Reaching out to someone you’ve never met can be daunting. I think the fear of rejection can be a hindrance for many – but remember, the worst they can say is ‘no’ or just not respond at all. With that in mind, you’ve truly lost nothing, but by not giving it a shot, you risk losing more.

Bet on yourself and give yourself a shot. Drop an email in that person’s inbox and see what happens. You just never know!

Where to Begin

Doing a little bit of research going into this can be super helpful. I have found that the biggest factor in my success rate of response is by making the email as personal as possible. The only way to do this is by learning a little bit about the person. You don’t have to spend hours on this, but five minutes can go a long way.

What do I mean by this?

The wonderful world of LinkedIn!

Search the person’s name, see where they’ve worked, or maybe what they studied, or where they studied. Do you have any mutuals? Are they a part of a club or organization you know about? Do you live in the same city or a city you have an interest in relocating to? Is their pathway intriguing to you? Odds are you can find something in common with this person. Find the thing, and make a list of one of two things – you’ll need this for your email.

Ex:

• This person studied business but all of their experience is in the medical sector of tech.
• This person used to work in entertainment but now works in venture capital.
• This person went to a state school and got a job at a top corporate company right out of college.
• This person is working at the company you are trying to apply for but came from something very different in their previous role.

Whatever the relatable thing is, find it! At the end of the day, why are you reaching out to this person, instead of someone else? Which brings me to the next part…

What About This Person Excites You?

Of course, you might have found this individual purely based on the company they work for – but why this one person instead of the other 30 people in the same position? If I’m being honest, sometimes there isn’t a profound reason, but if there is one, mention this and use it to your advantage.

Ex:

• I see that we have a mutual, (insert name).
• I was referred to you by (insert name).
• My professor said you would be a good person to reach out to.
• I saw that you used to work at (Company X). I used to work there too!
• Your pathway seemed unique and I’d love to hear your story.

My Biggest Piece of Email Advice

There’s no question that you’re probably reaching out to this person because you need or want something from them. That’s okay – there’s no crime in that! I would refrain from asking for that right off the bat in a cold email. I think the best way to do it is to ask for an informational interview first. Just get to know the person, and let your true ask come up in conversation organically. That has always worked out tenfold for me.

“What’s an information interview?”

An information interview is a proposed conversation where you just get to learn about the person’s career journey, current position, industry insights, or other career-related questions. This is typically done with someone who has experience in the requested field – hence why you are reaching out to this person. It can oftentimes be a great way to get to know someone and also learn from them. I’ve had many informational interviews that resulted in mentorship or actual friendship down the line.

Although you may think that you will only talk about this other person’s life and career, be prepared for some of your proposed questions to come back to you! It’s not uncommon for the interviewee to ask “What about you?” after a question. This might sound scary, but honestly, it’s the best-case scenario, as it allows you to give the person some insights on yourself and then eventually weasel in the true ask that you have.

>> Click here to download the Succesful Cold Email Template <<

Notice that the email isn’t too lengthy and there isn’t a bunch of fluff. Keep it this way! You want to be short and to the point. Odds are the person you reached out to is very busy, so don’t try to take up too much of their time by just reading your email. Keep in mind that you also want to show that you were purposeful in your outreach and have done a bit of research. The added elements of personalization will help you in this area.

Don’t be afraid to seek guidance and support in whatever you are trying to achieve next. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to help and are even eager to do so!

Below are some successful cold email examples that have been collected from people in all different industries and backgrounds.