a single source, nothing corroborates it

Open with proof you acted on their advice

The way into somebody whose attention is in far greater demand than yours is what you have already done, not how well you describe your project. Cite something they said, link the write-up of what happened when you tried it, and the mail answers itself. No outreach technique substitutes for having made something they respect.

The method

1. 01

   Open outreach to an influential person by pointing at something they said and showing what happened when you acted on their suggestion, rather than describing your own project.

2. 02

   To reach someone whose time is in far greater demand than yours, no outreach tactic substitutes for having made something they respect.

What it returned

• Patrick McKenzie's example openers cite the recipient favourably and link to a write-up of their advice being tried.

• The author's contrast is between getting a photograph with someone you admire and being invited over for drinks, which follows from writing a bestseller, funding a film that reaches Sundance or building a fast-growing company

Sources

• Your blog could be a partyJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Getting the message out · undated
• The Best Networking is Not Networking - Tyler TringasTyler Tringas · tylertringas.com · 2015-04-24