How to Write an Intro Email

December 7, 2021
Business Development

You know what they say, first impressions matter. Your first email between you and your prospect is important. Because it’s your first initial contact, you want to make sure you are saying the right things to start up a conversation between you and the recipient. Your introduction email will allow you to present yourself in the right way and get companies engaged in learning more about what you are offering. Here are the components to what we feel makes a perfect intro email.

1. Write an engaging subject line.

When writing the subject line the goal is to persuade your target to open your email. You want them to be curious as to what you might be offering within the email. Most likely, the message you are sending is to someone you don’t know so there’s no guarantee they’ll read your emails unless it grabs their attention.

Here are a few tips to follow when it comes to choosing your subject line:

Keep it 4 words or less

Personalize where you can

Ask yourself “would I open this?”

3. Make the first line about them.

The opening line sets the tone for your introduction email. The first line is where you try to establish relevance. You want the recipient on the other end to be engaged so that they have a reason to keep reading. When writing your email you are probably thinking you should say something about yourself -- such as “ My name is X and I’m reaching out to you because…” -- This can become something they skip because it isn't relevant to them. No need to give them your name, they will be able to see your email and full name. You are a stranger to them so there’s no need to highlight that. Instead, you should lead with something about them. Quickly establish a business case for them to continue reading and take action.

4. Explain why you're reaching out.

Now that you've gauged their interest, it's time to connect the dots. Explain to them why you are reaching out. The key is making your explanation as relevant to your recipient as possible. A good way of doing that is by making sure you have knowledge of your target’s industry and their business model. If you make it clear you understand what their goals are, the recipient will feel as if you personally reached out to them. You want them to feel special instead of them feeling like one person on a list of 100 that you’re emailing. Everyone loves to feel special. Show that you are respectful of their time and give them the dialogue they deserve.

5. Provide value.

Now that you’ve explained why you are reaching out to your target, you need to express what you bring to the table. Before you ask to get on a call, you need to provide your value. If you are looking to get your target on the call, the first thing they think is “Why should I talk to you?”

Highlighting the benefits of your offering makes people want to learn more. When people receive value, it makes them want to return the favor. Highlight the features of your product that are an ideal solution for your target's problems. It doesn’t make sense to pitch the tools that they won’t use. Focus on the best possible ways you can provide for them and put that in your email. You can write out small sentences or list them in bullet form so that your email looks less wordy. You could also use this opportunity to highlight why your product or service is better to use than your competitors. You want to make it as if your company are the leading industry expert in your target market.

6. Include a call to action.

The final piece of the email is the call-to-action (CTA). A call to action is where you are asking your recipient to take a specific action. You’ll typically find this at the end of an email. CTA’s vary depending on the type of email you are sending. After you’ve provided them with valuable information and show that you took the time to reach out to them, your target must then take out the time to get back to you and let you know if they are interested or not. Try to remove as much friction from your task as possible; ask one simple question, such as:

Here are some sample lines:

"Would love to connect with you for an intro. Are you the best person for this or would someone else make more sense?"

"Are you open to answering a few questions about your experience working at X? Happy to chat over phone or email, whatever's more convenient."

Try to strike a balance between polite and confident. Because you're reaching out to a stranger, try to not ask for something unreasonable or excessive. You don't hurt your chances of a "yes" by sounding insecure.

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