Crafting Compelling Introduction Emails

I’ve trained hundreds of sales reps over my career. Here’s the exact framework I use to write good cold emails from start to finish: 1. Lead with the pain not the pitch The goal of a cold email is to start a conversation, not close the deal. It’s to reflect back a real pain your buyer is already feeling often before they’ve articulated it themselves. No one cares about your product. Especially not in the first touch. They care about themselves and their problems. The biggest mistake I see reps make is trying to close too early. They shove value props, case studies, feature sets, and “we help companies like…” I always come back to this: “No pain, no gain, no demo train.” You’re not here to educate. You’re here to trigger recognition. To make them nod and go: “Yeah, we’re feeling that.” 1. Write like a human The best cold emails don’t have long intros. No “hope this finds you well.” Just a clear, honest attempt to connect over something they care about. Let’s say we’re targeting agencies running 10+ client accounts. Here’s how I’d start: “Hey — I saw you’re managing multiple clients. Curious if you’ve had to deal with deliverability issues lately, especially with the new Google/Microsoft changes. Is this on your radar?” That’s it. No pitch. No product. Just a relevant question that hits a live pain. You don’t need clever. You need to be clear. 1. Structure matters (but keep it stupid simple) I’m not into formulas. You don’t need a 7-step framework to write a good email. You need to understand the buyer and speak to them like a peer. Think about it like this: Line 1: Show you’ve done your homework. Line 2: Bring up a real, relevant pain. Line 3: Ask a question that invites a reply — not “yes.” If your email looks like a blog post, you’re doing it wrong. The goal isn’t to explain. The goal is to start a conversation. 1. Use follow-ups to build narrative (not nag) Most follow-ups sound like this: “Just bumping this to the top of your inbox.” “Not sure if you saw my last message.” Useless. Instead, think of your cold email sequence as a way to diagnose pain over time. Email 1 brings up the initial problem. Email 2 digs into what happens if it doesn’t get solved. Email 3 introduces that you might have a solution, if they’re open to it. Each message earns attention and adds value. Follow-ups shouldn’t be annoying. TAKEAWAY Conversations > conversions. Relevancy always wins.

If you’re an AE or AM taking on new accounts please don’t send intro emails that sound like this: “This is Trevor, the new AE aligned to your account. I see you’re one of the key admins and power users of our platform. I’d like to schedule some time with you to learn how you’re using the tool. How’s some time next week?” 😐 You know what your customer’s thinking? ‘Ugh. This is our third AE in the last 2 years. Now we need to re-explain how we’re using their product… again’ Stop kicking the relationship off on the wrong foot. And start kicking it off with a good customer experience + transition. ………………………………………….. Here’s a recommendation 👇 Do the following before your initial reach out: - calls with last AE, CSM, SE, SDR, PS, renewals, partner - teams in org using tool + teams that've shown interest - use cases they're using the tool for today - problems they have tackled by using it - business outcomes, result + metrics - good and bad customer support tix - listen to previous call recordings - level of expertise in tool - usage / adoption - feature requests - whitespace Put yourself in their shoes. Come prepared. Build a foundation of trust and credibility. …………………………………………........ Your intro email could sound like this: “Hi Linda and team - I’ve heard wonderful things from Ashley and am excited to work with you this year. I’ve had a full debrief with our internal teams and am up to speed on how you’re using the platform today. We appreciate your ongoing partnership. How about a virtual lunch next week for a meet and greet? I’ll shoot over a few Doordash gift cards. Below are few open slots. Let me know what works and we can get it on the books. Thanks!” ............................................................ Kick off your customer relationships on the right foot.

