Short answer
A good introduction email says who you are in one line, why you're writing to this person in particular, one reason it's worth their time and a small next step they can answer in a sentence, all in under about 120 words. When you introduce two people, ask each one first (a double opt-in), then send a short email that says why they should talk and lets them take it from there.
- Say why them in the first two lines: a mutual contact, a shared context or a fact about their company.
- Ask for a next step they can answer in one line, not a 30-minute call.
- For warm introductions, ask both people first and give the introducer a blurb they can forward.
- When an account changes hands, introduce the new contact before the old one leaves.
- If you reward someone for sending an introduction for you, CAN-SPAM may treat you as the sender.
On this page
- Choose the right kind of introduction email
- What makes an introduction email work
- Introduction email templates
- Subject lines for introduction emails
- Worked example: a warm introduction from request to meeting
- The rules for introduction emails
- Mistakes to avoid
- Checklist before you send
- Sources
- Questions people ask
This page is for salespeople, account managers, founders and consultants who need to introduce themselves, ask for an introduction or connect two people by email. It covers first emails to prospects, warm introductions through a mutual contact, account handovers and the first email to a new client's team. For first emails built around a trigger at the prospect's company, the cold email templates go deeper.
Choose the right kind of introduction email
| Situation | Who sends it | Length | The ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introducing yourself to a prospect | You | Under 120 words | A question answerable in a line |
| Introducing yourself after a referral | You, naming the referrer | Under 120 words | A short call or a question |
| Asking a contact to introduce you | You, to your contact | Short, plus a blurb | "Would you be comfortable introducing us?" |
| Checking before you introduce two people | The introducer | Two or three lines | "Happy for me to connect you?" |
| Introducing two people | The introducer | 60 to 100 words | Nothing; they take it from there |
| Replying to an introduction | You | Under 100 words | Times to talk |
| New account manager | Outgoing and incoming contacts | About 120 words | A short call before the handover date |
| SDR to account executive handoff | The SDR | Under 100 words | Confirm the meeting |
| Introducing yourself to a new client's team | You | About 150 words | The kickoff meeting |
What makes an introduction email work
- Why them, early. The first two lines say why you're writing to this person: who referred you, where you've crossed paths or a fact about their company.
- Who you are, in one line. Your role and the kind of customer you help. Skip the company history.
- One reason to care. A problem you solve for people like them, or what the two people you're introducing have in common.
- A small next step. Most people reply briefly: in a study of 16 billion Yahoo Mail emails, half of all replies were shorter than 43 words, and the most common length was five. Ask something they can answer in five words.
- Short. Under about 120 words for a self-introduction; under 100 for introducing two people.
Knowing why this person should care is the slow part when you're introducing yourself to a list of accounts. Bebop researches each account and writes a playbook with what's happening at the company and the angle to open with, so the "why them" line is ready before you write.
Introduction email templates
Fill every bracket from something you've checked or someone has agreed to.
Subject: [the fact] at [company] Hi [first name], I'm [your name], and I work with [type of company] on [the area you help with] at [your company]. I'm writing because [company] [the fact, e.g. opened two branches this summer]. When [type of company] does that, [the problem it usually creates] tends to follow. Is that on your list this year, or already handled? [Your name] [Title, company, postal address]
Subject: [Referrer's name] suggested I get in touch Hi [first name], [Referrer's name] at [their company] suggested I contact you. [He/she/they] mentioned you're [the situation, e.g. reviewing how you bill clients across branches]. I'm [your name] at [company]. We helped [referrer's company or a similar one] with [result], and [referrer] thought the same might apply at [their company]. Would a 15-minute call next week be useful, or should I send two lines on how it worked first? [Your name]
Subject: Would you introduce me to [name]? Hi [contact's first name], I'd like to meet [name], [their role] at [company], about [topic]. I think it's relevant because [the reason, e.g. they're adding branches, and it's the same billing problem you solved last year]. Would you be comfortable introducing us? If yes, I've written a short blurb below you can forward or edit. If you'd rather not, no problem at all. [Your name] [Blurb: see the next template]
[Your name] is [role] at [company], which helps [type of company] with [problem]. [He/she/they] worked with us on [what you did together and the result]. [Your name] would like 15 minutes with you about [topic], since [the reason that applies to them]. No pressure if the timing isn't right.
