I’ve been a VC for about 4 years now, and I do a lot different things in my job. But I’d have to say that making introductions, asking for them, and being introduced is something I do every single day. In fact, I looked through the 12,403 emails I sent in 2009, and 2,603 or over 20% contained the word “intro” or “introduce” or “introduction.” Along the way I’ve noticed there are some best practices, so I’ve put together a Top Ten list here from what I’ve learned.
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1. SUBJECT LINE MATTERS This one is a big one – DO NOT use just “Introduction” or “Intro” alone as email subject line. That’s the equivalent of sending a resume titled “resume.doc” – it says nothing. You should have the names and company names of both people being introduced in the email subject line.
2. WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE TARGET? Ever hear the line about everyone’s favorite radio station? WIFM – What’s In it For Me. WHY should the Target care about this introduction? Put it in the first sentence or paragraph. Another way to look at it – is there any evidence in your email introduction that you know anything about the Target whatsoever?
This is a list of basic things to do or not do when introducing people via email. At least for me, I am having to do this more and more, so it is a helpful short list to keep in mind.
