How to Write a Query Letter That Actually Gets Your Script Read

Let me start with a hard truth I think you need to know: nobody in Hollywood is waiting for your query letter.

This is a town of action. Agents, managers, and talent are out doing things for their clients or reading things sent to them by trusted friends and allies.

When your email comes across their desk, it's one of dozens of unsolicited queries a week. Most get deleted in under five seconds by the assistant because most query letters are written terribly and immediately turn them off.

Now, look, I've been on both sides of this struggle. I've sent terrible queries. I've sent pretty good ones. And I've read enough coverage and talked to enough industry people to know exactly what makes someone stop scrolling and say, "Okay, send it over."

I even wrote a post about why I thought query letters were dead. I'm resurrecting them in this post right now.

So today, I figured I'd make a template that you can use that's worked for me in the past, and that you can just copy for all your query needs.

Sound good?

Let's dive in.

First, Know What a Query Letter Is For

A query letter has exactly one purpose: to get someone to ask for the script.

That's it. Once they've asked for it, the query has succeeded. Everything else is the script's problem to solve.

If you write your query with that in mind, you'll cut about 70% of the stuff you were going to include.

Most people don't get this right, and it's why their letter will get tossed. Even if you stop reading here, make sure you know that. It will give you a leg up on all the competition.

The Rules Before You Start

Okay, you're trying to write a query letter. Here are some rules that I think can help you put your email into the right hands.

• Keep it phone-sized. The whole email should fit on a phone screen without scrolling. If it doesn't, cut it. People read their email on their phone, in between meetings, while waiting for coffee. You have about eight seconds. Also, this will help you be succinct.
• One ask, one door. End with a single frictionless ask. "Happy to send it over at your convenience" is better than "Would you be interested in scheduling a call to discuss further?" Don't make them decide anything. Just open a door.
• Personalize the opener every single time. One changed sentence per recipient. A copy-paste opener is visible from space. If it reads like a mass email, it gets treated like one. So make the intro personal to each company or rep.
• Two comps, max. One recent (last five years), one classic or evergreen. Both should be successful films. Never comp something that bombed. Always be relevant.
• The bio is one sentence or nothing. Relevant credits only. If you have no relevant credits, skip the bio entirely. I'd rather have them ask about you than read something that turns them off.

The Subject Line

<code>SCRIPT TITLE — Feature Script

Your subject line should be short and simple. Title in all-caps, em dash, format. Nothing else. Don't editorialize. Don't put "an incredible new thriller" in the subject line. Everyone believes they have the next big thing.

If you have a referral, you can put their name in the subject line. So you'd do that like: Title in all-caps, em dash, format. Referred by (NAME).

Simple is better, so they know what you have for them the second they open the email.

The Opener

For warm outreach (you have a mutual contact or referral) try this:

[REFERRAL NAME] suggested I reach out — I have a feature script I'd love for you to read.

Done. One sentence. The referral's name is doing the work.

For a cold outreach, which is probably the most popular kind of query letter:

I'm reaching out because [SPECIFIC REASON — their recent work on X, their stated interest in female-driven genre material, the tone of Y fits what I've written].

The specific reason matters. "I think my script would be a great fit for your company" is not a specific reason. Everyone says that. Look at what they've actually produced or who they represent. Find the real connection why you believe they're right for the material. If you can't find one, you might be pitching the wrong person.

The Title Line

SCRIPT TITLE is a [genre] — [page count] pages.

Let them know what they're in for. This is where I'll tell you that a longer script is always worrisome. So I would only use the page count if it were 105 or less. That might be enticing for them; otherwise, leave the page count off.

The Logline

This is where most writers spend all their time, and also where most writers go wrong.

Your logline needs three things: who the protagonist is (described specifically, not by name), what forces them into action or what they want, and what stands in their way or what the stakes are.

The best loglines create an immediate visual and raise an obvious question that someone wants to answer by reading the script.

A formula to start from (not a rule):

When [inciting event], [specific protagonist with an irony or flaw] must [goal or action] before/or [stakes / obstacle / complication].

