Networking email that busy people actually answer
Cold networking emails often fail because they ask for too much: "pick your brain", "any jobs?". This prompt has your todo.is agent read the person's public profile and work, find a real point in common, and write a short email with one small, specific ask, like a 15-minute chat or one question.
The prompt
- Write a networking email to [PERSON NAME AND ROLE]. Here is a link to their public profile or work: [LINK TO THEIR PROFILE OR WORK]. About me: [YOUR BACKGROUND AND GOAL]. We have this in common: [SHARED CONNECTION OR INTEREST]. Read their profile and recent posts or articles, and mention one specific thing they did or wrote. My ask is [YOUR SMALL ASK]. Keep it under 120 words, humble and direct, no flattery and no request for a job. Write a subject line and a short follow-up for 10 days later. Also write a 300-character LinkedIn connection note version. Save the email as a Gmail draft and do not send it.
What to change
- [PERSON NAME AND ROLE]: E.g. "Marcus Bell, UX Research Lead at Calder Bank".
- [LINK TO THEIR PROFILE OR WORK]: A LinkedIn profile, personal site, talk or article. Your agent reads public pages only.
- [YOUR BACKGROUND AND GOAL]: E.g. "I am a teacher moving into UX research, finishing a certificate this winter".
- [SHARED CONNECTION OR INTEREST]: E.g. "we both studied at Leeds", "I heard your talk at UX Day" or write "none" and your agent finds an angle.
- [YOUR SMALL ASK]: E.g. "a 15-minute call about how you moved into research" or "one question about portfolio case studies".
Example result
- Research notes
- • Marcus wrote a post last month on running user interviews in banking, where people are careful about sharing money details
- • He moved into UX research from a teaching background, like you
- The email
- Subject: A former teacher with one question about UX research
- Hi Marcus,
- I read your post on interviewing bank customers who are nervous about money. The tip about starting with a story instead of numbers was something I had never thought about.
- I am a secondary school teacher moving into UX research, and I saw you made a similar switch. Would you be open to a 15-minute call in the next few weeks? I would love to ask what helped most in your first research role.
- If you are too busy, no worries at all.
- Thanks,
- Emma Clarke
- LinkedIn note (under 300 characters)
- Hi Marcus, your post on interviewing nervous bank customers was really useful. I am a teacher moving into UX research, like you did. Would you be open to a short chat about your switch sometime?
- Follow-up (10 days later)
- Hi Marcus, a quick nudge in case this got buried. Happy to keep it to 15 minutes, or a short email reply works too. Thanks either way.
- After the call
- • Send a thank-you the same day with one thing you will try
- • Update them in a few months when you act on their advice. That is how a contact becomes a relationship
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill the [brackets] with the person, the link and your small ask.
- Paste it into the todo.is app or send it to your agent on WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Your agent reads their public profile, writes the email, a LinkedIn note and a follow-up.
- Send it yourself. Run the same to-do for each person on your list, one at a time.
Tips for a better result
- Ask for advice, not a job. People are happy to share their story and wary of being asked for a referral by a stranger.
- Make the ask tiny and specific: 15 minutes, or one question by email.
- Mention something they made or said, not just their job title. It proves you are writing to them, not to a list.
- Keep a simple tracker. Ask your agent to "add everyone I contacted to a networking spreadsheet with dates and follow-ups".
networking email: FAQ
- How do you write a networking email to someone you do not know? Say who you are in one line, mention something specific about their work, and ask for one small thing like a 15-minute call. Keep it short and give them an easy way to say no.
- Is it OK to ask for a job in a networking email? It is better not to in the first email. Ask for advice or their story; if a role comes up later, they will think of you.
- How do I follow up on a networking email? Wait about a week or ten days, then send a short, friendly nudge in the same thread. If there is still no reply, let it go.
- Can todo.is send LinkedIn messages for me? No. Your agent writes the message and you send it yourself on LinkedIn.
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