4 Cold Outreaches That Actually Worked on Me (with screenshots!)
It’s always best to get a warm intro.
True for anyone you want to meet and definitely true in the wild world of venture capital.
The gold standard intro is from another founder in the portfolio. (Here’s why.)
After that, any warm intro is great.
(“Warm” intro means mutual acquaintance of some form introduces you.)
If you can’t get a warm intro, do cold outreach.
BUT - for goodness’s sakes - make it thoughtful and personalized!
A.T. Gimbel and I preach this on Office Hours and blog posts.
I can give all sorts of examples of cold outreach that doesn’t work. (I delete dozens of unpersonalized, form emails every day.)
But that’s not as helpful as seeing what DOES WORK!
Here are 4 examples of real cold outreach, why it worked, and what happened next…
1. Cold Outreach via LinkedIn
Ellen Twomey is one of my favorite startup folks and it came from a simple LinkedIn message…
How it started:
What worked well:
She said “moving to Atlanta”
She said “founder”
She said “closing the gender gap in tech”
Short
Included email so I could look her up and/or take the convo off LinkedIn
She made an ask but it was low key
What happened next:
I replied.
We had coffee.
Coffee was really fun.
We’ve stayed in touch! Emails, texts, events — we connect every few months and it’s always delightful.
2. Cold Outreach via Website Form
“‘Contact Us’ forms on websites never work…” - says everyone but Paddy McNamara.
How it started:
What worked well:
Moving to Atlanta + explained why
Specifically mentioned Atlanta Ventures without being totally generic
What happened next:
When we replied, HE FOLLOWED UP!
We chatted.
Then HE FOLLOWED UP AGAIN!
Now, he regularly replies to blogs, shares company updates, reaches out for advice, and proactively stays in touch!
The Magic:
Paddy shared that both of his parents are teachers and he didn’t have connections to tech or business when he started.
What he did works for anyone regardless of their network:
Personalized cold outreach
Follow up in a responsible, appropriate way (not asking for money or aggressively pitching)
Immediately start building a relationship
Stay in touch over the years
3. Cold Outreach via Email
The inbox is a black hole. Mostly true. But occasionally an email rises to the top, like this one!
How it started:
What worked well:
Personalization — clearly has taken time to research and write a thoughtful email
Said the magic words: “Run.” My days are filled with founder meetings. I frequently get asked to grab coffee for career networking. I like these conversations but, unless it’s someone who might be a fit for a current portfolio company, I pass so I have time for founders!
BUT — I like running with friends. So if someone thoughtful and responsible (evidenced by the personalized email) will drive to Decatur at 5:30a for a 6 mile run at 8:30 pace, I am available!
The Magic:
EVERYONE HAS A MAGIC WORD.
The thing you can say that will induce them to open an email, reply, take the next step, make time in a busy schedule.
Examples: Manicure, golf, wine tasting, hair blow out, walk, sauna, heli-skiing, coffee shop near their house, providing dinner for the family, same college or high school, favorite athlete, obscure hobby that you have in common
It will vary depending on the person, but if you figure it out, it’s a huge unlock!
4. Cold Outreach via Event
How it started:
I did a presentation at Atlanta Tech Village. It’s pretty normal for a bunch of folks to say hi afterward.
One woman shared that:
(a) we have the same name (yes, it’s Kathryn Farrell! Kathryns unite!)
(b) my story about Ironmans resonated since she was a D1 runner.
I asked where she ran. University of Florida.
Just so happened that she knew my husband from her college track and field team!?!
What happened next:
It could have ended there but she followed up.
We went running. (See #3 for my magic word.)
She was a reliable and interesting running partner.
She was working in healthcare but wanted to work in tech.
I wanted to get better at running.
Fast forward 3 years, I’m a faster runner and she’s a tech CEO 😉
What worked well:
Saying hi after an event. A great time to make an impression, especially if you are “breaking into” a new industry.
Leveraging charisma. The whole premise of Personality Pool! Especially when resumes (or LinkedIn profiles) don’t capture the full story.
Capitalizing on connection points — same name, sports.
Knowing my husband was an unexpected bonus uncovered via conversation.
FOLLOW UP!!!!!!!
The Playbook
Are you seeing the commonalities?
Personalized outreach.
Follow up.
Focus on human connection.
A little bit of timing and magic in your favor. 😉
Trying to get in touch with someone? Use these tips and keep going!
What is your best cold outreach strategy? What’s worked on you? Anyone that you cold outreached that’s now a friend, customer, or business partner?!? Share the story!
Can confirm “Kathryn” works 😂 These are great examples. And I did a lukewarm DM off this post to Paddy bc of this post bc 1) fellow ATL founder and 2) food allergy mom 💯