I volunteer and people ask me for intro’s all the time. Email is the easiest way and the person who wants to be connected knows why they want to be connected and why a relationship makes sense much more than I do. When involved with intro’ing someone, I usually ask for them to tee up an intro and I just saw this article by Craig Cummings, which gives the advice below for email intros that I could not agree with more!
- Clear subject line of the email. “Introducing (the company)” plus a short attention-getting “hook” if possible.
- Begin with a quick thanks to me for the introduction and specify to whom you are requesting the introduction (this is also a gentle reminder to me to whom you would like to be introduced).
- The ask: Remember, less is more, so make the initial ask only for a quick call or meeting with the person or other appropriate person within the target company. If you are fundraising or if you are visiting the contact’s city, add those details and make them easy to find (ex: “We are currently raising our Series A and will be in Austin August 12–14. We would enjoy the opportunity to meet her or her team while in town.”).
- The company elevator pitch to include high level bullets referencing milestones, traction, and relevant highlights.
- Attach additional materials (teaser or link to pitch deck) and call out that they are attached.
- Send a fresh email. Do not add the forwardable email to an existing email thread.
- Ensure all your contact information is in your signature block, to include your mobile number.
