is one of my favorite layouts from Wix. Starting off with a short headline and CTA, this template keeps the CTA front and center.

Scrolling down past the fold, it includes a series of panels with different colored backgrounds, ensuring that the information and pictures pop while consistently directing viewers toward CTA buttons.

Finally, at the very bottom of the page, there’s a place where you can add social media links, as well as a box to collect visitors’ email addresses.

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Pro tip: In my experience, fun imagery and colors like the ones included in this template are a great way to keep visitors engaged.

25. Consultant Landing Page

Available on Wix

This template is specifically designed to help consultants promote their business and gather contact information from prospective customers.

While many of the other templates in this list start off with a lot of imagery or videos, this template keeps it clean with a plain background, headline, and simple “Let’s talk” CTA above the fold.

If you scroll down, the template includes space to present a short bio, an overview of services provided, and a carousel to display some testimonials. Then, at the very bottom of the page, there’s a short contact form.

Sticking to its minimalist principles, this form includes text boxes for just a first and last name, an email address, and a message.

Image Source

What I like: This template sets itself apart with its innovative highlighter animation effect, instantly drawing visitors’ attention to the main headline at the top of the page.

Landing Page Best Practices

The templates above illustrate many important landing-page best practices. For example, many of the templates I’ve listed have no navigation bar, as a navigation bar can detract attention or clicks away from the offer on the page.

Most of them also have room for a photo or video, which are great ways to boost engagement.

An effective landing page offers visitors a helpful resource, such as a white paper, exclusive video, or other piece of content, in exchange for their contact information. For instance, take a look at this landing page example from HubSpot:

This page starts off with a place to add an eye-catching headline and featured image. It also includes a prominently displayed CTA, which can be used to link to a contact information form.

It offers space to describe the content offering with enough detail to entice viewers without bogging them down in unnecessarily lengthy text.

In fact, this example landing page illustrates several critical best practices to keep in mind when designing your own pages:

• Avoid complexity. Landing pages are important, but they don’t have to be complicated. Aim for a page that’s concise and inviting rather than complex and overwhelming.
• Don’t ask for too much. Rather than just placing a long contact form on your page, tease an interesting offer or a free resource in exchange for just a small amount of contact information.
• Leverage AI. Generative AI tools like HubSpot’s Campaign Assistant can help you quickly write your first draft, getting you up and running in minutes.
• Embrace templates. Finally, even if you know what you’re going to offer and what information you’d like to receive from visitors, building a landing page from scratch can feel daunting. So, if you don’t have the bandwidth to build a page yourself, and if you don’t have the resources to hire a designer, using a pre-designed website template can be a great way to launch a professional-looking page quickly and effectively.

To learn about other landing page best practices, check out this comprehensive guide.

Craft the Best Landing Page for Your Business

At the end of the day, every business is different. The best landing page for one organization may be utterly ineffective for another — and vice versa.

But armed with the templates and best practices I’ve shared in this article, you’ll be on your way to crafting the best landing page for your unique company, offering, and customers.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May, 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Thousands of other job seekers are applying for your dream job. So, if you want to get hired, you must learn how to start a cover letter that makes you stand out from the crowd.

As someone who’s written several cover letters — including the one that landed me my dream job at HubSpot — I’ve found that a compelling cover letter introduction makes the hiring team excited to know more about you. That’s something a resume alone won’t do for you.

Today, I’ll show you how to start a cover letter that hooks employers at first glance.

Table of Contents

• Cover Letter Opening Lines
• How to Start a Cover Letter for a Job
• Contact Information Checklist for a Cover Letter

Cover Letter Opening Lines

I took some time to study the best cover letter examples, and one thing stood out to me: They all have compelling opening sentences.

To help you overcome writer’s block, I’ve put together some crisp cover letter opening lines so you can get your creative juices flowing.

• It’s uncanny how much the job posting describes me.
• Since [moment you were inspired], I have wanted to work in [company name].
• In [year], I generated [ballpark figure] in revenue, [figure] leads, and nearly tripled content marketing ROI for my previous employer.
• I knew I had to apply when I realized [company name] was hiring.
• I’m passionate about [industry]. That’s why I was thrilled to learn of [company name]’s incredible breakthrough on [breakthrough details].
• It’s likely that you don’t know me, but your client services team certainly does. Now, I’d like to join the vendor that made me a successful [type of profession].
• With my strong oral communication skills, I can effectively engage with clients to understand their needs and provide tailored solutions, ultimately driving customer satisfaction and retention for your company.
• I know you’re my current employer’s competitor. But why can’t we be friends?
• My role as a [current position] has given me a ton of experience in [relevant skill]. Accordingly, I’ve learned that the best way to achieve success is through [important lesson you learned].

Featured resource: 5 Free Cover Letter Templates

Start off your cover letter (and finish it) with a bang with 5 Free Cover Letter Templates. These fill-in-the-blank templates can help you impress recruiters and land your next job interview.

The Dos of Starting a Cover Letter

I used to think my writing was the secret sauce that made my cover letters stand out. But over time, I realized there were other elements that really brought them to life.

Based on my experience, here are some things I recommend doing:

• Indicate interest in the company. It’s obvious you’re interested in the job. But how interested are you in the company? I always go the extra mile by explaining why I’m drawn to the company — more on this later.
• Stand out from the crowd. Show the hiring team what makes you better than other applicants. Here’s where I highlight my skills, passion, and accomplishments.
• Dig into the company. Once you understand the company culture, goals, and values, you’ll know how to adjust your tone accordingly.
• Keep your sentences short. I get it — you have a lot to write about yourself. Aim for the least amount of words, though. Three to four paragraphs is the magic number. Always works for me!
• Address the hiring manager by name. Here’s your chance to cut through the “dear sir/ma’am” clutter in your salutation. LinkedIn and company websites always come in handy when I want to get a hiring manager’s name without contacting the company directly.

The Don’ts of Starting a Cover Letter

When writing a cover letter, here are some things to avoid if you want to land a job interview faster:

• Avoid information dumps. I know you’re proud of your skills and accomplishments, and you should be. But instead of overwhelming the hiring manager with loads of information, highlight the value you bring to the company.
• Don’t sound arrogant. There’s a thin line between confidence and arrogance. So, instead of making bold claims about your qualifications, quantify your accomplishments and present yourself as an enthusiastic team player.
• Don’t highlight your weaknesses. Instead of apologizing for a lack of specific qualifications, focus on your strengths and show how you’ll provide value to the company.
• Don’t forget to proofread. If your cover letter needs a second pair of eyes, go for it. Typos and grammatical errors can portray incompetence, so normalize asking your friends and family for help.
• Don’t copy and paste your resume. You shouldn’t list all your hard skills and experience in a cover letter — that’s what your resume is for. Instead, present unique selling points you wouldn’t include in your resume.
• Don’t be cliché. Avoiding clichés involves describing what makes you unique. For example, instead of writing, “I have excellent oral skills,” explain how you’ve used those skills to accomplish something in a previous role. For instance, “My excellent oral skills and unique storytelling abilities helped me close 40% more deals and bag the Salesperson of the Year Award in my previous role.”

A cover letter is a lot like a professional bio — it highlights your expertise and accomplishments. The difference is that while a bio is static, a cover letter is tailored to a specific role, which means you’ll need to impress the hiring manager from the get-go.

When starting a cover letter for a job, here are ten methods I recommend.

1. Share a quantifiable accomplishment.

It isn’t enough to mention you’re a “digital marketer with proven success in SEO strategies.” Proven success? Okay, where’s the proof?

Don’t expect the hiring manager to just take your word for it. Toss in some stats instead. How have you contributed to your company’s bottom line? Did your Facebook marketing campaign grow your social media following, or has your blog content increased organic traffic?

Unsurprisingly, while researching this topic, I found that I’m not the only one who believes in starting a cover letter with a quantifiable accomplishment.

Corissa Peterson, a certified resume writer at Resume Genius says, “When a candidate quantifies their accomplishments, it tells me that they get the importance of results and business impact. In our business, it’s all about the results.”

Sure, past success doesn’t guarantee future results, but employers love seeing numbers anyway — stats mean measurable performance.

Example

“Over the past year as a digital marketing manager at [company name], I’ve generated over $25,000 in revenue, increased organic website traffic by 15%, and tripled our social media ROI.”

Why This Works

Employers want to see whether you’re capable of achieving long-term results. By including stats, this candidate goes straight to the point and gives employers just what they’re looking for.

Pro tip: Not all achievements are quantifiable. If you don’t have the work experience to report impressive numbers, I recommend a qualitative approach. Ever received positive feedback from your boss? That counts!

2. Start with something they don’t know.

Hiring managers are busy people. So, I wouldn’t waste their time when applying for a job. That’s why I never state the obvious. They already know I’m writing to apply for the open position at their company, and my resume highlights everything they need to know about my job history and educational background. Why waste my opener on something so boring?

In my years of experience, I’ve learned it’s an instant rejection. So, I start my cover letters by offering something new, expanding on what the employer already knows about me, and presenting new details about what I can bring to the company.

