Posted on by Luke Vernon

How to Craft an Intro Email When Expanding Your Network

Have you recently had the chance to make a valuable connection, but were unsure how to send a genuine and eye-catching networking introduction email?  For those of you who follow the startup world, you are probably familiar with Mark Suster’s blog, Both Sides of the Table. Mark is a well-respected entrepreneur-turned-venture-capitalist based in California and offers great insights on his site.

He has a great post on how to craft introductory emails. I couldn’t have said it better myself – he totally nailed it. Here’s a quick summary of my main takeaways:

  1. Know who you’re reaching out to: don’t send an introductory email to someone you don’t have rapport with.
  2. Keep your introduction short and be clear with your intention.
  3. Clearly communicate the benefit of the connection.
  4. Don’t send a loose “you guys should meet” intro email: it wastes everyone’s time and we get too many of those. 

In addition to what he said, here are a couple other good practices:

  1. If someone introduces you over email, put the person who introduced you onto BCC of the next email so he doesn’t get caught up in the email trail between the two people just introduced, yet he still knows that a connection was made
  2. As a common courtesy, follow back up with the person who provided the intro after you made the connection so he/she knows it was worthwhile or not, and say thank you! They’ll appreciate it and be more likely to help you in the future.

Mark’s post is definitely worth the 3 minutes to read. You’ll have a lot more success with your introduction emails if you follow his suggestions. Whether you’re making a connection to land your first job, trying to meet up with an industry expert, or looking to land an investment to launch your company, considering these simple steps is important in making a great first impression.

Another great way to get connected is by joining our circle of talent! Just create an account and start receiving our exclusive email list of hot jobs on the market. We’re pretty confident that you’ll find a job at a company you’ll love.