LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Yes. Putting a raise request in writing creates a clear record of what you asked for and why, which protects you if the conversation gets vague later. Keep it concise: your contributions, the specific number you're asking for, and why the timing is right. Then deliver it in a conversation, not just as an email attachment.
| Element | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Your contributions | Three or four specific results: revenue influenced, costs cut, projects shipped, problems solved |
| The specific ask | One number or range, not "more money." Specificity is negotiable; vagueness is ignorable. |
| Market context | What comparable roles pay, from your own research: postings, recruiter conversations, salary surveys |
| Timing rationale | Why now: a review cycle, new responsibilities, a completed project, a retention risk |
Specificity. Managers hear "I'd like a raise" as background noise; they hear "I'm requesting an increase to $X based on these three results" as a proposal they have to respond to. Tie every claim to business impact, not to your personal finances. Your rent going up is true and irrelevant; the project you led that saved the team two headcount is the argument. Tenure alone is a weak argument too: "I've been here three years" invites "and we've paid you for three years." Results are the currency.
Keep the tone collaborative, not adversarial. You are making a business case to a partner, not issuing demands to an opponent. Never threaten to quit in the letter; if you have another offer, that is a separate conversation with its own dynamics. A written request that reads like an ultimatum gets treated like one, and ultimatums usually lose. One page is the right length: if the case needs two pages to make itself, it probably isn't tight enough yet.
Before budgets are set, not after. Most companies finalize compensation budgets weeks or months before review conversations happen. A request that arrives after the budget is locked gets a sympathetic "maybe next cycle" because the money literally isn't there. Learn your company's cycle and get the request in while the numbers are still moving.
Personal timing matters too. Right after a visible win is the strongest moment: a shipped project, a landed client, a quarter where your numbers were undeniable. Performance reviews are the natural venue, but don't wait for one if your cycle is months away and your case is strongest right now. And avoid asking during layoffs, a bad quarter, or your manager's worst week; the answer will be no and the memory will linger.
In a conversation, with the letter as backup. The ideal sequence is: request a meeting about your compensation, walk through your case verbally, and leave the written version behind. The conversation lets you read the room and adjust; the document makes sure nothing you said gets forgotten or misremembered. Sending it cold as an email attachment skips the human part, which is where raises are actually granted.
If the answer is no, get the no in writing too: what would need to change, and by when, for the answer to become yes. "Let's revisit in six months" is only useful if you both agree on what "revisit" means. A polite follow-up email summarizing the conversation ("to confirm, we agreed that...") turns a vague no into a plan. Remote workers should be extra deliberate about this: without hallway conversations, the written record is often the only record. And if the plan never materializes, you have a dated history of the whole discussion, which is useful whether you escalate internally or take your case elsewhere.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed.
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