Example

“My resume will tell you I’m a certified content marketer. Your records will tell you I’ve interviewed for a few different [company name] positions in the past. What neither of these will tell you is that I’ve been working with your customer success team to build a new campaign strategy for my company — one of your newest (and largest) clients.”

Why This Works

The candidate steals the show with a unique intro that demonstrates they’re not interested in wasting anyone’s time. Not even theirs. This impressive tactic effuses the kind of confidence that makes other cover letters pale in contrast to yours.

3. Start with facts or news about the company.

You can’t go wrong with company news and facts in your first sentence. These little add-ons show you’ve done your research about the company.

I love including company news in my cover letters because it allows me to incorporate my own values. For example, if a company I’m interested in wins an award for its high-tech solutions, I can sprinkle in a few words about how much I value technological advancements.

Besides facts and news, here are other things worth including in your opening sentence:

• Recently released studies, surveys, or reports.
• Prevailing challenges in the company.
• Technologies the company is currently using.

Let’s see how to start a cover letter by mentioning a newsworthy event.

Example

“When I saw that [company name] was featured in Fortune Magazine last month for its commitment to renewable energy and reducing waste in the workplace — all while experiencing triple-digit revenue growth — I was inspired.”

Why This Works

Not many job applicants will even think of including newsworthy events in their cover letters, so this candidate is off to a great start by mentioning the company’s most recent wins.

4. Mention a mutual connection.

If an internal employee suggested you apply for a role at their company, don’t be shy to include this in your cover letter opening line. However, you’ll need to get their permission first. I find this helpful because it lets me build a sense of familiarity with the hiring manager.

According to Gitnux Marketdata Report 2024, 70% of employers share my sentiments; they believe referred employees fit better with their company culture.

That being said, be tactful with your approach. When mentioning a mutual contact, I always make sure it’s more than just a name drop but something that adds value to my cover letter.

For instance, I provide context by highlighting how my relationship with the person has prepared me for the role. And if there are any shared values that make me an ideal candidate, I mention them as well.

According to Jess Munday, the people and culture manager of Custom Neon, “the risks of mentioning someone include the possibility that the connection might not have a positive relationship with the hiring manager or may not endorse the candidate as strongly as assumed.”

To mitigate these risks, Jess suggests confirming the connection has a good professional relationship with the hiring manager.

Example

“At the suggestion of my former colleague, [colleague’s name], I’m submitting my resume for the graphic designer position and [company name]. I worked with [colleague’s name] at [previous company name]. She referred me to this job because she believes my proficiency in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator makes me a great fit for the role.”

Why This Works

There was no beating around the bush here. The applicant seized the first opportunity to hook the hiring manager’s attention by mentioning a mutual contact. It’ll get them wondering how much of an asset the person is. That’s the kind of curiosity that gets you hired.

5. Share a lesson you’ve learned in your career.

Learned something noteworthy in your previous job? Let’s hear it. Employers expect some level of expertise from their employees. Well, unless you’re applying for an entry-level job.

If you want to impress employers, spice up your cover letter opening line with a lesson you’ve learned in your career. Let’s see an example of this tip in action.

Example

“As a [previous job position] with high-level management experience in the [industry], I’ve learned that the best way to boost conversions was to [biggest lesson you’ve learned].”

Why This Works

Notice how this candidate demonstrates their ability to learn and adapt? They sure are committed to professional development. That’s a surefire way to stand out from the rest!

6. Start with your mission statement.

I’m a big advocate of applying for a role that aligns with my values. So, I wouldn’t want to work in an organization whose vision and mission I don’t share. Our goals must align to a great extent. It helps me strike a healthy work-life balance that contributes to my overall job satisfaction.

If you don’t already have a personal mission statement, you might want to take some time to create one. I’d recommend checking out personal brand statement examples or LinkedIn profiles of industry leaders for inspiration.

Bryan J. Driscoll, owner of Bryan J. Driscoll, JD, LLC, says, “Opening with a personal mission statement […] isn’t about grandiose declarations of intent but about succinctly aligning one’s professional purpose with the organizational mission.”

Bryan further provides an example of how to start a cover letter using a personal mission statement.

Example

“Driven by a commitment to foster inclusive work environments, I’ve dedicated my career to developing HR policies that not only comply with legislation but celebrate diversity — reflecting the company’s core values.”

Why This Works

The candidate doesn’t stop at mentioning what motivates them. They take things one step further by linking their motivation to the company’s core values. They’re essentially telling the hiring manager, “I know the importance of this role, so I won’t slack off on it.”

7. Express passion for what you do.

When researching this article, I was surprised to find that companies spend almost $4,700 to recruit new talent. So, I don’t blame recruiters for using strict screening methods to choose the right candidate for each role. And part of what makes you suitable is your passion.

Passionate employees are more likely to be content with their jobs and stay longer in their positions than discontent employees. In my case, I’ve been a seasoned writer at HubSpot for over six years, and my passion for storytelling is one of the things that keeps me going.

So, if I want to express passion for what I do, I’ll include at least one of these things in my cover letter:

• What inspires me.
• What I enjoy doing.
• My career goals.

Then, I’ll link my passion to the role I’m applying for. The example below demonstrates how to achieve this.

Example

“My proficiency in using design tools like Adobe Photoshop aside, what truly drives me is the power of telling stories through compelling visuals. I enjoy consuming complex information, breaking it down, and presenting it in a simple-to-understand, colorful visual that resonates with my target audience.”

Why This Works

Every job applicant will boast about their skills. Only a few, like this one, will truly express genuine passion for what they do. It’s a breath of fresh air that hiring managers will really appreciate.

8. State your unique value proposition.

Because hiring managers receive hundreds of job applications, they may spend less than 30 seconds reading each cover letter to find out how each candidate can provide value to the company. Why not make their job easier by writing your unique value proposition upfront?

It’s not enough to just state your hard skills. Instead, highlight how your skills, accomplishments, and experience make you a valuable asset to the organization.

George Moulos, managing director of Ecommerce Brokers, shares this sentiment. He says, “Simply listing skills in a cover letter can come across as generic and impersonal. Effectively highlighting skills involves connecting them to the specific needs and goals of the company.”

In the example below, George demonstrates how to start a cover letter by highlighting what you bring to the table.

Example

“With my strong communication skills, I can effectively engage with clients to understand their needs and provide personalized solutions, ultimately driving customer satisfaction and retention for your company.”

Why This Works

I love how concise this intro is! Plus, the candidate shows they understand the requirements of the customer-facing role they’re applying for. Looks like a win to me.

9. Start with excitement for the company.

It makes sense to mention why you’re interested in the role you’re applying for. But to hiring managers, that’s just another bland section of a cover letter. Tell them why you’re excited to work for the company, and you’ll totally blow them away.

For instance, if I’m applying for a content writing role, I could say, “I’m excited to work at [company name] because I’m passionate about content writing, and I think my skills and experiences will be a good match.”

Sure, I’ve expressed my passion for the job, but I’ve done nothing to explain why the company specifically suits my interests. So, instead, I’ll want to highlight how my expertise relates to the company’s goals.

Example

“When I discovered [company name] was hiring, I knew I had to apply. I’m excited to find a company where I can use my content writing expertise to generate organic traffic. I’ve gone through the feedback of past and current employees on Glassdoors, and your organizational culture is something I can seamlessly fit into.”

Why This Works

Employers want to hire people who are excited about working for them. I like how the candidate shows they appreciate the organizational culture, proving that it’s not just about the money — they’re genuinely interested in the company.

10. Start with an element of surprise.

Imagine if you had to flip through a hundred cover letters a day, and each one began with the same cliché phrase: “I’m writing to express interest in…”

Boring, right? It’ll be easy for such applications to get lost in the clutter. That’s exactly what you don’t want to happen in your job search.

Hiring teams need a break from cliché cover letter opening lines. So, you’ll be at an advantage if you quickly build intrigue from the first line. It spurs them to keep reading.

One thing I’ve learned, though, is that if you start your cover letter with an element of surprise, you need to follow it up with some concrete information.

Example

“I like to think of myself as a round peg thriving in a square hole kind of world. What does this mean? It means that my diverse background makes me a well-rounded candidate who is able to comprehend, develop, and execute various functions in business.”

Why This Works

Finally, a cover letter where the job applicant’s personality shines through! That’s something you don’t see every day. When hiring managers feel like a real person is behind a job application, they’ll want to keep reading.

Contact Information Checklist for a Cover Letter

In some cases, you’ll submit your cover letter separately from your resume. So, you need to make sure the hiring manager can reach you if the need arises. That’s why I always double-check to confirm I’ve included my contact information and everything else that belongs in the header.

Here’s a checklist I swear by:

• Your full name.
• Your phone number.
• Your email address.
• Your location.
• Name of the recipient.
• Job title of the recipient.
• Company name.
• Company address.

After you’ve written a good cover letter, though, your resume can determine whether or not you make it to an interview. So, learning how to write a resume is just as important as polishing your cover letter writing skills.

