The operating system of building your network in tech is the forwardable intro email. Want to work a connection you have? Use a forwardable email. Want to meet a VC you have mutuals with? Use a forwardable intro email. Want that coveted intro to the man, myth, and legend…Ashton Kutcher? Great! Use a forwardable intro email.

What is a Forwardable Intro Email?

It’s best to explain forwardable intro emails work through an example. If I want to connect with Hunter Walk, a prolific seed stage VC, I think of someone in my network who does have a connection to him. Let’s say the name of this person is Eric, as an example. I could ask Eric for an intro to Hunter, but Eric can’t make the intro automatically because he respects Hunter’s time. Hunter may not want to meet with me, even though I want to meet with him, because of constraints on his time. So instead, Eric tells me to draft a forwardable intro email that he can send to Hunter. In this email, I am making my case for why Hunter should meet with me. Why am I worth his time?

I draft up this email, I send it to Eric, and he forwards it to Hunter. Hunter now see’s the forwardable email I wrote. If he thinks that I am worth his time at that moment, he then would tell Eric to make the introduction. At this point, Eric then makes an introduction to Hunter and I and now I have access to him. This is what so many call the double opt in intro.

Why Do Forwardable Intro Emails Exist?

You may be wondering why I can’t just email Hunter myself? I could, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the trust link. Most people in the world would waste Hunter’s time if given 10 minutes with him, so he is protective of it to make room for the people who won’t waste his time. After all, he only has 24 hours, just like the rest of us.

In the above scenario, Hunter trusts Eric. And if Eric is sending Hunter my intro request, it means there is a link of trust going from Eric to me. So Hunter can assume there’s some signal with me if I convinced Eric to send a forwardable email to him. But if I email Hunter cold, he knows nothing about me. He doesn’t have anyone to vouch for me or give any context on who I am. And he gets hundreds of these a day so how does he pick who to meet vs. reject? This is why warm intros matter. They are a transfer of trust. They are a way the very busy people can figure out where to spend their time.

I’m not saying that there aren’t major flaws with the warm intro system or that cold emails don’t work, but in general, busy people have a way of doing things and it’s best that we cater to how they like to work. No, we don’t have to but if we’re the ones trying to get access to them, we need to play by the rules they like. We don’t have to, but then we may not get the results we want either.

How to Write A Good Forwardable Intro Email

At Seedscout, we have a preferred format we like these emails top be in from our founders. We wrote a post on this format here and that I think any founder could get some value out of. With that said, there are dozens of ways to write one. Roy Bahat wrote a great post on this as well back in 2014.

I’d argue that writing a good forwardable intro email is a key skill of any founder actively trying to grow their network, which should be every one of you. Hopefully this post shines a light why forwardable intros are a preferred format for VCs and other busy people. Although far from perfect, they have their place in this crazy world we call the private markets.