The Forwardable Email

In The Idea Bucket, I focus a lot on strategy and leadership. But right now I’m focused on some of the most powerful frameworks I use with my clients as they navigate their career.

We’ve made our Personal Selection Criteria, we’ve set our Go / No Go Date, we’ve started our Curiosity Tour, and we're beginning to Create Intentional Serendipity.

But how do we convert these initial interviews into warm connections to other leaders?

We do that by being really good at following up with The Forwardable Email. It’s a way to help others actually make that connection they said they would.

Breathe. Take The Connector Perspective

We’ve all been there: a great meeting, good energy, a real sense of forward momentum. And we’re excited about the people our new contact said they’d connect us to.

But then…those connections never come. 

Were they serious when they said they’d connect us? Should I nudge them one more time? I don’t want to be annoying. Maybe they aren’t going to be that helpful after all. 

Before you start spinning out, let’s take a step back and truly understand the perspective of the connector. 

Given the leaders you're hoping to meet, it’s a safe bet they’re busy and their inbox is overflowing. More often than not, it’s that busyness—not some passive-aggressive unwillingness—that’s the real blocker.

As an investor and as the leader of multiple cohort-based communities, I’ve experienced  firsthand the blockers that have prevented me from making the connections I truly wanted to make. 

Here are common blockers I’ve seen:

• Lack of follow up: Most connectors assume that the initiative for following up on introductions falls on the person asking for the introduction. This unspoken norm often leaves the ball falling between both parties, waiting for the other one to pick it up. Always assume the initiative falls on the person who wants the introduction and take that initiative. 
• Lazy follow up: In this case, the person who wants to be connected does the bare minimum to remind the connector to make the connection: Hey, just a reminder to connect me to so-and so! It‘s good that you're following up, but you aren’t meeting the busy connector where they’re at. You’ve placed the burden on them to explain who you are, what you do, and why you want the intro. Don‘t put this burden on the busy connector. They’ll want to do it, but most likely it’ll stay sitting on their to do list until they have time to focus on it.
• Overwhelming follow up: This is a version of the lazy follow up but in list form. The person who wants to be connected sends a long list of people they want you to introduce them to. Or, even worse, they just list companies and ask for anyone you may know at that company. This is a boulder of a to-do list item. It requires the connector to research multiple people and send multiple introductions. This one is definitely not getting done. (And, to be honest, it probably builds a skepticism in the connector’s head on how you’ll show up with someone they connected you to.)  Don’t send lists. And don’t send vague company requests without doing some research on that person‘s connections first. 
• Faking the Connector’s Voice: Some people wanting connections are the opposite of lazy, but they put their efforts in the wrong place. In order to take all the burden off of the connector, they decide that they are going to draft an email in the connector’s voice that the connector can copy, paste, and send. Do not do this.  Trying to match someone else’s voice rarely works — and it’s often off-putting if you don’t nail it. Always keep clear boundaries between your voice and the connector‘s voice. (I hypothesize that this pattern started occurring when bad managers asked employees looking for a letter of recommendation to write the letter themselves and then they’ll just put their names on it. Managers, don’t do this.) 

Wow, these connectors are starting to sound like real curmudgeons, right? Maybe we don’t want their help anyway!  

Again, let’s not spin out and let’s see it from the connector perspective. If this is someone who regularly makes a lot of connections, they start to have expectations for how you will utilize them:

• Make it easy for me. 
• Help me act on this in 30 seconds or less. 
• Separate out each introduction you want me to make.
• Don’t make me do any research. 
• Don’t make me try to explain what you do and why you want to meet with this person. 
• Don’t write in my voice. 
• Don’t expect me to connect you without first asking permission from the other person. 
• Just give me an easy way for me to add social proof on top of what you send me and so I can send the email and move on to the next one. 

That’s why you need to learn the art of writing a Forwardable Email. It does all of these things. 

Enter: The Forwardable Email

When a well-written Forwardable Email lands in my inbox, I smile: Here’s an entrepreneur who knows how to leverage their network. I’m excited to see where this goes.  

I hit forward. I add my social proof. I hit send. And I move on to the next one. 

Here are the elements of a great Forwardable Email:

Subject: Your Name (Company) <-> Connection Name (Company)

Body:

Hi Corey,

It was great to catch up with you yesterday. Thanks for your advice on…[what we talked about].

As discussed, I would love to take you up on your offer to connect me to [Connection Name]. I am very interested in talking with them about…[reason why you want to connect with them]. 

For their context, I am… [brief headline of who you are and what you do.] See more below. 

Thanks,

Your Name

[Add any additional details, descriptions, links, or decks below the signature, if necessary and relevant.]

That’s it! Make sure the main body of the email is short and scannable. Nobody wants to read your over-explanation of why you're reaching out. Keep it short and sweet and if you need to add any additional information, put it below the signature. It’s not going to get read anyway.

You're going to get the meeting based on the combination of the social proof I add on top and the headlines for who you are and why you want to meet.

What Happens Next

The connector literally forwards the email and adds 1-2 lines of social proof on top of it:

Hi [Connection Name],

I just met with [Your Name] and they’re interested in meeting with you. [Your Name] is one of the most [add social proof superlative] and I think you would really enjoy meeting them. Let me know if you’d like me to connect you. 

Cheers,

Corey 

That took me about 30 seconds and was more valuable than it would have been if I spent an hour trying to craft the perfect email, because it actually gets sent and focuses on what matters most. 

Note that this is a double opt-in introduction. Don’t expect to be introduced without permission. If they say no, I’ll circle back and tell you what I heard. If they say yes, I’ll go back to the original email, reply all, add the connection, and say:

[Connection Name] meet [Your Name]. [Your Name] meet [Connection Name]. I’ve told you each about each other and I’m glad you’ve both agreed to connect. I’ll let you two take it from here. 

That’s it. Now, it’s on you, not the connection, to follow up and propose a meeting. 

That’s how the dance works. And it’s all precipitated by a simple Forwardable Email. 

Your Challenge This Week

Try The Forwardable Email. 

1) Think back to a recent conversation where someone offered to introduce you to someone else. If nothing comes to mind, consider an upcoming meeting and draft a Forwardable Email you might send afterward.

2) Draft your Forwardable Email template. Get comfortable with the headlines you use to describe yourself and the goals of your Curiosity Tour. 

3) If you have multiple learning goals for these connections, create a separate email template for each one. 

4) Send the Forwardable Email and see what happens. Be ready with your next step once the connection is made. Do you have a Calendly or easy way for them to book time with you?

5) Book your next meeting. 

Next Week

We’ve made our Personal Selection Criteria, we’ve set our Go / No Go Date, we’ve started our Curiosity Tour, we are Creating Intentional Serendipity, and we are maintaining momentum with our Forwardable Emails. 

But once these connections start to yield real opportunities, how do I know how to value my services? How should I think about pricing and/or salaries?

Next week, we’ll get real about how to think about money on this career journey: Know Your Number. 

About This Newsletter

The Idea Bucket is a weekly newsletter and archive featuring one visual framework, supporting one act of leadership, that brings you one step closer to building a culture of innovation.

It’s written by Corey Ford — executive coach, strategic advisor, and founder of Point C, where he helps founders, CEOs, and executives clarify their visions, lead cultures of innovation, and navigate their next leadership chapters.

Want 1:1 executive coaching on this framework or others?  Book your first coaching session. It's on me.