Hi friend,
Yesterday, I told you I'd discovered a secret pattern in all my successful cold intro emails.
(By 'successful', I mean I got strangers to respond to me. Strangers who knew I wanted or needed something from them professionally, and stilldecided to email me back. That's huge.)
And the secret is hidden right in the very name of the very thing we're talking. Cold introduction.
It seems so obvious, but I guarantee this is the part you're currently forgetting.
When I work with my students and private coaching clients on their own cold intros, I always have to correct the same mistake first.
The pre-corrected email always starts the same way. It goes:
"Hello,
I'm writing today to inquire about the internship I saw posted on social media yesterday. I came across your email on your website. I am excited to put in my own application today because...."
Nice start, I'll say. But you forgot to introduce yourself.
Think about how this email would sound if some stranger came up to you on the street, or at a party. It would sound f*cking bizarre and kinda... rude, actually.
Because how do all conversations start? C'mon. You know the answer here. They start with introductions. Or at the very least, a name.
People need context before they can care about anything else you're gonna say, .
And so that's exactly what you need to give them. Yes, even though you sign your name at the bottom. You still need to be a polite, normal, functioning human--go on and introduce yourself.
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My no-brainer secret formula:
Hi [First Name],
I'm [Your Name]: a [Your Occupation or Desired Occupation] based in [City Where You Live / Just Moved To / Are About To Move To].
To illustrate that with real life situations, here are a couple examples of first line emails I've actually written:
I'm Alexa: product copywriter and UX designer based in London.
I'm Alexa: creative director on the ground in Berlin, and looking to make London moves at the end of the year.
I'm Alexa: Californian copywriter based in Berlin.
I'm Alexa. I've been following [your company name] and the Berlin tech scene for the last few months, as I'm moving to your fabulous city in two weeks!
I'm Alexa: Notre Dame '11 and a recent transplant to San Francisco.
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Can you see what I'm doing? Basically, I'm setting up my shot.
I'm providing immediate context as to who I am and--indirectly--why it might affect you, the stranger I'm about to email.
They don't have to skim down three paragraphs and wait for me to get to the point. I've done the polite thing, and introduced myself. Just like how a normal human might do.
I'm constantly talking about how the secret to great networking (and building an impressive career super quickly) lies in being informal enough to be likeable while always remaining professional.
This trick does just that, and it's a strong way for you to start doing the same.
Copy and paste my formula, and use it the next time you're firing off your resume to a new potential employer.
Let me know how it works out for you.
I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Big love,
xxA