Hi [first name], [Person B], [their role] at [company], asked if I'd introduce you. [He/she/they] [does what], and I thought of you because [the reason]. Happy for me to connect you? If not, I'll let [him/her/them] know it's not a fit right now. [Your name]
Subject: Introduction: [Person A] and [Person B] Hi [Person A] and [Person B], As promised, connecting you two. [Person A], [Person B] is [role] at [company] and [one relevant fact]. [Person B], [Person A] is [role] at [company] and [one relevant fact]. I thought you should talk because [the shared reason]. I'll let you take it from here. [Your name]
Subject: Re: Introduction: [Person A] and [Person B] Thanks, [introducer's first name]. Moving you to bcc to spare your inbox. Hi [first name], great to meet you. [One line on why you're glad to be introduced.] Would [day and time] or [day and time] work for 20 minutes? Happy to work around you. [Your name]
Subject: Your new contact at [company]: [new account manager's name] Hi [first name], I'm moving to [new role] on [date], and [new name] will be your account manager from then. [He/she/they] has [relevant experience, e.g. looked after six staffing agencies through their busy season]. I've briefed [new name] on [the two things that matter most to this client]. Nothing changes in [terms, pricing or service], and I'm reachable until [date]. Could the three of us have 20 minutes before [date]? [New name] will send times. [Your name]
Subject: Thursday at 10: [topic] Hi [first name], Thanks again for agreeing to talk about [topic]. I'm copying [AE's name], who'll lead Thursday's call. [He/she/they] has worked with [similar companies] on [the problem you discussed]. [AE's name], [first name] mentioned [the one or two things they said, in their words]. The invite is in your calendar for Thursday at 10. Anything you'd like us to prepare? [Your name]
Subject: [Project] kickoff: who I am and what happens next Hi all, I'm [your name], and I'll be your main contact at [company] for [project]. I've [one line of relevant experience]. Over the next [two weeks], we'll: 1. [First step and date] 2. [Second step and date] 3. [Kickoff meeting, date and time] What I need from you before the kickoff: [one or two specific items, with an owner]. If something's unclear, reply here or call me on [number]. [Your name]
Subject: [Your company] and [their company]: a shared customer problem Hi [first name], I'm [your name] at [company]. We work with [type of customer], and a lot of them also use [their company] for [what they do]. Several customers have asked how the two fit together for [specific job]. Would it be worth 20 minutes to compare notes on what they're asking for? [Your name]
Subject lines for introduction emails
| Situation | Subject line |
|---|---|
| Self-introduction | [The fact] at [company] |
| After a referral | [Referrer] suggested I get in touch |
| Asking for an introduction | Would you introduce me to [name]? |
| Making an introduction | Introduction: [Person A] and [Person B] |
| Account handover | Your new contact at [company]: [name] |
| New client team | [Project] kickoff: who I am and what happens next |
Avoid "Introduction" on its own and "Quick question", which say nothing about the email.
Worked example: a warm introduction from request to meeting
Illustrative example. The companies, people and figures are fictional, to show the method.
The seller: Sam, an account executive at Ledgerwise (ledgerwise.example), accounting software for staffing agencies. The contact: Rosa, CFO of Alder Staffing (alderstaffing.example), a happy customer. The target: Kevin, CFO of Pinewood Staffing (pinewoodstaffing.example), which Rosa knows from a regional staffing association.
Day 1: Sam asks Rosa (59 words, plus the blurb):
Hi Rosa, I'd like to meet Kevin at Pinewood about billing across branches. Pinewood opened three branches this year, which is about where Alder was when your invoice disputes started piling up. Would you be comfortable introducing us? If yes, there's a short blurb below you can forward or edit. If you'd rather not, no problem at all. Sam
Day 2: Rosa checks with Kevin first. She forwards the blurb and asks, "Happy for me to connect you?" Kevin says yes. Because Rosa asked, Kevin arrives at the introduction expecting it, not ambushed by it.
