The Script for Asking for a Raise (with the Email Template)

Step 1: The meeting request email

Do not ambush your manager. Request a meeting with enough context that they know the topic but not so much that the negotiation happens over email. Here is the template:

Subject: Quick chat about my role and trajectory. Body: "Hi [Manager], I have been reflecting on where I am in the role and where I would like to go. I would love to find 20 minutes to talk through it. Would [day] or [day] work for you?"

That is it. Do not mention money. Do not mention a raise. Do not include your entire case. The goal of this email is a meeting, nothing more. If you preview your ask, you give your manager time to prepare objections before you have had a chance to present your case.

Step 2: The opening

Start the conversation by framing it as forward-looking, not as a complaint. Here is the opening: "Thanks for making time. I wanted to talk about my compensation because I have been doing some thinking about where I am and where the market is, and I want to make sure we are aligned."

Notice what this does not say. It does not say "I deserve more." It does not say "I am unhappy." It does not say "other companies are paying more." It says: I have data, I have thought about this, and I want to solve it together. That is the frame you want.

Step 3: The case

Present two or three specific results you have delivered, then connect them to the market. "Over the past year, I [specific achievement]. I also [specific achievement]. When I look at market data for this role at this level, the range is [range], and I am currently below that. I would like to talk about getting to [target number]."

Keep it tight. Three points maximum. Each one should be a fact, not a feeling. If you do not have metrics, describe impact in concrete terms: projects completed, problems solved, responsibilities absorbed. Then state your number clearly. Do not hedge it. Do not say "maybe something around..." Say the number.

Step 4: The pushback

Your manager will probably not say yes immediately. Here are the three most common responses and what to say to each:

If they say "There is no budget right now": "I understand. How can we get me there by the next review cycle? I would like to have a plan with specific targets so we are both working toward the same thing."

If they say "I need to check with HR" or "Let me see what I can do": "I appreciate that. Can we put a follow-up on the calendar for [specific date] so we can close the loop?"

If they say "Your performance is not at that level yet": "That is fair, and I want to close that gap. What specifically would you need to see from me to make this a yes in the next cycle?"

Step 5: The follow-up email

After the conversation, send a brief email that documents what was agreed. This is not optional. Verbal agreements disappear. Written ones do not.

Subject: Following up on our conversation. Body: "Hi [Manager], thanks for the conversation today. I wanted to capture what we discussed: [summary of what was agreed, targets, timeline, next check-in date]. Please let me know if I have missed anything. Looking forward to making this happen."

This email does two things. First, it creates a record that both of you can refer to. Second, it gently locks your manager into the commitments they made verbally. If the targets change later, you have a paper trail. If they do not change, you have a roadmap. Either way, you are no longer relying on memory.