Do you know how to cold email someone successfully? For example, if you want to arrange a coffee networking meeting?

Networking is important, no matter who you are. Unless of course, you live under a rock, and well… enjoy living there…

For everyone else – networking is our friend. Having a strong web of connections can come in handy at any point during your professional or personal life.

You might be a college student looking for professional contacts for when you start your career. Or, you may be an established professional who wants to meet more colleagues in your field.

Plus, consider this – in the US, most jobs are filled by word-of-mouth. That makes networking valuable when searching for a job.

But even if you aren’t looking for a job, networking is a great way to make connections with other people in your industry and stay on top of the latest news and advancements in your field.

Can we agree on the value of networking? Good!

How do you network, exactly?

If you’re outgoing and love meeting new people, networking may come easy to you.

But if you’re a bit shy, making new contacts can feel awkward – even a bit scary.

The good thing? You don’t have to be a “social butterfly”, that is, someone who loves to meet new people – to network. All you need is email!

Not sure how to write an email in English to expand your network?

Let’s see.

Step 1: How to start an email to invite someone for coffee

You don’t have to feel like you’re a used-car salesman… you don’t have to feel like you’re running for President.

All you need to build your network is to write a succinct – short – email to invite the person you’re interested in for quick meeting – say… coffee?

Yes, coffee is the universally understood code word for quick, networking meeting.

What does the perfect cold email for a networking coffee look like?

Let’s break it down…

If you send an email to someone you don’t know or don’t have prior contact with, it’s called a “cold email.”

Of course, this is your first contact, so you want to be sure that you’re writing an email in polite English.

We’ll warm this cold email up a bit with a nice salutation, or typical email greetings in English.

“Dear,” so-and-so is common. Of course, you’d replace “so-and-so” with the name of the individual you are interested in inviting to coffee.

Next you want to introduce yourself, mention your job title, and where you work.

For example, you might write:

Dear Mr. Smith,
I’m Carol Rose and I am a marketing strategist at the Gold Agency in Los Angeles.

Step 2: Explain why you are contacting this person

This is an opportunity to mention an achievement or work that this individual has made that has special importance to you.

For example:
I’m reaching out because after reading your article in the New York Times, I’m fascinated by your approach to growth hacking for startups.

Step 3: Extend the invitation

Now that you’ve introduced yourself and stated why you’re reaching out, you can extend the invitation and mention what you’d like to discuss.

For example, you can say:
I know you’re busy, but I would love to meet for a coffee and learn what you think are the most innovative ways startups are leveraging social media to scale customer acquisition.

Step 4: Discussing logistics of the meeting

Now, it would be a good idea to bring your cold email to a smooth landing by mentioning a specific amount of time the meeting will run and asking for their availability.

For example:
Just 15 minutes of your time would be greatly appreciated. Do you have availability in the next two weeks?

Step 5: How to conclude your email

Close your email with “Sincerely” or even “Thank you”, or some other polite expression to finish your email, and your name.

You may also want to provide your social media contact info or a phone number.

A complete example of an email invitation for a networking coffee

Let’s put all of that together and see what the complete email will look like:

Dear Mr. Smith,

I’m Carol Rose and I am a marketing strategist at the Gold Agency in Los Angeles.

I’m reaching out because after reading your article in the New York Times, I’m fascinated by your approach to growth hacking for startups.

I know you’re busy, but I would love to meet for a coffee and learn what you think are the most innovative ways startups are leveraging social media to scale customer acquisition.

Just 15 minutes of your time would be greatly appreciated.

Do you have availability in the next two weeks?

Thank you,

Carol Rose
Marketing Strategist
Gold Agency
(323) 675-9362

And of course, when you actually meet the person, don’t jump directly into an interrogation! Make some small talk to get to know the person, build rapport, and warm up the conversation before you get to the deeper subjects.

Bonus tip: Prepare a list of questions you’d like to ask, so you can avoid awkward silences in the conversation. You may not ask ALL of your questions, but it will help you revive the discussion when it slows down!

Then, who knows what benefits you might get from this short coffee meeting?

To recap

Start off the letter with a greeting such as “Dear” – Introduce yourself, your job, and location.
Next, state the reason why you’re contacting them.
Then, extend the invitation to coffee and mention what you would like to discuss.
Finally, request their availability to schedule and close your email with “Sincerely” and your name.

I understand sending a cold email can feel a bit scary.

But just remember to ask yourself this: “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Perhaps they say “no” or simply don’t reply at all. That isn’t so bad, right?

And the best thing that can happen? You get a meeting with someone you admire and broaden your network.

What about you?

Have you ever sent a cold email inviting someone for a coffee meeting to expand your network? Do you have any tips or tricks to get a positive response? Share them in the comments!

And if you want to practice SPEAKING English, so you feel confident before you actually meet someone in English?

Then consider my Faster Fluency Conversation Club. Club members can participate in 3 group sessions per week.

You get plenty of practice to speak English and receive feedback on mistakes or suggest ways you can speak more colloquially, so you gain fluency faster.

You can get all the details and join the Fluency Club by clicking on this link.

You’ll also get extra resources and a conversation guidebook, to help you increase your vocabulary and become more confident in conversations.

Thank you for learning with Speak English with Christina, and I’ll see you next time!