If you want to boost your chances of getting your dream job, I’d recommend following our ultimate resume-writing checklist, straight from recruiters.

Crafting a Compelling Cover Letter

When making a career change, learning how to start a cover letter is a soft skill worth gaining. It can significantly boost your job search and help you land multiple interviews.

If you want to craft a great cover letter in half the time it’ll take to write one from scratch, the cover letter formats I provided earlier are all you need. Whether you want to write a skimmable cover letter or a data-driven one, you’ll find unique formats you can customize to get your dream job.

Remember the dos and don’ts I outlined? They’ll come in handy whether you write a cover letter from scratch or use a template. While there’s no hard and fast rule, following these tips will help your job application stand out from the rest.

I’ve sent plenty of cover letters throughout my career, so I know it isn’t usually fun to write one. Fortunately, the cover letter examples I painstakingly gathered below show that it’s possible to have a little fun with your job search — and maybe even make yourself a better candidate in the process.

I was shocked upon learning 45% of job seekers don’t include a cover letter when applying for a job. I definitely don’t recommend following the crowd on this matter because your cover letter is a chance to tell the stories your resume only outlines.

It’s an opportunity for you to highlight your creativity at the earliest stage of the recruitment process.

Are you ready to showcase your unique skills and experience? Or are you looking for more tips and cover letter inspiration?

Keep reading for 40+ cover letter examples, then check out tips for cover letter formatting and what makes a cover letter great.

Table of Contents

• Customizable Cover Letter Examples
• Best Cover Letter Examples
• Short Cover Letter Examples
• Creative Cover Letter Examples
• Job Cover Letter Examples
• Career Cover Letter Examples
• What’s on a cover letter?
• What makes a great cover letter?

Customizable Cover Letter Examples

In a hurry for a cover letter example you can download and customize? Check out the ones below from HubSpot’s cover letter template kit.

1. Standard Cover Letter Example

Download a Customizable Copy of This Cover Letter Example

This standard cover letter is among my favorite approaches because it hits all the right notes: It includes a space to give a brief summary of your experience, as well as a space to delve in-depth into the specific responsibilities of your current role.

You also have the chance to describe the challenges you’ve mastered in previous roles, showing that you’re capable of facing any problem that comes your way.

Why I Love It

I love this cover letter because it allows you to describe the high points of your career while still being professional, personalized, and succinct.

2. Data-Driven Cover Letter Example

Download a Customizable Copy of This Cover Letter Example

Numbers are worth a million words — or that’s how I think the saying should go (if only we could include pictures in cover letters).

Citing data and statistics about your achievements at your current company is an assured way to capture a hiring manager’s attention.

Over the years, I’ve learned most hiring managers don’t read the entire letter, so a bulleted summary of your achievements can be a powerful way to increase the effectiveness and scannability of your message.

Why I Love It

I love this cover letter because it’s adaptable to any role. Even if you don’t work in a data-centric role, you can include any enumerable achievement.

If I worked in a creative industry, for instance, I could include the number of creative assets you designed for your current company.

3. Entry-Level Cover Letter Example

Download a Customizable Copy of This Cover Letter Example

Many of us have had “first job jitters” (that‘s what I’m calling it) when applying for our first career opportunity.

However, my experience taught me to increase my chances of getting that first interview by including a cover letter that explains how my education can help me succeed in the role I applied for.

In fact, HubSpot staff writer Erica Santiago says highlighting her education was key to snagging her first role out of college.

“When I graduated from journalism school, I only had a couple of internships under my belt and maybe some writing clips — not enough to compete with most young professionals with more experience,” she recalls.

“So, I highlighted the classes I took such as ‘News Reporting and Writing’ or ‘Electronic News Gathering,’” she says. “And I explained the assignments I did and how they gave me real-world experience in interviewing and reporting.”

She says that’s how she got her first job as a digital journalist for WSVN in Miami.

If you need help understanding how to highlight your education in a cover letter, look no further than this example from HubSpot.

While other cover letter samples give experienced professionals the opportunity to share their experience at length, this one gives you the chance to describe your personal and professional attributes.

You can then convey how you can use your knowledge to help your target company reach its goals.

Why I Love It

I love this cover letter because it’s easy and simple to use for a student who has little experience in their target industry — including those who haven’t yet completed an internship.

Looking for more? Download the entire kit below.

Best Cover Letter Examples

What does a good cover letter look like in practice, and how can you make yours stand out? I found six examples from job seekers who decided to do things a bit differently.

Note: Some of these cover letters include real company names and NSFW language that I’ve covered up.

4. The Cover Letter That Explains ‘Why,’ Not Just ‘How’

You may already know how to talk about how you’ll best execute a certain role in your cover letter. But there’s another question you might want to answer: Why the heck do you want to work here?

The Muse, a career guidance site, says that it’s often best to lead with the why — especially if it makes a good story.

I advise against blathering on and on, but a brief tale that illuminates your desire to work for that particular employer can really make you stand out.

Image Source

Here’s another instance of the power of personalization.

The author of this cover letter clearly has a passion for this prospective employer — the Chicago Cubs — and if she’s lying about it, well, I’m sure that would eventually be revealed in an interview.

Make sure your story is nonfiction and relatable according to each job. While I love a good tale of childhood baseball games, an introduction like this one probably wouldn’t be fitting in a cover letter for, say, a software company.

But a story of how the hours you spent playing with DOS games as a kid led to your passion for coding? Sure, I’d find that fitting.

If you’re really passionate about a particular job opening, think about where that deep interest is rooted. Then, tell your hiring manager about it in a few sentences.

Why I Love It

This example shows how effective personalization can be. The writer is passionate about the employer, drawing from her own childhood experience to communicate her enthusiasm.

Further reading: Sales Cover Letter Tips

5. The ‘We’re Meant for Each Other’ Cover Letter

This cover letter example is a special one because it was submitted to us here at HubSpot. What does the letter do well? It makes a connection with us before we’ve even met the letter’s author.

“Content Marketing Certified” shows the applicant has taken the content marketing certification course in our HubSpot Academy (you can take the same course here).

Our “records” indicate he/she did indeed give an interview with us before — and was a HubSpot customer.

The cover letter sang references to a relationship we didn’t even know we had with the candidate.

The letter ends with a charming pitch for why, despite him/her not getting hired previously, our interests complement each other this time around.

(Yes, the applicant was hired.)

Why I Love It

This cover letter example does an excellent job of building rapport with the employer. Despite not getting hired for previous roles they applied for at HubSpot, the writer conveys exactly why they are right for this role.

Read more: Customer Service Cover Letter Tips

6. The Cover Letter with H.E.A.R.T.

HubSpot has a lot of H.E.A.R.T. — Humble, Empathetic, Adaptable, Remarkable, Transparent.

Our Culture Code is the foundation of the company’s culture, the driving force behind our mission to help millions grow better, and serves as the scaffolding for our hiring practices.

Recruiters at HubSpot look for applicants who demonstrate how they embody the Culture Code and job description, paying extra attention to cover letters that are super custom to HubSpot.

In another HubSpot submission, a HubSpot applicant writes about how she found out about HubSpot, why she likes the company, and how her professional experience aligns with H.E.A.R.T.

Why I Love It

HubSpot’s recruiting team was impressed with her dedication to the company and how she went beyond what was asked for by linking her portfolio in her closing paragraph.

Featured Resource: 5 Free Cover Letter Templates

Download our collection of 5 professional cover letter templates to help you summarize your professional journey and land your dream job — whether it’s at your first or fifth company.

Short Cover Letter Examples

7. The Short-and-Sweet Cover Letter

In 2009, David Silverman penned an article for Harvard Business Review titled “The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received.” That letter has three complete sentences, as follows:

Image Source

One might argue that this particular letter is less than outstanding, and I’ll also admit it’s an older example.

It’s brief, to say the least, and the author doesn’t go into a ton of detail about what makes him or her qualified for the job in question.

But that’s what Silverman likes about it — the fact that the applicant only included the pieces of information that would matter the most to the recipient.

“The writer of this letter took the time to think through what would be relevant to me,” writes Silverman. “Instead of scattering lots of facts in hopes that one was relevant, the candidate offered up an opinion as to which experiences I should focus on.”

When you apply for a job, start by determining two things:

• Who might oversee the role — that’s often included in the description, under “reports to.” Address your letter to that individual.
• Figure out what problems this role is meant to solve for that person. Then, concisely phrase in your cover letter how and why your experience can and will resolve those problems.

Why I Love It

The key to this standout cover letter is research.

By looking into who you’ll be reporting to and learning more about that person’s leadership style, you’ll be better prepared to tailor your cover letter to focus on how you can create solutions for them.

Read here for more tips on how to land your dream job.

8. The Short Story

Basha Coleman began her cover letter with a short story. The goal of this short story is two-fold:

• Detail the experience she already has with the organization.
• Stand out to the hiring team.

I notice her short story follows a typical narrative arc: It has a conflict/obstacle, a turning point, and a positive outcome, all created with a goal to emphasize a theme or point.

In this case, Coleman is emphasizing her existing affinity with the brand and her triumphs within the program so that she can continue on her career path.

