How To Introduce Yourself In An Email (5 Practical Tips)

Make no mistake about it - learning the most effective way to introduce yourself in an email can open gigantic professional and personal doors for you.

Not only does a proper introduction help you make a good impression; but it can also change the trajectory of your business or personal life forever.

But it’s easier said than done. 

Face-to-face introductions are hard enough. Introducing yourself or your brand via email, without eyeball-to-eyeball interactions, is tougher. In an email, you can’t improvise on the fly in response to the body language cues of the person you are speaking to. That said, you can still introduce yourself memorably via email and get a favorable response to your request.

And, since you don’t get a second chance to make a great first impression, you must pull out all the stops on the first try. 

Here are five practical tips to help you introduce yourself powerfully in an email.

Key Takeaways

• You need to know your audience before you can write an effective introductory email.

• Eye-catching subject lines that flow seamlessly into your opening words will get your email opened and hook readers from the start.

• Tailoring your emails to each recipient allows you to create benefits that motivate your readers to action.

Table of Contents

• Know Who You Are Reaching Out To

• How To Introduce Yourself In An Email (5 Steps)

• 1. Nail your subject line (and preview text)

• 2. Hook them with a personalized greeting

• 3. Woo the recipient with an enchanting opening li …

• 4. Tell them why you are reaching out

• 5. Dangle the juicy benefits 

• The Closing and Sign-Off

• Introducing Yourself Via Email (Wrap-Up)

Know Who You Are Reaching Out To

Spying On The Target Recipient

A stellar introductory email that gets noticed doesn’t start when you type your first word. 

It begins with researching the target person.

Understanding the person you are reaching out to is vital to your success. It determines what you say and how you say it. It helps immensely with personalization. Knowing who you are reaching out to will help you craft a fascinating intro email that resonates and engages the reader.

Research the person’s:

• Personal social media pages - gather interesting personal tidbits on the person's Twitter or Facebook account, e.g. favorite sports team or food, the college they attended, hobbies, etc.

• Company social pages - pick info about their official job title and the person’s role in the company.

• Blog - if the person blogs, discover their passion and mission by scouring their best blog posts.

Gleaned valuable insights about your target email recipient? 

Great, it’s time to turn them into an irresistible intro email that gets opened and read. 

How To Introduce Yourself In An Email (5 Practical Tips)

Let’s now get into the intricacies of introducing yourself in an email in five simple steps.

1. Nail your subject line (and preview text)

People’s inboxes are jammed.

With 333.2 billion emails sent a day, getting your email opened is a fierce battle with millions of competitors.

That’s why you should summon all your copywriting powers to craft an enticing and informative subject line for people to open your email. Below are a few tips for writing an intriguing subject line that gets clicked:

• Praise the person’s work or accomplishments. “Congrats on your NYT article”

This tactic taps into the human need for admiration and recognition. It’s hard to say no to someone who butters you up with praise.

• Mention a colleague. “Your friend Allison Martin suggested I contact you”

Trust is like a currency - it’s transferable. By mentioning a trusted acquaintance in the subject line, you persuade the recipient to transfer some of that trust to you.

• Mention a shared interest. “Hello from a fellow startup founder”

Humans gravitate toward people who share the same values and experiences as them. So, mentioning a shared interest moves you from being a stranger to a buddy.

• Promise them something nice. “How about lunch at [favorite restaurant]?”

We all love being pampered with something we enjoy. Offer your target recipient their favorite meal or tickets to watch their favorite sports team. They’ll give you an ear. 

• Mention your company name. “Hello from [your name] at [organization]”

This strategy works because it's simple and specific. It makes the recipient curious why so-and-so from this company is reaching out to them.

One more thing - keep your subject line short. On mobile devices, most inboxes only show about 30 characters.

As a real-world example: beehiiv creators see an average open rate of 32.5% for emails with subject lines between 80-100 characters. Lower that character count to 0-20, however, and open rates skyrocket by almost 8%. 

Finally, don’t forget to write a preview text to complement your email subject line. For instance:

Subject: Hi, I’m your new Sales Director

Preview Text: How about a meeting next Tuesday?

The preview text is your opportunity to tease the rest of your email. So personalize it, and create something that makes your readers say ‘I need to see what’s in this email.’

2. Hook them with a personalized greeting

Got your intro email opened?

Great! But that’s just the beginning. You must now get the person to continue reading. If you don’t capture their attention, they won’t read the rest of your message. First, stay clear of generic snooze fest salutations like, “Dear Sir or Madam,” or, “To Whom It May Concern.”

Such blanket salutations give an impression of laziness. You didn’t care enough to do your homework. And in today’s scam-filled world, readers are more likely to flag those emails as spam than read through what you’ve written.

That’s not the impression you want to create when introducing yourself in an email, right?

For the person to warm up to you, use their name in your greeting. Dale Carnegie was right on the money when he said, “A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” 

When you call someone by name, they look up and pay attention always, whether in a face-to-face or virtual context.