The key word is specific. "An aspiring rock star" is more specific than "a young woman." "A debt-ridden aspiring rock star" is more specific than that. "A debt-ridden aspiring rock star who hasn't quite given up her dream" is specific enough to create a character without describing one.

For the whole logline, aim for like 25-50 words. Read it out loud. Test it on people to make sure it makes sense.

The Comp Titles

Tonal comps: [RECENT FILM] meets [CLASSIC/EVERGREEN TITLE]. [Optional one-phrase qualifier.]

Two films. Lead with the recent one. The connector between them is the pitch: "X meets Y" is the format, but the specific combination tells the reader your tone and your genre simultaneously.

The optional qualifier is where you can earn a little texture to your story. For example: "If the Coens had written it." "With a body count." "Directed by someone who actually read Moby Dick." One phrase. Only use it if it genuinely adds something to the overall idea.

Here are some don'ts:

• Don't comp the highest-grossing film of all time.
• Don't comp something that bombed.
• Don't comp something so obscure that only you have seen it.
• Don't use three comps.

The Character Sell

At its center is [specific character description].

I think one thing I didn't realize when I was a younger writer is that they're not just looking for something marketable. They're also looking for something they can cast.

So in one sentence, sell the protagonist. Producers and reps think in terms of packaging. If you can make someone see an actor in the role before they've read a page, you've done something useful.

"A woman" is not a character. "A powerful, frigid CEO who two guys suspect is an alien" is a character, and also a role someone could play.

The Bio (Optional)

I talked about this earlier, but here is where it comes into play. You have one sentence to sum up your relevant credits. Produced work, meaningful awards, WGA membership, and industry roles that signal you understand the business. If your credits are from an adjacent field — journalism, fiction, TV, commercials — lead with the most transferable one.

If you genuinely have nothing relevant, skip it.

A missing bio is invisible. A bio that says "I am a passionate storyteller who has been writing since childhood" is not invisible. And it doesn't help you.

Better to let your work tell the story for you.

The Close

Happy to send it over at your convenience. Thanks for your time.

Confident. Short.

The n sign off with your name, email, and optionally your website or IMDb. Nothing else.

"I would be so honored if you might possibly consider" is not a close. It's an apology. You don't owe anyone an apology for sending a good script.

The Full Templates

Here's how it all fits together.

Cold Outreach:

Subject: SCRIPT TITLE — Feature Script
Hi [NAME],
I'm reaching out because [SPECIFIC REASON].
SCRIPT TITLE is a [genre] — [page count] pages, written to produce.
Logline: [YOUR ONE-SENTENCE LOGLINE]
Tonal comps: [RECENT FILM] meets [CLASSIC/EVERGREEN TITLE].
At its center is [SPECIFIC CHARACTER DESCRIPTION].
[OPTIONAL: One-sentence bio — or delete]
Happy to send it over at your convenience. Thanks for your time.
[YOUR NAME] [YOUR EMAIL] [WEBSITE / IMDb — optional]

Warm / Referral:

Subject: SCRIPT TITLE — Feature Script (via REFERRAL NAME)
Hi [NAME],
[REFERRAL NAME] suggested I reach out — I have a feature script I'd love for you to read.
SCRIPT TITLE is a [genre] — [page count] pages.
Logline: [YOUR ONE-SENTENCE LOGLINE]
Tonal comps: [RECENT FILM] meets [CLASSIC/EVERGREEN TITLE].
The lead — [SPECIFIC CHARACTER DESCRIPTION] — is the kind of role that drives packaging conversations.
Would love to send it over if you have bandwidth. Thanks so much.
[YOUR NAME] [YOUR EMAIL] [WEBSITE / IMDb — optional]

Summing It All Up

The best query letter in the world won't help you if your spec script is not ready. So put most of the time into polishing your work and making it airtight.

A great query gets your script read. A great script gets you the meeting. Those are two different jobs, and the query can only do the first one.

Let me know what you think in the comments.