Write a letter of introduction to connect two people you know or to reach out to someone new.
A letter of introduction is an email that formally connects one person to another, often intended to forge new relationships, collaborations, or networking opportunities. You may write an introduction letter to connect two people you know, introduce a new team member to your department, or introduce yourself to someone you'd like to know.
Here, we鈥檒l discuss different reasons you might want to introduce someone and how to write an introduction letter.
There are several occasions when it may be appropriate to write a letter of introduction, such as when you want to:
Connect two people you know
Network with a new person
Introduce yourself at a new job
Welcome new team members
Onboard a new client, contractor, or freelancer
Most commonly, you鈥檒l write a letter of introduction connecting two of your contacts who may benefit from knowing each other. For example, say your friend Patty is considering shifting from content marketing to a career in user experience (UX) design鈥攖he same shift that your former coworker Manuel made two years ago. You may offer to write a letter of introduction connecting Patty and Manuel so that Patty can learn more about her desired career change from someone who recently went through the same process.
Tip: Before you send your letter of introduction, namely when you are connecting two people, it鈥檚 important to message each person separately to make sure that they鈥檙e okay with you initiating this new relationship.
Whether you鈥檙e writing to connect two people or introduce yourself to someone new, the structure for your letter of introduction will be pretty consistent. However, you鈥檒l always want to tailor the language in each of the following sections to the particular people and purpose.
In your email, you鈥檒l want to include:
Greeting
Why you鈥檙e writing
Quick introduction
Relevance to your contact
Necessary contact information
Sign off
Let鈥檚 take a closer look at each section.
Any time you鈥檙e initiating a new email chain, or writing a physical letter, you鈥檒l want to open with a greeting. Since our example introduces two of your friends, it鈥檚 perfectly fine to keep your greeting casual and friendly.
Hi Manuel鈥攈ope all is well.
Make it clear from the outset that this is an introduction by naming the other parties included in your email.
Meet Patty Romero, cc鈥檇 here.
If you鈥檙e writing a letter, you鈥檒l phrase it differently (unless you actually use carbon copies).
I鈥檓 writing to introduce you to Patty Romero.
In one or two sentences, tell your recipient a bit about the person you鈥檙e introducing. You may decide to include details like how you know them or what they do. Keep it brief, as you can anticipate that the people you鈥檙e connecting will spend more time getting to know each other later on.
Patty is one of my closest friends and a content marketer at Company X. You may be familiar with their blog, Blog-X, which she helped develop.
Next, lay the groundwork for this new relationship by stating what your contacts have in common or how they may be able to help each other.
She鈥檚 interested in exploring UX design and has been taking some online classes from Google. Since you鈥檝e gone through a similar career transition, I thought you may be willing to share your experience moving into the field.
If there鈥檚 any contact information you want to share beyond an email address, such as a phone number, be sure to include that before you end your communication.
You can reach Patty via email or give her a call at (555) 555-5555.
It鈥檚 a good idea to ask the individual you are introducing whether they prefer email or phone. Patty may prefer you only share her email address, for instance, so she has the opportunity to formulate any response to Manuel.
As with any email or letter, end with a sign-off, such as 鈥淭hank you,鈥 鈥淏est,鈥 or 鈥淪incerely.鈥
I鈥檒l let you two take it from here.
Thanks,
Franklin
Putting the above sample all together, an emailed letter of introduction may read something like this:
Hi Manuel鈥攈ope all is well.
Meet Patty Romero, cc鈥檇 here.
Patty is one of my closest friends and a content marketer at Company X. You may be familiar with their blog, Blog-X, which she helped develop the strategy for. She鈥檚 interested in exploring UX design and has been taking some online classes from Google. Since you鈥檝e gone through a similar career transition, I thought you may be willing to share your experience moving into the field.
You can reach Patty via email or give her a call at (555) 555-5555.
I鈥檒l let you two take it from here.
Thanks,
Franklin
To welcome a new colleague onto a team, you may write something like this:
Hi all,
Meet Simone, our team鈥檚 newest software engineer manager.
Simone joins us from B Industries, where they led development on the company鈥檚 recently launched app. Outside of work, they enjoy exploring national parks and playing guitar in their cover band. Here, they will be overseeing the team working on our operating system updates and liaising with various product managers and marketing team members.
Simone is set up on email and Slack, so please join me in welcoming them to the team!
Best,
Alex
If you are writing a letter to introduce yourself, you can follow a similar structure, though the result may read slightly differently. Here鈥檚 an example of how you may introduce yourself to a potential new contact:
Hi Mr. Shah,
My name is Penelope Adamos, and I鈥檓 a marketing associate at Firm Y. I admire the analytical work you contributed to the M Project, and I鈥檓 wondering if you may be open to talking about your expertise.
Recently, I鈥檝e gravitated toward incorporating data into campaign planning, and I鈥檓 earning a Professional Certificate in Marketing Analytics from Meta. I鈥檓 hoping to supplement my learning with insight from professionals like you.
If you鈥檙e willing to connect, I鈥檇 love to set up a 20-minute video call. Please let me know via email here.
Looking forward to your thoughts!
Thank you,
Penelope
Allow your relationships to guide your tone. You know the most effective way to communicate with your contacts. Set the tone for the connection you鈥檙e building by writing with a natural tone.
Keep it brief. Your role is only to introduce two people. Stay focused on your task and keep your language concise.
Personalize every introduction letter. Each person entering this new connection comes with their own background and goals, and your communication should reflect that uniqueness.
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