Day 3: Rosa makes the introduction (64 words):
Hi Kevin and Sam, as promised, connecting you two. Kevin, Sam looks after our account at Ledgerwise; it's what we use to bill clients from timesheets. Sam, Kevin is CFO at Pinewood, which has opened three branches this year. I thought you should talk because Kevin's dealing with the same billing questions we had last spring. I'll let you take it from here. Rosa
Day 3: Sam replies within two hours, moves Rosa to bcc and offers two times. Kevin picks one.
Day 5: Sam thanks Rosa separately, and tells her when the call is. Introducers like to know their introduction went somewhere.
Why it worked: Sam gave Rosa a specific reason (Pinewood's three branches matched Alder's situation) and a blurb, so the introduction took her two minutes. Rosa's double opt-in meant Kevin had already said yes. Each email was short enough to answer in a line.
The rules for introduction emails
This is general information, not legal advice. For UK and EU rules, see the rules section of the cold email templates.
- Introducing yourself to a prospect is commercial email. In the US, the FTC says CAN-SPAM "makes no exception for business-to-business email". Use an honest subject line and sender details, include your postal address and offer a way to opt out.
- Introductions you reward may count as yours. The FTC says whether a seller or forwarder is the "sender" depends on the facts, and that if a seller offers rewards for forwarding a message, "the seller may be responsible for compliance". If you pay referral fees or credits for introductions, treat those emails as your own.
- Account handovers may be relationship messages. CAN-SPAM treats an email as transactional or relationship content if it only notifies the recipient of a change in an ongoing commercial relationship. Such a message "may not contain false or misleading routing information" but is otherwise exempt from most of the Act. Add a sales pitch, and it may become commercial.
Mistakes to avoid
- Introducing two people without asking. It puts both on the spot. Ask each first.
- Making the introducer do the work. Give them a blurb, a reason and an easy way to say no.
- Opening with your company history. The reader wants to know why you're writing to them.
- A big ask. "Can we set up an hour next week?" is harder to answer than "Is this on your list?"
- Leaving the introducer in the thread. Move them to bcc in your first reply.
- Forgetting to thank the introducer. Tell them what happened, even if it didn't lead anywhere.
Checklist before you send
- The first two lines say why you're writing to this person.
- Who you are takes one line.
- The ask can be answered in a sentence.
- It's under about 120 words, or 100 when you're introducing two people.
- If you're introducing two people, both have agreed.
- Your signature includes your postal address and an easy opt-out for prospects.
- You've planned a thank-you for anyone who introduced you.
Next step: once the introduction lands and they're open to talking, ask for the meeting with the meeting request email templates, or connect on LinkedIn with a short connection message.
Sources
- CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business, Federal Trade Commission, accessed 26 October 2026
- Evolution of Conversations in the Age of Email Overload (Kooti, Aiello, Grbovic, Lerman and Mantrach, WWW 2015), arXiv (Yahoo Labs and USC Information Sciences Institute), 2 April 2015
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Last updated .
Questions people ask
How do you write an introduction email?
Open with why you're writing to this person (a referral, a shared context or a fact about their company), say who you are in one line, give one reason it's worth their time and end with a small question they can answer in a sentence. Keep it under about 120 words, use a subject line that describes the email and include your signature and postal address.
How do you introduce two people by email?
Ask each person first whether they're happy to be introduced, which is called a double opt-in. Then send one short email to both, with a subject like "Introduction: Ana and Kevin", one line about each person, the reason they should talk and a line saying you'll let them take it from there. The person who asked for the introduction should reply first and move you to bcc.
How do you introduce yourself to a new client by email?
Say who you are and your role on their project in one line, add one line of relevant experience, then list the next two or three steps with dates and what you need from them before the kickoff. Keep it to about 150 words and end with how to reach you. Clients care most about what happens next and who to ask.
How do you reply to an introduction email?
Reply within a day, thank the introducer and move them to bcc so they're spared the scheduling. Then say why you're glad to be introduced and offer two specific times to talk. Afterwards, let the introducer know what happened. People who make introductions like to hear that they led somewhere, and they're more likely to do it again.
What is a good subject line for an introduction email?
One that tells the reader why the email is for them. For a referral, "Rosa Diaz suggested I get in touch" works because the name earns attention. When introducing two people, "Introduction: Kevin and Sam" is clear. For a self-introduction, lead with a fact about their company. Avoid "Introduction" alone and "Quick question", which say nothing about the content.