I've sent 8,200+ cold emails to strangers, and it has completely changed my life. These have landed me jobs, customers, investors, hires, business ideas, and more. Here's my 4-step framework to writing top 1% cold emails: 1/ The Opener 💌 Your first line needs to be about THEM, not you. It has to be incredibly specific, well-researched, and honest (don't fake it). Show that you've done more research vs. the last 100 people who emailed them. Example 1: "Hey [name] — I loved reading your blog on X, and appreciated your story in growing ABC co from P to Q over the last 3 years. You've inspired me to launch my own company someday." Do this well, and you're already in the top 1% of emails they receive. 2. The Quick Intro 👋 Write <20 words to introduce yourself and what you do. It needs to be dead-simple English (i.e. Grade 6 level on Hemingway App). Be direct and honest, don't oversell yourself. Example 1: "I'm Naitik – a 2nd year design student from XYZ University." Example 2: "I'm Naitik and I'm building a new no-code tool for designers." 3. The Context 💭 This is the crux of your email — give context on why you're reaching out, before making your ask. Limit it to 1-2 short and clear sentences. Bonus: The more specific value you can GIVE in your first email, the more likely you are to hear back. Example 1: Reaching out for a job as a designer? Give them 1-2 quick tips to improve their website, and how it could make them more revenue. Example 2: Reaching out someone for advice? Give them concrete context on your situation, and the specific decision you need advice on. Example 3: Reaching out to hire someone? Give them 2 ways that you can support their career & goals. 4. The Ask 🎯 This is your main call-to-action and it has to be extremely specific. The catch? You can't request anything vague: "a quick call" or "meeting to pick your brain". You don't need a phone call or meeting in 99% of the cases. Be permission-less and make your ask over email. The more specific your request, the higher the chances of you hearing back. Example 1: "Can I help you as a design intern to improve your website in the next 30 days?" Example 2: (after sharing context & the decision you need advice on) "Would you go with option A or B in this scenario and why?" Example 3: If you really need a meeting, "Can I get 10 mins of your time to ask how you'd approach job hunting if you were a student today?" That's all. Repeat this 100x, and I guarantee you will 1) get responses, and 2) open up opportunities you never thought you had access to. PS: I have a lot more to share on this, so I've recorded a deep-dive video walkthrough on how to write stellar, top 1% cold emails. If you're curious, comment "Cold Email" and I'll DM it to you by end of week. --- This is Day 8 of 30 of my writing challenge — everyday I'm sharing my ups & downs, challenges & learnings as a founder scaling StartupBake to $1M/yr in revenue. Follow along if you'd like :)

As a CRO, I was able to increase the success rate of exec intros by 2.3x by adding 2 steps to the process that take 3 minutes each. The normal intro process looks like this: 1. Rep asked for intro. 2. Exec says draft me a note. 3. Reps sends exec a draft. 4. Exec sends drafted intro with minor edits (only 2 weeks after saying they would - haha!) 5. Exec sometimes gets a reply and CC’s AE on the note back. 6. Meeting scheduled. This is how I do introductions that are more successful: 1. Rep asks for intro. 2. I tell them to send me a note that looks like this: “Mark, Great catching up yesterday. What'd you think of that account research flow. Really appreciate the feedback you gave. Looks like you already found 3-4 major challenges we can solve for a couple of accounts. How much time did you say your reps are spending doing this again? We got it done pretty quick together. Bob” This email is short, casual, but it creates 3 areas of curiosity if someone was reading your email — what is the research flow, what did Bob figure out, and how fast did Bob do it. It doesn’t not ask for an intro (that’s coming - wait a sec!). This email communicates value props but in a private convo. That’s one of the keys. 3. I reply to rep with answers and a suggestion to intro the person the rep asked for intro to in an email like this: "Bob, What'd you find? Got me curious now. It takes us about 4 hours per account for the level of stuff we got into. How long did it take you? You know who loves this stuff? Stevie Case at Vanta. Do you know her? Mark" This email answers some of the questions from email 1 and paves the way for an intro that is the one the rep requested. 4. Rep replies like this: "Mark We found that ABC, Inc. was spending 50% more on ads in Q2 but their ROAS was well below benchmarks. Cool stuff. Took the system about 5 minutes from request to sending the message to the prospect. I don't know Stevie. Would love an intro. I could run a couple of accounts to see what compliance issues we can uncover. Make sense? Bob" This email answers all the questions and shows specific value. 5. I forward email to the person I'm introing in a note like this: "Stevie, Please meet Bob from Operator.ai. See below. Bob and I were talking about account research and how it increases conversion. I thought you'd be interested. Hope y'all have a good convo. Mark" 6. I get out of the way and Stevie books with Bob. This works bc of the extra steps where we let the person we are introducing into a private convo that answers some of the what do you do, why am I getting this questions that often derail introductions. ♻️ Consider reposting if you need to up your intro game. ❓ Do you do intros a bit differently and get better results?