Why I Love It

Like the second example in our list, I think this cover letter does an excellent job of conveying the applicant’s existing affinity for the brand. If you are applying to a company you love, don’t be shy about showing it and explaining why.

9. The Bare Bones Cover Letter

In today’s job market, cover letters aren’t always necessary. Even though many recruiters won’t ask for or even read them, cover letters can still be effective and convey personality to a reader.

Writing a strong cover letter can help you better convey your interest in the position and company.

This template from The Balance Careers puts together the essential components of a short cover letter: excitement about the position, your qualifications, and a call-to-action for the recruiter to follow up with you.

Combining these central aspects in a well-written, compelling narrative will go a long way in convincing readers to hire you.

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Why I Love It

I appreciate that this letter is organized and concise. The inclusion of bullet points to highlight key skills and help the recruiter skim the document is a nice touch, in my opinion.

Check out this post for more useful cover letter tips.

10. The Breezy Follow-Up

In this cover letter, Amanda Edens is following the instructions the hiring manager gave by forwarding an email with her resume and writing samples attached.

Edens knows that the body of the email is prime real estate to get the hiring manager’s attention, but she also doesn’t want to overwhelm the recipient with too much information since a cover letter was not requested.

This short cover letter is the result. I especially admire how she uses casual and breezy language to convey personality and enthusiasm, and she keeps her paragraphs succinct.

Why I Love It

Not only does Amanda include links to relevant writing samples that are live on the web, but she also closes with a strong final paragraph that:

• Summarizes the expertise she has relevant to the posting.
• Emphasizes that she doesn’t want to simply get a job but rather help the organization accomplish its goals.
• The reader gets everything they need in an organized and thoughtful manner.

11. The Administrative Assistant Cover Letter

In this cover letter, the candidate plays up her prior music industry experience to build a connection with Epic Music Group. If you have specific industry experience for the role you’re applying for, be sure to highlight that.

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It’s clear that she’s passionate about not only the music industry but Epic as a whole.

She’s done so much research on the company that she knows what software programs they use and happens to be proficient in it to help convey value to the hiring manager.

This example further illustrates the importance of research.

I suggest you make sure you understand the culture of the company to which you’re applying before you send a completely unfiltered cover letter — if you don’t, there’s a good chance it’ll completely miss the mark.

Why I Love It

In just three short paragraphs, the applicant uses their company research to drive home why they are the perfect fit for the role — emphasizing industry experience as well as software knowledge specific to the company.

All of this communicates that she’d be able to start with very few hiccups while getting up to speed.

Further reading: 15 Cover Letter Templates

12. The Internship Cover Letter

Maybe you’re just getting started in your career and looking to land the right internship to gain experience in your field.

In this case, you’ll need to highlight more of your educational background and transferable skills since you won’t have as much professional experience to highlight.

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I think the cover letter above is a great example of how to emphasize your skills and accomplishments when applying to internships or entry-level positions. A few things the applicant does well:

• Highlights relevant extracurriculars and affinity networks. In this case, the applicant is applying for a business analyst position, so mentioning their involvement in a FinTech group makes sense.
• Previous internships in relevant fields: Our applicant points out that they’ve interned as a Business Analyst at another firm. Pointing out that they’ve done the role before will help make their case for fit.
• Highlight other useful skills: This applicant is fluent in both English and German. If an international company or an organization needs bilingual support, knowing multiple languages is an asset.

Why I Love It

This cover letter example illustrates how you can leverage your education and background to get the gig even when you don’t have much working experience.

Highlighting previous internships or experience in related fields can go a long way in convincing hiring managers you’re the perfect candidate for the role.

Further reading for recent graduates:

• How to Find a Job After College
• Writing a Cover Letter for an Internship

Creative Cover Letter Examples

13. The Brutally Honest Cover Letter

Then, there are the occasions when your future boss might appreciate honesty — in its purest form.

Former Livestream CEO Jesse Hertzberg, by his own admission, is one of those people, which might be why he called this example “the best cover letter” (which he received while he was with Squarespace):

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As Hertzberg says in the blog post elaborating on this excerpt — it’s not appropriate for every job or company.

But if you happen to be sure that the corporate culture of this prospective employer gets a kick out of a complete lack of filter, then there’s a chance that the hiring manager might appreciate your candor.

“Remember that I’m reading these all day long,” Hertzberg writes. “You need to quickly convince me I should keep reading. You need to stand out.”

Why I Love It

The applicant did their research on the company’s culture and executed this cover letter flawlessly. It’s funny and shows off the applicant’s personality, all while making it clear why they are a good fit for the role.

Further reading:

• How to Stand Out and Get Hired at Your Dream Company
• How to Find Your Dream Job

14. The Pivot Cover Letter

Making a career switch? Your cover letter can be an excellent opportunity for you to explain the reasoning behind your career change and how your transferable skills qualify you for the role.

In this cover letter example, the applicant is pivoting to a career in UX. Not only does she make the case for why she should be hired, she shows the recruiter by using a simple but effective design scheme that shows off her skills.

It’s clean but effective.

Since the role she is applying for is more visual, it’s important to both show and tell why you’re a good fit.

Why I Love It

This cover letter strikes the perfect balance between creativity and simplicity in design while putting the applicant’s career change into context.

I appreciate that the copy is clean, with a creative font choice that isn’t distracting from the content but still demonstrates the applicant’s knack for design.

15. The Graphic Design Cover Letter

When applying for more creative roles, the design of your cover letter can say just as much as the words on the page. Take the graphic designer letter example below.

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It’s got so much going for it:

• Pop of color
• Clean layout
• Interesting fonts

Besides the style elements, this example also doesn’t skimp on the key skills recruiters are looking for. Using metrics, the applicant proves their value and why they would be a great fit.

Why I Love It

I love how this cover letter thoroughly conveys the applicant’s skills and qualifications using a variety of visual elements and emphasizing their greatest achievements.

Pro tip: If you’re applying for a graphic design job, share a link to your graphic design portfolio website, even if it’s not an application requirement.

Job Cover Letter Examples

Next up, let’s go over some classic cover letter examples for jobs, especially if you’re applying to internships or only have a few years of experience.

The below cover letters follow the golden rules and don’t deviate too much from the standard — which is ideal if you’re applying to positions in more traditional industries.

16. Consulting Internship Cover Letter Example

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Many internship applicants are early on in their careers or are still in college. That means they’ve yet to gather enough experience to offer tangible proof of their ability to do the job.

That means that a cover letter is the place where an internship applicant can shine.

This cover letter example highlights the applicant’s skills in a bullet-point format. That makes it easier for an overburdened hiring manager to get the essence of her points quickly if they’re only skimming cover letters.

Not only that, but this applicant personalized the letter in every single sentence. She shares information about her prior conversations with some of the company’s employees and mentions the company’s name at every turn.

While she only has one prior consulting job, she deftly mentions the skills she developed in that role and ties them into her desired position at Quantcast Product Group.

Why I Love It

This cover letter example does a fantastic job advertising the applicant’s soft skills in a highly scannable format — while still going heavy on the personalization.

Don’t be shy to lightly play with formatting to get your point across and to imbue the letter with your passion for a company.

17. Nonprofit Referral Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter example for a nonprofit job hits the ground running by inserting the name of one of the nonprofit’s Superintendents right away.

That’s an excellent way to get a recruiter’s attention and make you stand out from the slush pile, even if you’re only just out of school, as is the case for this applicant.

If you’ve received an internal recommendation for a position, you’d be wise to open your letter with that information. Don’t worry about it feeling too stilted or strange — remember, hiring managers only skim letters.

Your goal is to make sure they get information about you that they otherwise won’t get from your resume.

With only three full paragraphs, this cover letter example is short, sweet, and to the point. No time is wasted, and it also goes over the critical basics, such as skills and experience.

Why I Love It

This nonprofit cover letter includes a recommendation from an internal employee at the target organization, making it more likely to stand out from the slush pile.

I also love that it doesn’t skimp on the basics, such as skills, enthusiasm, and experience.

18. General Email Inquiry Cover Letter Example

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Even if a job opportunity isn’t available at an organization yet, it doesn’t mean that there won’t be. You can always send a general inquiry cover letter, like the one in this example.

This email cover letter for a political campaign internship is short and sweet, but includes the critical information the campaign coordinator needs to consider the applicant for any new positions that may open up.

The best part about this cover letter is that it can be easily customized from one political campaign employer to the next.

While it does include a level of personalization, it’s brief and can be easily changed to address the specific political candidate.

When sending general inquiries like this one, it’s essential to make the personalization aspect as pain-free as possible for yourself. That may mean including only one sentence or two, knowing that a general inquiry might not be replied to.

Why I Love It

I like how this email cover letter example hits all the right notes while keeping it brief and to the point. While I don’t recommend choosing this format for a formal cover letter, it works if you’re sending a general inquiry to an employer over email.

It’s also a good example to follow if you’re still in college or have very little experience.

