The double opt-in email

Get more intros and make higher quality connections by adopting the double opt-in format.

The best way to request and receive an email introduction is to write a strong double opt-in style email.

For those unfamiliar; the double opt-in email makes it incredibly easy for an intermediary to facilitate a connection by removing the heavy lifting of composing a full email from scratch. It also gives the requestor the opportunity to show the extent of their interest in connecting with the contact.

How it works

The intro requestor writes an email to the intermediary in a format that expects that their email will be forwarded along to the contact.

If you’re in need of a template for inspiration — it looks something like this:

Hey {intermediary name} — great chatting with you the other day.

You mentioned that you know {contact name} — I was checking out their work on {X} and {Y}. I found it very interesting because of {Z}!

As you know I’m working on {A} and researching {B}. I would love to connect with {contact name} over email or a quick call to get their thoughts.

Would you be able to make an introduction?

Thanks {intermediary name}.

Best, {requestor name}

Easy as that.

As you can tell, this makes it effortless for the intermediary, and gives the requestor the opportunity to control the narrative of the intro.

And beyond increasing the likelihood of the intro being facilitated and accepted, doing the light research on the contact in advance of the connection will increase the quality of the interaction when you do connect.

One thing that is essential to keep in mind; whatever you send to the intermediary will be directly forwarded without edit.

The intermediary may choose to further personalize and sing your praises in their forwarding message, or they may keep it brief.

Additional Tips

As with all business development related email copywriting, follow these general tenets:

1. Make it concise. An email should be several sentences, not a wall of text.
2. Make it personal. The email should show how much you care about making the connection; namely by personalizing it through light research on the contact.
3. Make it an easy “yes”. Make it effortless and interesting for both the intermediary and the contact to perform your desired CTA (Call to Action). You want the intermediary to facilitate, and the contact to accept.
4. Don’t pitch. No one ever likes to be solicited over email. That stuff gets reported, deleted, or archived immediately.

A double opt-in email isn’t a guarantee for an intro, but you’d be surprised how many people (both intermediaries and contacts) will reply affirmatively to a thoughtful double opt-in.

Hope this helps!