Get the recipient’s correct name from:

• Company website about page - scan for a brand’s about page or team list to find your target’s details.

• Company social media pages - companies put the full names and other details of their key personnel on their social media pages.

• Social networking sites - search for your target’s full name on popular professional business platforms such as LinkedIn.

Double-check that you’ve spelled the person’s name correctly. Not only does misspelling a name reveal you are careless, but it also offends your recipient. 

Newsletter audiences aren’t immune to the effects of personalization, either. Referring to your readers by name is a great way to form connections and show them you care. Imagine how you’d feel getting a welcome email like this:

To Whom It May Concern,

Thank you for subscribing to my weekly newsletter. Stay tuned for updates!

Personalize that same email and it’ll set up a nice foundation for what your readers can expect in the future.

John,

Thanks for subscribing. It’s readers like you who allow me to do what I do. Starting today, you’ll get weekly updates from the world of finance, investing, and wealth management. Look out for issue #1 in your inbox!

Don’t ease up after the greeting, though. The next words a reader sees are equally as important.

3. Woo the recipient with an enchanting opening line

Once you’ve hooked the recipient with a personalized greeting, suck them deeper into your email with an engrossing opening line.

The job of the first line of your email is simple: it entices the recipient to read the next line. If you don’t establish a mutual connection with the person in the opening lines, they won’t bother reading any further. 

Here’s how to create engaging self-introduction email opening lines:

• Say who you are and your official designation. “I’m Susan Superstar, founder of Productivity Pusher”

When people receive an email, the first thing they want to know is who it’s from. By answering this vital question straightaway, you put the person at ease so they continue reading the rest of your message.

• Explain why you are reaching out. “I’m the new [position] at [company name] and I’d like to introduce myself over a cup of coffee.”

People are busy. So the sooner you get to the core of your message, the better for everyone involved. Therefore, you can lead by telling the person why you are reaching out.

• Tell them how you found them. “I found you on LinkedIn when I was searching for [people or info] related to…”

In an age of slick scammers, people find it hard to trust strangers. That’s why telling someone where you got their contact info is invaluable. It assures them you are one of the good ones.

4. Tell them why you are reaching out

Nailed your introduction email subject line? Check.

Addressed them by name? Check.

Wrote an enchanting opening line? Check.

Kudos for getting the recipient to stick with you thus far. 

It’s now time for you to make the crucial ask. Tell them why you contacted them and what exactly you want them to do as the next step. Do you want the person to:

• Schedule a meeting?

• Try your product?

• Respond to your application?

• Attend your event?

• Send more info about a product/service?

• Contribute to your blog post or book?

• Collaborate on a certain project?

Say exactly what you want, and what you want the person to do in plain language. Your ask doubles up as your intro email’s call-to-action (CTA). It’s the win you desire and the ultimate goal of your email.

Notice how Arnold Schwarzenegger introduces his newsletter, Arnold’s Pump Club, to new subscribers.

Readers will expect a welcome email of some sort. Arnold cuts to the chase and tells his new subscribers exactly what they’ll see from him in the future. When your readers’ expectations match what you give them, you build loyalty and trust.

5. Dangle the juicy benefits 

Everyone suffers from what’s-in-it-for-me syndrome.

This is true both in a personal and professional setting.

Picture the last ad you saw. Did it appeal to you? Did it make you want to take action? If not, one of two things probably happened:

1. The ad wasn’t written for you (and their marketing team’s targeting could use some work).

2. The ad creator didn’t focus on the benefits you’d get by clicking.

People always look out for their interests. Before you engage in anything, you want to know how it will benefit you. If there’s nothing to gain from an activity, then you’ll ignore it. But if you feel you will profit from it, you will gladly participate.

Robin Arzón’s welcome email from her newsletter, The Pivot, is a great example of what focusing on benefits looks like.

You’re not just getting a newsletter when you sign up for The Pivot. You’re getting.

• Personal tips, insights, and recommendations from recipes and books

• The plans you need to develop a growth mindset (and look good while doing it)

• The ability to turn your plateaus into launching pads

To win your recipient over when you introduce yourself by email, reveal the concrete value the recipient will get from connecting with you. Offering value to your recipient triggers the principle of reciprocity. You give before you take. Giving softens up the heart of your recipient and makes them more likely to respond positively to your request.

To provide value to your recipient, you can:

• Give them free access to a useful tool that’ll improve their life or business.

• Connect them with someone they’d benefit immensely from knowing.

• Point out a broken link on a crucial piece of content.

• Give their books favorable reviews on Amazon or other platforms.

• Help them land a dream guest post or podcast guest slot at a famous show. 

The secret to a benefit that’ll cause your recipient to smile and say yes to your request is tailoring your incentive to the person’s needs, tastes, and desires.

The Closing and Sign-Off

Wrap up your email with a professional closing and sign off with your name.