Read more: How to Write a Letter of Interest

19. Post-Phone-Call Cover Letter Example

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If you get a phone call from a potential employer and they invite you to send your resume, pat yourself on the back — that is such a win. In your cover letter, be sure to mention that right away, like this example does.

A hiring manager or an executive at a company likely has a lot of tasks on their plate, which means that they may forget about your call from one week to the next.

That is totally okay, which is why this example starts with a reminder that the applicant and the letter recipient spoke back on January 31st. It also has a few more details about why they started speaking in the first place.

Aside from leveraging the phone call that’s already occurred, I think this cover letter also does an excellent job explaining why the applicant is an ideal choice for the job.

It goes into detail about skills and previous experience with a high level of enthusiasm, and includes a promise to follow up at the end.

Why I Love It

This cover letter example includes two things that would immediately draw my attention: A phone call they’ve already had and a mutual contact at their organization.

The job and internship search can be grueling; never be afraid to use everything you have at your disposal to improve your standing over other applicants.

Read more: How to Start a Cover Letter

20. Mission-Driven Graduate Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter example from a recent B.A. graduate wowed me from the first sentence.

The applicant right away explains her attained degree and her specific career interests, then dives into the aspects of her experience that make her such a great candidate.

It’s so personalized to the employer’s own mission that it’s difficult to stop reading it.

Even if the hiring manager isn’t a science or health professional, they would be able to effectively gauge the applicant’s suitability for the role by the expertise she shows in her cover letter alone.

The applicant explains at length why she’s excited to work for that specific hospital. The organization serves Aboriginal populations, which aligns with her own values and research interests.

In the last paragraph, she summarizes what she knows about the employer in one sentence, then describes how each of her experiences supports the employer’s mission.

That is an exceedingly clever and meaningful way to align yourself with an organization at a deeper level, in my opinion.

Why I Love It

If you’re applying to a mission-driven organization, don’t be shy about showing your excitement and expertise. You don’t need a lot of experience to show that your values align with those of your target organization.

This cover letter example is especially good inspiration if you’re making a career change, have only just a few internships under your belt, or are graduating from college.

21. Short Recommendation Cover Letter Example

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Referral or recommendation cover letters don’t need to be too long, and this is a great example of that. It immediately leverages a mutual connection at the company.

The mutual connection recommended that the applicant contact the hiring manager for a role, which is a piece of information I always recommend you frontload in your letter.

This specific cover letter comes from an applicant with little experience, making it a good example to follow if you’re switching careers or just out of college.

Instead of talking about their experience, the applicant uses anecdotal evidence to convey their enthusiasm for working at that company.

The writer also goes over their most salient skills, such as being able to speak multiple languages. They also explain how their degree directly applies to the target role.

I love that the candidate highlights their leadership abilities and makes that an effective selling point for being hired.

Why I Love It

This cover letter doesn’t go on for too long, which I love. It’s simple and sweet and provides all the information the hiring manager needs to look more closely at the applicant’s resume and make an interviewing decision.

22. Professor or Research Position Cover Letter Example

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Academic or research position cover letters might require a little more information than the typical cover letter — and this is one such example. Why is it okay to go a little longer?

Because the letter is not only a way to supplement the Ph.D. candidate’s academic CV, but to provide a writing sample for the search committee.

I love this cover letter because it expresses the candidate’s enthusiasm for teaching and explains her instructional ethos, such as providing out-of-the-classroom opportunities, championing communication, and encouraging students to step out of their comfort zone.

The applicant also suggests courses she may be able to teach at the target institution and expresses her interest in developing new courses as needed.

She also suggests how she can enhance the college’s extracurricular programming by offering study abroad courses, which shows not just an interest in teaching but adding to the school’s overall culture.

Why I Love It

While this letter goes for a little longer than recommended, I think it serves as a fantastic writing sample and explains the applicant’s research background at length.

If you’re applying to academic or research roles, don’t be afraid to go into detail about what most excites you in terms of research interests.

23. Director Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter example — for a Director of Catering position at a university — doesn’t waste any time.

The applicant right away says that he’s a strong candidate for the role, then jumps right into three salient qualifications that make him a great fit.

I love how the applicant uses bullet points and bold text to guide an overburdened hiring manager through the cover letter — and to give them permission to scan it, if needed.

If the hiring manager would like more information or actual examples of the skills, they merely need to read the rest of the bullet point paragraph.

As mentioned, light formatting can be beneficial to your cover letter, as it draws the recruiter’s eyes and prevents them from having to fish for the information they’re looking for.

Why I Love It

This short, sweet cover letter includes the critical information a hiring manager or high-level executive needs to make an interview decision.

I love the use of formatting that doesn’t stray too much from regular cover letter conventions, and I like that the applicant kept all other paragraphs extremely brief.

24. Editorial Cover Letter Example

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Applying for an editorial or journalistic position? Like a cover letter example I shared earlier, you can take a more storytelling approach to capture the hiring manager’s attention.

This cover letter example does that effectively by telling an anecdote that directly mentions the newspaper where they’d like to work.

This immediately draws the reader in and tells them that this application isn’t random at all; the applicant would like to work at the newspaper because they’ve read it every morning.

Not only that, but they have a favorite reporter on the newspaper’s staff. The applicant then jumps into the specific reason they want to take an editorial position at the Baltimore Sun.

The cover letter includes all pertinent information, such as how previous positions have equipped the applicant to take on this job. It closes with enthusiasm after keeping the reader rapt every step of the way.

Why I Love It

The applicant uses storytelling to — you guessed it — apply for a position that needs storytelling skills. If you’re applying for a data-driven position or a graphic design position, why not showcase those skills in the cover letter itself?

I like that this letter doesn’t diverge too much from cover letter conventions while still differentiating itself.

25. Promotion Cover Letter Example

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In this cover letter example, the applicant already works for the employer and wishes to apply for the next position to move up in their career.

I like that the letter cites the applicant’s extensive knowledge of the organization, which will no doubt give them an advantage over external applicants.

Not only that, but the applicant also references their experience before they started working at the employer’s company and uses that information to make their candidacy even more desirable.

Lastly, this letter includes a healthy level of enthusiasm for the university and the position — something that is never extra in a cover letter.

Why I Love It

I think this cover letter example does an excellent job showing the candidate’s knowledge of their current organization while stating why they’re a natural fit for the promotion.

Plus, the letter includes information on the applicant’s relevant activities outside of work — if you’re involved in any organizations that might help you do your job better, be sure to include them.

26. Law Cover Letter Example

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This law cover letter example jumps right into personalization, a bold move that will serve you well if you’re genuinely interested in a company and want to stand out.

The applicant cites the recipient’s recent article on bond litigation, then ties that into the role they’d like to get at the law firm.

The applicant then goes into his skills and the feedback he’s received from past managers. This is an excellent way to introduce your skills without sounding dry — or even unfounded.

By citing positive feedback you’ve received, you imply that others have praised you for having those skills and that you’re not only “tooting your own horn.”

Pro Tip: In cover letters, it’s absolutely okay to toot your own horn — that’s what they’re for. But if you can cite others’ remarks, that also helps.

At just two and a half paragraphs, this letter is exceedingly short but no less effective. It’s an excellent example of how to personalize your letter quickly while still conveying the essentials of a cover letter.

Why I Love It

This short cover letter example keeps it brief while still creating high impact. The applicant personalizes the letter immediately, cites external feedback, and conveys enthusiasm.

This letter proves you don’t need to write a novel about an employer to sway the hiring manager into giving you an interview.

Career Cover Letter Examples

27. Construction Cover Letter Example

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This construction cover letter for a site manager position checks all the boxes for a cover letter that stands out and grabs the attention of hiring managers, based on what recruiters shared with me.

The candidate starts out by outlining their expertise in inspection codes, equipment maintenance, and OSHA safety regulations — all of which are critical skills for a construction site manager.

They also highlight other skills that can pertain to this type of role including project budgeting, client relationship management, and resolving disputes.

Why I Love It

In addition to communicating their expertise and experience in a concise way, I like that this cover letter added their key achievements using bullet points.

This makes the cover letter easy to scan without missing any critical details that make this candidate stand out.

28. Human Resources (HR) Cover Letter Example

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In this snippet of a cover letter for an experienced HR manager, the candidate shows that he’s researched the company he’s applying to.

He mentions his enthusiasm for the company’s mission of fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration and follows that up with details about how his experience relates to it.

Why I Love It

Showing you’ve done your research is a great way to personalize your cover letter and grab the attention of recruiters.

In addition to the company-focused elements, I like that the candidate also includes data to back up his experience and communicate why he’s qualified for the role.

29. Technical Writer Cover Letter Example

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According to recruiters I talked to, one of the best ways candidates can make their cover letters stand out is by telling a story.

“Cover letters should tell a compelling story about the candidate’s career journey, motivations, and aspirations,” says Indre Padegimiene, talent acquisition specialist at Omnisend.

“While telling a story, it is important to focus on your relevant achievements and experiences that directly relate to the job requirements.”

Why I Love It

The candidate for this technical writing role does a great job of telling a compelling story by hooking the reader in.

