Cozy mysteries (or Cozies) aren't like other mystery series; they're often lighthearted and feature an amateur sleuth instead of a detective. Cozies have a formulaic style they follow, but it's how these elements are done that catch attention.

The standard elements:

Pun-y titles: Any lover of cozy mysteries will recognize that the titles often have word play on murder or the main occupation or hobby of the protagonist. With titles like Forget Me Knot (Yes the protagonist is interested in quilting), If You Got It, Haunt it (Haunted Vintage), Sprinkle with Murder (bakery), and Elementary, She Read (bookstore).

Humor: Cozies are always funny. This can be snarky, situational, bickering banter, or ironic, with the sleuth usually sassy and opinionated.

Amateur sleuth: The lead sleuth is never part of the police force nor are they private investigators. They often stumble upon a murder by accident, and then are compelled to investigate. The reason varies: they know the victim, it happened in their work place, a suspect is someone they know and want to prove innocent, or they have a mild obsession with mysteries. Usually the sleuth gets in the way of the cops and can be an annoyance to them, because they meddle in the investigation, following their own leads and their own suspects.

Murder off screen: Often the murder takes place where the reader doesn't see it. There's usually no profanity or gore. However, the danger is always real, and many times there's an attack on the sleuth's life.

Threatening messages: The sleuths tend to catch the attention of the killer, which leads to threatening messages sent or attempts on their life.

“Safe” job: The main thing that makes these mysteries cozies is the occupation or hobby of the protagonist. Jobs like owning a bookstore, or bakery, or a boutique. You can even go the Murder, She Wrote route and have the protagonist be an author, or a reporter. Or the sleuth has a hobby such as knitting.

Side characters: The other characters tend to be somewhat quirky. Usually the closest friends of the protagonist either want them to stop or they join in the investigation. A lot of times there's a love interest, and a lot of times that love interest is a cop.

How to stand out from standard cozies:

Puzzle: There doesn't have to be a murder. Several cozies feature theft as the center mystery. Or you can have a mystery dating back to the past.

Most often a series: Most cozies are done in a series, but that doesn't mean every cozy has to be a series.

Do something unusual: Give the sleuth a pet they can rely on or simply turn to for comfort. Break away from the usual setting or hobby by sending them on vacation or isolating them or putting them on a boat. To have even more fun with it, write the mystery from the point of view of an animal. Yes, there is a series where each mystery is written from the point of a cat: Joe Grey mysteries. Magic is also an underrated part of cozies, with several featuring witches, but to stray from the standard ideas you can incorporate magic.