Here are some suggestions:

I look forward to meeting you in person.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely.

Respectfully.

Warm regards.

Best regards.

Thanks in advance.

Looking forward to our meeting.

Looking forward to working with you.

If you’re writing the closing for a newsletter audience, stay on brand and speak how your readers expect.

“Talk Soon!” - Robin Arzón, The Pivot

“Stay Cute” - Smart Nonsense

“Until next Tuesday🕺🏽” - Big Desk Energy

The above closings wouldn’t have the same effect in a formal setting. But for those newsletters, it’s exactly what their audiences expect.

Email Introduction Examples

Need some inspiration for your introductory email? Let’s look at three personal introduction email case studies.

Introduction email example 1: New team member meeting their boss

Subject: Hi from your new Sales Rep

Dear Mr. Harvey,

My name is Smiley Sam, your new Sales Representative.

I’m thrilled to be part of your team, and I will start work in my new role next month. As part of my preparations, I’d like to meet you to brainstorm and submit a few ideas on how to grow our sales. Please let me know the best day and time for our meeting.

I look forward to meeting you in person.

Sincerely,

Smiley Sam

(Sales Rep)

Self-introduction email sample 2: Reaching out to free trialists

Subject: Congrats on your Zen Habits guest post

Hello Alicia,

I’d like to congratulate you on your guest post for Zen Habits titled “5 Productivity Hacks For Overwhelmed Solo Entrepreneurs.”

I loved the solid advice, particularly the third tip on how to free up one hour each day. 

My name is Samantha Keys, founder of Productivity Pusher, a tool to help uber-busy entrepreneurs get a grip on their schedule and become more productive. Knowing your passion for productivity, I’d like to offer you free no-strings-attached access to my new tool, Productivity Pusher. You will enjoy it free of charge for 6 months.

All I ask for is genuine feedback on what you think about the tool.

Is this something you’d love to explore?

Thanks for your time.

Samantha Keys

(Founder of Productivity Pusher)

Take the introduction email template that suits your context, customize it, and fire away. 

Email introduction example 3: Introducing yourself in an email referral

Subject: Kelly Thompson suggested I contact you

Hi Bradley,

I hope I find you well.

Your colleague Kelly Thompson suggested I contact you.

My name is Ted Billings, owner of City Link Logistics, a transport logistics company. I’m reaching out to see if our companies can explore collaboration opportunities for mutual benefit. Since you are in the truck spares sector, I feel we can partner and grow our businesses faster.

If this piques your interest, you can share your calendar, so we schedule a meeting over coffee.

Thanks in advance,

Ted Billings

(City Link Logistics MD)

How To Introduce Yourself In An Email to Clients (Sample)

We’ve given you the anatomy of an effective professional introduction email. 

Let’s put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Here’s a sample of how to introduce yourself in an email using beehiiv so you see what it looks like in a real-life business context. We will focus on a welcome email.

A welcome email is the first email you receive after you sign up for a newsletter. It’s triggered automatically once a person signs up for your newsletter 

Welcome emails are crucial because they:

1. Help you establish a personal connection with subscribers.

2. Tell subscribers or new leads and customers what to expect next.

3. Allow you to introduce yourself and what you do.

4. Set the tone for your relationship with new subscribers or leads.

Couple all these benefits with the fact that welcome emails have a sky-high 68.59% open rate - that’s 3x better than the average open rate, which shows their true value. A welcome email is the one email you must get right.

These are a few different types of email introductions you can send:

• Welcome email that explains who you are and what you do for new subscribers.

• Cold email introduction to a potential client.

• Introducing yourself to a new sales lead who books on your calendar.

For some real-world examples of effective welcome email templates, check out this post on our beehiiv blog. 

Below is a sample welcome email as it appears inside the beehiiv editor. 

beehiiv gives you full control of your welcome email with some amazing features:

• Preview Text - strengthen your subject line by including a preview text.

• Custom Publishing - choose whether to publish now or schedule for later publication.

• Save as a Template - save time and keep your best-performing emails by saving them as templates.

• Preview - see how your welcome email will look on desktop and mobile devices before you hit publish.

• A/B Test - test many subject lines to see which one converts best.

Introducing Yourself Via Email (Wrap-Up)

To wrap up, follow these self-introduction email samples, guidelines, and tips:

• Find a customizable and easy-to-use email software.

• Research the person you want to connect with.

• Keep your email introduction short.

• Be clear and specific about what you want.

• Don’t ask for too much - the goal is to connect first.

• Make it about them, not you.

• Share fascinating personal tidbits.

• Include a CTA at the end of the email.

Learning how to introduce yourself in an email seems trivial, but it matters. It’s a small but mighty hinge that swings enormous doors and opens up marvelous opportunities.

Want a complete, scalable newsletter platform for highly customizable introduction emails and more?

Sign up and write your first intro email now!