Cover Letter - in the email body or attachment?

I usually put my cover letter in the body of the email and attach the resume. I figure the cover letter is the pre-pre-sell to get them to open the resume which is the pre-sell which should get me the interview which is when I can really & truly sell them on how fantastic I am for their organization.

I've received the cover letter and resume as two separate attachments and it's like "Dude, why bother, what is in this email that could possibly entice me to open either of your attachments?"

While I can appreciate the desire to have super-spiffy formatting in a cover letter, if you can't convey the same oomph in a plain text email, there's something to be said for the actual qualifications & experience you're trying to bring to the table. Plain is better, IMO.

*two cents*

Agreed with Ash here. From both practical experience and what we're being taught today in b-school, you should use the email as your cover letter just the same as you would a paper version.

Besides, what else would you say in the email body?

"
Good Morning:

I have attached my cover letter for your review. If you like it, please open my resume, which is also attached. If you like that, I would like to interview with you.

I will follow up with you per my cover letter

Sincerely,
Your Future Regional Manager
"

In the body of the mail.

Mark