It was 1998, and President Bill Clinton was at the helm of a roaring economy and the most robust job market in decades. He was also being tried for perjury and was up for impeachment in the House of Representatives for an alleged intimate relationship with infamous White House intern Monica Lewinsky. I was 10 years old and for some reason I was quite into poetry. I had a collection of poems that I shared at local writing competitions and school events. And while I did not understand the intricacies of what Mr. Clinton was being charged with, I was old enough to know that our president was having a rough year. So I took to the pen and wrote a poem about Bill and sent it to him at the White House with a hand-written note that said “It seems like you have had a rough stretch, I wrote a poem that I thought may cheer you up.” It was roughly 4 weeks later that I received a note back from the White House (pictured above) signed by Bill Clinton with some kind words. The White House receives thousands of letters and fan mail addressed to the President daily, a handful of which can be responded to. When you reach out to influential people, to power-players, and to CEO’s, you can do several things to increase your probability of garnering a response; one of which is to be unique. Throughout my life I have had interactions with people far superior to me in social, economic, and intellectual influence. These include Forbes 400 members, journalists and numerous Fortune 500 CEO’s. Beyond a unique form of outreach, there are several strategies you can employ to increase your hit rate. Below I have included four key techniques that will drastically enhance your chances of grabbing the attention of influential people and getting a response to your outreach.
Nail the Subject Line: Professional marketers often evaluate the success of an email marketing campaign by the open rate of the emails sent. If the recipient does not even open the email to view the content within it, you have already lost. Be direct, be intriguing, and be professional in your subject line. Be careful not to use all caps, as this can be deemed spam and deleted immediately. Finally, make it sound personal so that it sounds like it came from you, not from a computer or ad campaign.
Be an Expert: When I was e-mailing Mark Cuban a business plan and financial projections, I watched every single YouTube interview available that featured Mark Cuban. I went back and re-read his blog posts, and I reviewed any relevant information he had shared on Twitter. From that research I learned a ton about what he looked for in people and businesses and I was able to deduce the type of language that would get him excited. The subject of my e-mail to him was simply “Sweat Equity Business Plan.” If you follow Mark Cuban’s business endeavors you know that hard work and brute force mean a hell of a lot more to him that flashy credentials and lofty promises. Along with understanding your audience, it is equally important that you have a sound understanding of the subject that you are addressing in the email. As bestselling author and entrepreneur Tim Ferris writes, “it is amazing how many would-be mentees or beneficiaries ask busier people for answers that Google could provide in 20 seconds.” Make sure that you express that you have done your homework and have a clear reason for why you are reaching out.
Be Direct: Have you ever sent an email to an executive that took you 45 minutes to craft and was at least half a page long, only to receive an abrupt, one sentence reply from the individual? Don’t be offended. These are high functioning, exceptionally busy people who do not have time for literary foreplay. Respect their time by being concise and direct. Introduce yourself, explain why you are e-mailing and why you deserve to be responded to, then provide explicit details for how you can be reached. I typically close such emails with multiple options to prevent further unnecessary emails. For example, “I am avaiable for the next two weeks in the afternoon, and early evening. However, if there is a time more convenient for you please let me know and I will make myself available at your convenience.”
Leverage Your Network: Equally important to the subject line is the person sending it. If you can have an introduction facilitated by a mutual connection, leverage it! And if you think you don’t have a network, you’re wrong. Visit your alma mater’s alumni page and find influential people in similar industries that may be able to introduce you. Heck, the individual might be an alumnus himself/herself. LinkedIn is great for this same function as well. If you can title an email “Referred by X”, your note gains credibility immediately that you would otherwise have to earn in the body of your message. If you are asking for a third party to facilitate an introduction, make it as easy as possible for that individual to do so by doing your homework and providing them with an email that they can forward along on your behalf. Chris Fralic, venture partner at First Round Capital has a great short video on the most efficient way to ask for an introduction.
If you have cool story about getting through to a influencer, share it in the comments section below. Similarly, if you want to bounce some outside-the-box ideas off one another to get in touch with someone that you have been unable to reach, leave a comment by clicking the comment box above and we can strategize.
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