Tired of your networking introductions going nowhere? You send an email connecting two people who should meet… and then? Crickets. 🦗 You're not doing it wrong—you’re just doing it the lazy way. Here’s the deal: inboxes are a war zone—full of spam, promos, and chaos. If you casually toss an intro over the fence, it will get buried. Example of a dead-end intro: “Hey Larry, meet my friend Dennis. You two should talk. Go make magic happen!” No context. No value. No action. If you really want to make powerful, outcome-producing connections, here’s the playbook I’ve refined over 20+ years: 1. Know who’s who. Decide who benefits most (the beneficiary) and who’s the generous connector (the benefactor). This gives your intro purpose. 2. Prep the benefactor. Before firing off the email, call or text the benefactor. Give them a quick, compelling reason why the intro is worth their time. 3. Send the intro with intent. Subject line: Introducing Dennis to Larry to connect about [topic] In the body: - Pitch why they should meet. - Sell each other's value. Include LinkedIn links. - Keep it short, relevant, and motivating. 4. Coach the beneficiary right after you hit Send. Make sure they respond quickly, keep it brief, and propose a call or meeting within the week. 5. Follow up. Text the benefactor to say the intro email is in their Inbox. If the connection is important, follow up a week later. If the beneficiary hasn't responded, remind them that you are doing a favor and they need to follow up! Done right, this approach works. Not every intro will convert, but your hit rate will skyrocket—and your reputation as a SuperConnector will grow. As I wrote in Love is the Killer App: 💡 “Your network is your net worth. And it grows as you share it intelligently with others to promote their success.” Let’s raise the bar on how we connect people.

Sick of your cold outreach getting ignored? Here are 6 ways to bullet-proof your email: 1. Make it relevant. Research the person you're emailing. What do they care about? What are their goals? Their interests? Tailor your email to them. Show them how what you have to offer is relevant to their life. 2. Be specific. Don’t use vague language. Be clear about what you're offering. Don't say "I think I can help you." Say "I can help you do X." This shows you’ve done your homework and know what you're talking about. 3. Hook them with a headline. The headline is the first thing people see. Make it count. It can be provocative, interesting, or a question. It should make them want to read the rest of the email. 4. Personalize. Use their name, not "Hey there" or "Hi." Mention something you admire about their work or business. It shows that you’re interested in them as a person, not just what they can do for you. 5. Keep it short. People have short attention spans. Get to the point quickly. Use bullet points to break up text. No one wants to read a wall of text. 6. Provide value. Don’t just ask for something. Offer something of value in return. Maybe it's a piece of advice or a relevant article. Make it clear that you’re not just trying to take from them. Remember: - People crave personalization - Don’t overcomplicate it - Keep it relevant - Make it interesting Do this and watch your cold outreach response rate skyrocket.

An email that starts with “I’d love 15 minutes to introduce myself” is getting ignored every time A VP doesn’t know you, doesn’t trust you, and definitely doesn’t have time for a sales pitch disguised as a quick chat EARN their attention by showing up with something valuable and being a person they'd actually want to talk to Here’s the play: 1. Leverage AI – ChatGPT is your best friend. Ask it: “What are the top 3 trends for a VP of Talent Acquisition in FinTech?” 2. Triangulate – Cross-check the trends with your own insights. What are the biggest challenges your solution addresses? 3. Show up like a peer – When you email them, it’s not "Hey, let me pitch you.” It’s: "Other VPs in your space keep mentioning [Trend X]. Curious if that’s something you’re seeing too?" Your email shouldn’t be about you. It needs to be about them Start a conversation instead of just adding to the noise

A candidate sent me this cold email that was so compelling that within a week, we flew him out to SF to do a paid work trial with us. What makes this email so good? 1/ He works in the space intimately and knows the ins and outs of our product, and this was made even more clear in our conversation following the email. He explicitly says, “I’ve seen the consequences of teams making alternate decisions.” 2/ He shared an example of applicable, high-quality work that was relevant. This wasn’t a take-home-like example for our business—it didn’t need to be! But it was thorough (15 pages) and covered all the growth channels relevant to our product. 3/ He had the startup mentality we were craving—mentioning he was looking for in-person work in SF and that he was a former founder. His backstory was strong. 4/ It was concise, actionable, and obviously not AI-written. It was clear his outreach was intentional. The job market is tough right now. AI-generated resumes and digital applications mean almost all job posts get thousands of applicants in days. But it doesn’t mean you can’t cut through the noise. If you’re searching for a new gig, try cold emailing the founder. What’s the worst that can happen?

When trying to get a new client I usually have one shot at the intro to intrigue them enough to open a conversation. There are many different approaches but these 3 are the core of what really works. PERSONALIZE: Mention a recent project they completed, a post they published, or a pain point their industry is facing. This shows you've done your homework. Avoid generic templates. Each message should feel like it's uniquely crafted for that recipient. PROBLEM: Help them see what they're missing by not having an effective online presence. Tie the problem back to their business goals. Are they looking to increase leads, improve brand awareness, or streamline their operations? SOLUTION: I am the solution. Provide a quick tip or insight related to their business or industry. This demonstrates your knowledge and willingness to help. I am the solution. Find common ground. Maybe you've worked with similar businesses or share a passion for their industry. Using these guidelines have increased my response rate significantly! Hope it helps.