He starts off by describing how his career in software engineering led him to technical writing and goes on to explain how that specialized background makes him a great fit for the role.

30. Engineering Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter for a software engineer showcases how to make your cover letter visually stand out in a sea of applications.

The letter is professional and easy to read, while the icons give it a pop of color that makes it interesting to a recruiter who may be quickly scanning hundreds of cover letters in one sitting.

Why I Love It

Engineering is often considered an analytical profession, so cover letters for these roles tend to be more simple and straightforward. What I like about this cover letter is the visual elements are unexpected.

I imagine a recruiter scanning a sea of black-and-white text and pausing on this one. It’s not over the top with colors, but it’s just enough to make someone stop and read what the candidate has to say.

31. Business Analyst Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter for a business analyst position hits all the marks. The candidate begins the letter with enthusiasm and quickly follows it up with why they’d be a great fit for the role due to their passion for data.

If you’re the recruiter for this role, it’s important to immediately see that the candidate is enthusiastic about data patterns and business solutions, as he pointed out in the first paragraph.

The rest of the cover letter goes into more detail about the candidate’s previous role, specific achievements, and what skills he could bring to the role.

Why I Love It

After reading this cover letter, I think the candidate successfully communicates how data-driven his previous roles have been and why he excels in this type of role. I also like the data point he included, but I do wish it stood out more.

32. Project Management Cover Letter Example

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I like the format of this cover letter for a project manager position. After reading the full letter, it sounds to me like Michael read the job posting carefully and used that to write his cover letter.

He begins the cover letter with a brief overview of his qualifications and interest in the job. He then goes into a “day in the life” of his previous position, outlining the tasks and processes he excelled in.

I also like that he calls out the soft skills that people praise him for, like communication and being able to work under pressure, as these are important qualifications for a project manager position.

Finally, Michael concludes the cover letter with a call-to-action. He suggests scheduling a time to discuss the position if he meets the qualifications.

Why I Love It

Job postings outline everything you need to have to land the role, so it makes sense to use that information to guide you as you write your cover letter like this one does.

33. Customer Service Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter for a customer service position is a great example of communicating your understanding of the role.

Keyla does a great job of demonstrating her knowledge of the service industry and its needs and tying in her relevant experience.

Why I Love It

Customer service professionals should be friendly, engaging, and people-oriented, and that’s the feeling I get from Keyla when I first look at her cover letter. The pops of mint feel inviting and encourage me to read more about this candidate.

34. Retail Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter is for a sales associate at a local store. If you work in retail, you know how important it is to have excellent customer service skills.

Josephine highlights her customer experience while also addressing the fact that her work has mainly been remote — which differs from the in-person role she’s applying for.

She then explains that she’s looking to deepen her customer experience, which is why she’s interested in this role.

In my opinion, it’s always a good idea to address any potential questions recruiters may have in your cover letter.

Your cover letter is a chance to expand on the experience outlined in your resume.

If there’s anything in your work history that would give a recruiter pause, your cover letter is the perfect opportunity to address it.

Why I Love It

To me, this cover letter feels personal and genuine. While she may not have much experience yet, Josephine does a great job of explaining her career journey and goals to emphasize why she wants this position.

35. Accounting Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter for an accounting position is a great example of how to position yourself when you don’t have much experience yet.

The candidate demonstrates enthusiasm, which goes a long way, according to Kayla Norflus, senior recruitment marketing specialist at The TemPositions Group of Companies.

“Let your genuine interest in the role and the company shine through,” says Norflus. “Authenticity resonates with recruiters, making you more memorable. Express your excitement about the opportunity to bring your unique skills to their team.”

Why I Love It

I appreciate that this candidate is enthusiastic and eager to land the role. He doesn’t try to embellish his experience, either, which is authentic in my opinion.

36. Sales Cover Letter Example

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A sales cover letter should demonstrate your pitching skills, highlight sales achievements, and communicate your sales expertise — and that’s exactly what this cover letter example does.

It leads with enthusiasm, outlines career highlights, and shares specific results the candidate has achieved.

Why I Love It

My favorite part of this cover letter is the opening line. The candidate demonstrated their knowledge and enthusiasm for the product by sharing that they’re a longtime user.

If you want to show a hiring manager that you’re a good fit for the role, it helps if you’re already familiar with what they do.

37. Social Media Cover Letter Example

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Social media roles require a passion for social media and marketing, collaboration skills, and an analytical mindset.

This cover letter for a social media specialist highlights those attributions. The cover letter leads with the candidate’s 10 years of experience in social media management and analysis, which instantly qualifies her for the position.

She then goes into detail about why she pursued this line of work and the educational and professional qualifications that have led her to where she is today.

Why I Love It

Not only is it easy to read due to the clean yet visually appealing design, but this cover letter checks all the boxes when it comes to the content of your cover letter.

I also like that Carrie included icons for her social profiles, which is a must when applying for a social media role.

38. Teaching Cover Letter Example

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As I mentioned earlier, your cover letter is an opportunity to tell your story. And one major component of good storytelling is the hook.

According to Sebastian Morgan, a Senior Career Coach at CV Genius, cover letters with great hooks stand out the most.

“Most job applicants default to generic openers like ‘I’m writing to express my interest in [X role],’ which is straightforward and professional,” says Morgan. “But it misses a valuable opportunity to state the value you offer me and my organization specifically.”

The candidate who wrote this cover letter for a piano teaching position leads with a strong hook that states, “Being a pianist in the renowned Dulcet Orchestra for 25 years and having gathered enough mastery on the grand piano…”

He then goes on to explain how he became interested in teaching and why he’s looking to transition into a full-time teaching role.

Why I Love It

If I were hiring a piano teacher, this candidate’s cover letter hook would immediately grab my attention. Then, after reading the rest of his story, I would be convinced to interview this person to hear more.

That’s the power of writing a cover letter with a compelling story instead of simply listing your qualifications.

39. Business Administration Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter example is for a business administrator position. The candidate, Hannah, does a good job of explaining her educational background and prior work experiences, specifically noting her business management course.

Mentioning specific courses or certifications can demonstrate your knowledge and credibility, especially if they’re well-known in the industry you’re applying to.

For example, if you complete one of HubSpot’s certifications, you’ll earn a badge that’s instantly recognizable to anyone in the industry.

Why I Love It

I like that she explained her career journey in a way that explains why she’s applying to this role at this time. She’s demonstrated that she has career goals and plans for the future.

40. Graphic Design Cover Letter Example

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The first thing I noticed about this graphic design cover letter is the candidate’s achievements outlined in bullet points, something I know recruiters look for.

Kayla Norflus says she’s drawn to cover letters that include specific, measurable accomplishments.

“These not only demonstrate a candidate’s ability to deliver results but also provide a clear picture of their potential impact within our team,” says Norflus.

“It’s the specificity — such as increasing sales by a certain percentage or streamlining processes to save time — that really makes these achievements shine.”

Why I Love It

In addition to highlighting his specific achievements, Nathan nails the visual appeal of his cover letter. It’s simple yet stands out while showcasing his professional design skills.

41. Web Development Cover Letter Example

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If you have experience with specific tools or software, mention that in both your resume and cover letter. You can expand on your experience with these tools in your cover letter to demonstrate your knowledge to recruiters.

This candidate lists his expertise in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript as these skills will stand out to recruiters.

Why I Love It

I appreciate how concise yet specific this candidate is when sharing his web development experience and achievements.

For example, he says his web development work has helped grow revenues, increase web traffic, and accelerate customer acquisition.

42. Healthcare Cover Letter Example

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Healthcare is one of those industries where you can’t “fake it ‘til you make it.”

You need specific qualifications, certifications, and educational background to even apply, and even then, you’re up against candidates with the same experience as you.

That’s where storytelling and personalization can help. In this cover letter example from Resume Genius, the candidate tells the story of a challenge they helped their team solve that involved comforting distressed patients.

Not only did this help with acquisition rates, but the candidate also demonstrated their success with patient care.

Why I Love It

As I’ve mentioned, your cover letter is the perfect time to tell a story or explain part of your experience in more detail than you can on a resume. And this cover letter is a great example of how to do that.

43. Architecture Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter is for a senior architect manager position. Because it’s a senior role, it’s important to demonstrate your history and experience in similar positions, and this cover letter example does that right off the bat.

The candidate immediately states that he has over 15 years of experience in architecture. He then summarizes his educational background and job history.

Why I Love It

I like how this cover letter is formatted, both with the design and the content. I especially like the branded logo at the top, which would be memorable to me if I were a hiring manager.

44. Photography Cover Letter Example

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In this cover letter example, the candidate is a freelance photographer who’s applying for a permanent position with a newspaper. When making a career transition or pivot, don’t shy away from sharing that.

“Explain any career gaps or why you are transitioning,” says Prestina Yarrington, a growth and development coach and former senior manager in global talent acquisition at Microsoft.

“The cover letter should tell the reader something your resume cannot.”

Why I Love It

As a freelancer myself, I appreciate how this candidate communicated his experience and how it can translate into a full-time role.

