how to cold email

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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btw, feel free to reply with topic ideas you want me to write about for future posts.

onto today’s topic: how to cold email 📧 

a cold email i sent in 10th grade eventually got me on stage at the largest longevity conference in the world, speaking to an audience of phd researchers and biotech ceos in denmark.

my cold emails have been ignored more times than i can count, but the potential for opportunities, growth, and an amazing mentor is too good to pass up.

if that fear of rejection is keeping you away from reaching out to people you look up to, please let it go. that rejection is nothing in comparison to what possibilities you’re blocking yourself from right from the get-go.

now that i’ve pitched cold-emailing (emailing people you have 0 connection to) to you, i’ll rapid-fire my 3 tips for how to go about crafting an effective email:

1) make it personalized 💁 

we all like feeling seen and valued, and the people you’re reaching out to are no different — they don’t want to feel like a vessel for you to reach an internship opening. that’s not how you form meaningful relationships either.

try not to copy-paste your cold emails. of course, you can maintain a similar structure that works for you, but the email’s content should be highly personalized to that person. reference specific research papers or projects, and ask questions.

2) think: how do you provide value? 🤨 

you might be thinking, “how could a student like me provide any value to a tech ceo?” you most definitely can. the right people are always open to feedback, hearing from a new perspective, and nurturing interest in their area of expertise.

you have a unique position as the cold-emailer — showcase the value you can provide right in the email. instead of saying, “i’m really passionate about ____ industry,” actually link personal projects, articles you’ve written and any work you’ve done in the space. this proves you have some baseline knowledge in the field and will ask well-thought out questions. go the extra mile and ask questions about research papers or new app feature. maybe even give a few suggestions on features you’d be excited to implement at x company if your goal is to intern / work at the company.

don’t just be some starry-eyed kid, show people you mean business and are hungry to learn.

3) include a call to action 🏃 

don’t just end the email at that, what’s the next step or point of contact? remember, the goal isn’t just a response. you want to build a relationship, and that’s hard to foster through just an email thread. end off your emails with a note of appreciation and asking about their availability for a short zoom call in the next week or so. you need to take on the proactive role.

this gives them something concrete to reply to, thus raising your odds for a response. they might reply with a “my schedule is too busy, sorry,” or “how does next tuesday work?” you won’t know until you try.

side note — finding people to contact in the first place might also be a struggle. one method i’ve used for quite some time is researching companies that are working on some really cool projects, or going down a research rabbit hole. 🐇 i make note of the companies in articles or investor website and then make my way over to linkedin (it’s even easier for researchers: they almost always have their emails listed somewhere on the internet). this is where i look up employees of said companies, and check if their profiles list an email i can contact. if not, i’ll send a cold message right through linkedin, or… get a little creative in my method for finding an email 😇 (i’ve found cold emails to be more effective than linkedin dms).

i hope this helps, and encourages you to start finally clicking “send” on those cold emails. i’m no expert, but i’d be happy to help you with structuring your emails to the best of my abilities. :) just reply to this email!

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