45. Creative Director Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter is for an art director role. The candidate begins the cover letter by listing the necessary skills to have in creative design which sets the tone for the qualifications she’s about to share.

Why I Love It

I like the elevator pitch the candidate included at the top of her cover letter. I also appreciate the drawing underneath the sign-off, considering this is an artistic role.

Elements like this are an opportunity to showcase personality in a way you can’t do on a resume.

46. Virtual Assistant Cover Letter Example

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This cover letter example is for a virtual assistant position. The candidate follows a standard cover letter format by outlining his longevity in the field, past experiences, and soft skills.

The design is non-traditional in that it’s aligned center which could be off-putting to some recruiters but it could also stand out.

Why I Love It

The candidate explains how prior roles working at non-profits and organizing events have helped him hone his skills as a virtual assistant.

In my experience, anytime you can communicate how skills from seemingly unrelated roles apply to the role you’re applying for, it demonstrates your understanding of the position.

At just two and a half paragraphs, this letter is exceedingly short but no less effective. It’s an excellent example of how to personalize your letter quickly while still conveying the essentials of a cover letter.

Now that I’ve shown you some excellent examples, let’s talk about how you can create the best cover letter for your dream job.

What’s on a cover letter?

Before you start writing your cover letter, let’s cover a few basic must-haves you’ll want to include. If you’re looking for more detailed instructions, check out this guide to writing a cover letter.

Greeting

Add a simple, but pleasant greeting to address the recruiter or hiring manager.

Learn more:

• Dear Sir or Madam Alternatives
• Cover Letter Greetings

Opener

Write a catchy introduction that explains why you’re interested in the role.

Learn more:

• How to Write an Introduction
• Tips for Writing a Good Introduction Sentence

Work Experience

This is the heart of your cover letter. It outlines your relevant experience and why you’d be a great fit for the role. You can highlight special skills, experiences, professional achievements, or education to help make your case.

Learn more:

• How to Write About Your Professional Background
• Professional Bio Examples
• LinkedIn Bio Examples

Closing

In this paragraph, add a call-to-action by expressing interest in an interview. Offer your contact information and sign off.

Learn more:

• Email Closing Line Examples
• Tips for Writing Conclusions

What does a cover letter look like?

Besides showing off your skills and qualifications, cover letters give you the opportunity to present a clear, concise, and compelling writing sample. It shows off your personality and your ability to convey ideas.

That’s a lot of information to include on a single page, so it can help to have a clear structure to start with.

Check out our fillable cover letter templates to see how you should organize the content of your cover letter.

What makes a great cover letter?

A cover letter is personal, but it also needs to help you reach a goal and help the hiring team understand how you could perform that role with their company. This complexity can make cover letters really tough to write.

Because cover letters are difficult to write, many come off as boring, basic, or confusing for hiring managers to read. But the tips below about the qualities that make a cover letter great can help you take your cover letter from basic to bright.

Start with this quick video, then keep reading for more tips:

[Video: The Secret Formula For A Great Cover Letter!]

Personalized Introduction

Begin with an introduction that’s personal. It should capture the reader’s attention and address your recipient by name. Then, add a compelling opening sentence that emphasizes your interest in the specific role.

Helpful Cover Letter Introduction:

“Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],

In an increasingly digitized world, where customer-centric strategies are vital for business success, I am thrilled to apply for the [Job Title] position at HubSpot.”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Introduction:

“To Whom it May Concern,

I am applying for the [Job Title] position at HubSpot. I have some experience in marketing and can help your clients grow their businesses.”

Relevant Professional Experience

It can be tempting to use the same cover letter for every job. After all, it‘s about your experience, isn’t it? But it’s not enough to rephrase the work history in your resume.

Recruiters and hiring managers are looking to fill a specific role, so you need to show how your experience translates to their unique needs.

So, the body of a great cover letter should showcase the specific professional experiences that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. Emphasize your accomplishments and skills that directly relate to what the job needs.

To speed up this part of the cover letter writing process, start by creating a list of your transferable skills. Drafting this list can help you quickly focus on the skills to highlight in your cover letter.

Then, use AI tools to summarize job descriptions and narrow in on where your experience and the needs of the role you’re applying for overlap. This post is full of useful AI assistant tools if you’re new to AI.

Helpful Cover Letter Experience:

“At [Company Name], I had the opportunity to assist a global ecommerce retailer in enhancing their online customer experience. By conducting in-depth market research and customer journey mapping, I identified pain points and areas of improvement in their website navigation and user interface.”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Experience:

“I also worked with an ecommerce retailer to improve the customer experience. We did some surveys and training, and they were happy with the results.”

Useful Examples

To make your cover letter stand out, add specific examples that show how you’ve solved problems or gotten results in past roles.

Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible, using data to give the reader a clear understanding of your impact.

Helpful Cover Letter Example:

“I lead a team of five content writers while increasing website traffic by 18% year-over-year.”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Example:

“I have a great track record of leadership and achieving fantastic results.”

Research and Company Knowledge

Hiring teams aren‘t hiring anyone with the skills to do the job. They’re hiring a person they’ll work alongside at their specific company.

So, to show that you‘re not just looking for any job anywhere, share your knowledge of the company’s industry, values, and culture in your cover letter.

Spend some time on the company website and take notes on what makes this business interesting to you and why you would want to work there.

Then, explain how your skills align with the company’s mission and goals and explain how you could add to their chances of success. This will showcase your interest in the company and help them see if you are a good cultural fit.

Helpful Cover Letter Research:

“I was particularly drawn to HubSpot not only for its industry-leading solutions but also for its exceptional company culture. HubSpot’s commitment to employee development and fostering a collaborative environment is evident in its recognition as a top workplace consistently. I strongly believe that my passion for continuous learning, self-motivation, and dedication to contributing to a team will make me a valuable asset to HubSpot.”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Research:

“I have been inspired by HubSpot’s commitment to inbound marketing and its comprehensive suite of solutions. HubSpot’s dedication to providing valuable content and fostering meaningful relationships aligns with my own values and aspirations.”

Clear Writing

Your cover letter needs to pack in a lot of important information. But it’s also important that your cover letter is clear and concise.

To accomplish this, use professional but easy-to-understand language. Be sure to remove any grammar or spelling errors and avoid lengthy paragraphs and avoid jargon or overly technical language.

You may also want to use bullet points to make your letter easier to skim. Then, proofread your cover letter for clarity or ask a friend to proofread it for you.

Further reading:

• Guide to Becoming a Better Writer
• Tips for Simplifying Your Writing

Helpful Cover Letter Writing:

“In addition to my academic accomplishments, I gained valuable practical experience through internships at respected law firms.

Working alongside experienced attorneys, I assisted in providing legal support to clients. This hands-on experience helped me develop a deep understanding of client needs and enhanced my ability to effectively communicate complex legal concepts in a straightforward manner.”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Writing:

“Furthermore, as a complement to my academic accomplishments, I have garnered invaluable practical experience through internships at esteemed law firms.

Throughout these placements, I actively collaborated with seasoned attorneys to conduct due diligence and furnish clients with comprehensive legal support. Notably, these experiences fostered a profound comprehension of client necessities, whilst honing my legal acumen to articulately convey intricate legal principles within a lucid and concise framework, adhering to applicable precedents and statutes of limitations.”

Genuine Interest and Enthusiasm

Find ways to convey your passion for the role and how excited you are to contribute to the company you’re applying to. At the same time, make sure your interest feels authentic and outline how it aligns with your career goals.

Your ultimate goal is an enthusiastic letter that feels honest and leaves a lasting positive impression.

Showing excitement in writing doesn’t come naturally for everyone. A few tips that can help you boost the genuine enthusiasm in your letter:

• Record audio of yourself speaking about the role, then use voice-to-text technology to transcribe and add these sections to your letter.
• Choose your words carefully.
• Write in active voice.

Helpful Cover Letter Tone:

“I am genuinely enthusiastic about the prospect of joining [Company/Organization Name] as an accountant. My combination of technical proficiency, eagerness to learn, and strong attention to detail make me an ideal candidate for this role. I am confident that my dedication, reliability, and passion for accounting will contribute to the continued success of your organization.”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Tone:

“Honestly, I can hardly contain my excitement when it comes to reconciliations, financial statement analysis, and tax regulations! Engaging in spirited discussions with professors and classmates has allowed me to foster an unbreakable bond with the fascinating world of accounting, and I’m positively bursting with enthusiasm at the prospect of applying my skills in a professional setting.”

Memorable Conclusion

End your cover letter on a strong note. Summarize your top qualifications, restate your interest in the position, and express your interest in future communication.

Then, thank your reader for their time and consideration and include your contact information for easy follow-up.

To make your conclusion memorable, think about what parts of your letter you‘d most like the hiring manager to keep top of mind. Then, consider your word choice and phrasing. If you’re feeling stuck, this list of ways to close an email can help.

Helpful Cover Letter Conclusion:

“Thank you for considering my application. I am excited about the opportunity to further discuss how my qualifications align with the needs of Greenpeace. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience to arrange an interview.

Together, let’s make a lasting impact on our planet.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]”

Unhelpful Cover Letter Conclusion:

“Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of discussing my qualifications further and how I can contribute to Greenpeace’s mission. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience to arrange an interview.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]”

Take Cover

I’d like to add another stage to the job search: experimentation.

In today’s competitive landscape, it’s so easy to feel defeated, less-than-good-enough, or like giving up your job search.

But don’t let the process become so monotonous. Have fun discovering the qualitative data I’ve discussed here — then, have even more by getting creative with your cover letter composition.

I certainly can’t guarantee that every prospective employer will respond positively — or at all — to even the most unique, compelling cover letter. But the one that’s right for you will.

So, get inspired by these examples and templates. Write an incredible cover letter that shows the hiring team at your dream job exactly who you are.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

Teamwork makes the dream work. I’ve said this quote in the office and on Zoom. I’ve even set it as my Slack status. Turns out John C. Maxwell said it in 2002.

It remains a popular quote today, in part because he was right: If you’re aiming high, a team helps you hit the mark.

I love quotes. They take truths that we all know and boil them down into something memorable. I use quotes to keep me motivated and stay connected with my team. That’s why I love quotes that are connected to teamwork.

To help take teams to the next level, I’ve collected my favorite 75 quotes about collaboration, teamwork, and determination.

Teamwork Quotes to Inspire Collaboration

I’m the type of person who loves to work collaboratively. That’s why I love group projects that bring multiple great minds together. I can bounce ideas off my teammates and gain their insights.

If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration to get you psyched to work in a team, start with these quotes.

1. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” — Helen Keller (Click to Tweet.)

2. “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” — Henry Ford (Click to Tweet.)

3. “Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes (Click to Tweet.)

4. “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” — Isaac Newton (Click to Tweet.)

5. “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” — H.E. Luccock (Click to Tweet.)

6. “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” — Andrew Carnegie (Click to Tweet.)

7. “It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” — Charles Darwin (Click to Tweet.)

8. “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” — Henry Ford (Click to Tweet.)

9. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” — Michael Jordan (Click to Tweet.)

10. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” — Phil Jackson (Click to Tweet.)

11. “The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.” — James Cash Penney (Click to Tweet.)

12. “Politeness is the poison of collaboration.” — Edwin Land (Click to Tweet.)

13. “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” — Amy Poehler (Click to Tweet.)

14. “Effectively, change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration, cooperation, and consensus.” — Simon Mainwaring (Click to Tweet.)

Want more? Check out these corporate team-building activities.

15. “Teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.” — Patrick Lencioni (Click to Tweet.)

16. “You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.” — Jim Stovall (Click to Tweet.)

17. “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” — Babe Ruth (Click to Tweet.)

18. “There is no such thing as a self-made man. You will reach your goals only with the help of others.” — George Shinn (Click to Tweet.)

19. “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” — Napoleon Hill (Click to Tweet.)

20. “The whole is other than the sum of the parts.” — Kurt Koffka (Click to Tweet.)

21. “A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skills of others.” — Norman Shidle (Click to Tweet.)

22. “The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team.” — Lewis B. Ergen (Click to Tweet.)

23. “Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” — Vince Lombardi (Click to Tweet.)

24. “One piece of log creates a small fire, adequate to warm you up, add just a few more pieces to blast an immense bonfire, large enough to warm up your entire circle of friends; needless to say that individuality counts but teamwork dynamites.” — Jin Kwon (Click to Tweet.)

25. “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” — Reid Hoffman (Click to Tweet.)

26. “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” — Mark Twain (Click to Tweet.)

27. “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” — Booker T. Washington (Click to Tweet.)

28. “Great things in business are never done by one person; they’re done by a team of people.” — Steve Jobs (Click to Tweet.)

29. “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” — Ryunosuke Satoro (Click to Tweet.)

30. “Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there.” — Virginia Burden (Click to Tweet.)

31. “None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.” — Mother Teresa (Click to Tweet.)

32. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” — Harry Truman (Click to Tweet.)

33. “It takes two flints to make a fire.” — Louisa May Alcott (Click to Tweet.)

34. “The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first.” — Iyanla Vanzant (Click to Tweet.)

35. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African Proverb (Click to Tweet.)

36. “Success is best when it’s shared.” — Howard Schultz
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Click to Tweet
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Need help collaborating effectively? Take a look at 21 marketing collaboration tools to improve teamwork.

Hard Work Quotes to Inspire Determination

We’ve all hit a rut. Trust me, I’ve been there too. Once the caffeine wears off or when I have competing priorities on my plate, I can get so stressed that I feel paralyzed.

A little bit of motivation can get me out of my head and back to the grind. These are my favorite quotes about hard work that keep me inspired.

37. “Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.” — Tim Notke (Click to Tweet.)

38. “We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.” — Ariana Huffington (Click to Tweet.)

39. “When the ideas are coming, I don’t stop until the ideas stop because that train doesn’t come along all the time.” — Dr. Dre (Click to Tweet.)

40. “Someone once told me growth and comfort do not coexist. And I think it’s a really good thing to remember.” — Ginni Rometty (Click to Tweet.)

41. “Hard work keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.” — Helena Rubinstein (Click to Tweet.)

42. “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment.” — Mahatma Gandhi (Click to Tweet.)

43. “I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” — Thomas Jefferson (Click to Tweet.)

44. “Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs.” — Malcolm Forbes (Click to Tweet.)

45. “The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work.” — Vince Lombardi Jr. (Click to Tweet.)

Need tools to boost collaboration and encourage innovation? See how HubSpot can help.

Short Teamwork Quotes

Sometimes, I don’t have the time or energy to read a full motivational speech. Even a paragraph-long pep talk can feel like a big lift. That’s when I turn to short quotes.

These short truisms boil the big ideas about teamwork into something simple and byte-sized.

46. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” — John C. Maxwell (Click to Tweet.)

47. “The bigger the dream, the more important the team.” — Robin Sharma (Click to Tweet.)

48. “None of us is as smart as all of us.” — Ken Blanchard (Click to Tweet.)

49. “If you take out the team in teamwork, it’s just work. Now who wants that?” — Matthew Woodring Stover (Click to Tweet.)

50. “Tough times don’t last. Tough teams do.” — Robert Schuller. (Click to Tweet.)

51. “Together, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary results.” — Becka Schoettle (Click to Tweet.)

52. “Communication works for those who work at it.” — John Powell (Click to Tweet.)

53. “Effective teamwork begins and ends with communication.” — Mike Krzyzewski (Click to Tweet.)

54. “It’s better to have a great team than a team of greats.” — Simon Sinek (Click to Tweet.)

55. “Ego is the ultimate killer on a team.” — Patrick Lencioni (Click to Tweet.)

56. “Strategy is not a solo sport, even if you’re the CEO” — Max McKeown (Click to Tweet.)

57. “There is no such thing as a ‘one-man show’ in a winning team.” — Jose B. Cabajar (Click to Tweet.)

58. “Many candles can be kindled from one candle without diminishing it.” — Midrash (Click to Tweet.)

59. “We rise by lifting others.” — Robert Ingersoll (Click to Tweet.)

60. “In teamwork, silence isn’t golden. It’s deadly.” — Mark Sanborn (Click to Tweet.)

Motivational Teamwork Quotes

Sometimes, I find the start of a team project to be overwhelming. There are so many things to do and the ball hasn’t even gotten rolling. These motivartional teamwork quotes help me start projects on the right foot.

61. “When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes reality.” — Joe Paterno (Click to Tweet.)

62. “The power of one, if fearless and focused, is formidable, but the power of many working together is better.” — Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Click to Tweet.)

63. “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” — Henry Ford (Click to Tweet.)

64. “When you hand good people possibility, they do great things.” — Biz Stone (Click to Tweet.)

65. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” — Sun Tzu (Click to Tweet.)

66. “Our destiny is not written for us, it’s written by us.” — Barack Obama (Click to Tweet.)

67. “Every once in a while you hear an expert that says team chemistry is overrated. You just write that person off.” — Tony La Russa (Click to Tweet.)

68. “Create an environment where people can take risks. If everything has to be brilliant from the word go, you’re never gonna get off the ground.” — Paul Hewson, a.k.a Bono (Click to Tweet.)

69. “Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prison of the past or a pioneer of the future.” — Deepak Chopra (Click to Tweet.)

70. “Decency is avoiding disrespect, not avoiding disagreement. Integrity is trying to get it right, not being right.” — Adam Grant (Click to Tweet.)

71. “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Click to Tweet.)

72. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead (Click to Tweet.)

73. “When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing.” — Bo Schembechler (Click to Tweet.)

74. “You are either supporting the vision or supporting division.” — Saji Ijiyemi (Click to Tweet.)

75. “Not finance, not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and rare.” — Patrick Lencioni
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Great quotes can help motivate teams, inspire them to innovate, and get them thinking big. But quotes are just the start. For teamwork to make the dream work, businesses need the right combination of people, processes, and technologies.

It’s this team trifecta that puts companies on the path to success.