Essay · 10 min read

Standing Invitation

Patrick McKenzie (patio11) · Kalzumeus Software Free Intermediate

Written from the receiving end by someone who gets a lot of cold email, this lays out exactly what makes an ask easy to say yes to versus what reads as an open-ended, vague favor. It reframes the vague-ask mistake as a favor to the reader, not just etiquette.

  • A specific question is far easier to answer than an open request for mentorship or advice
  • Keep a first email to about a paragraph and make one request, not several
  • Don't apologize for emailing or minimize yourself; state your point with restrained confidence
Open on kalzumeus.com ↗

The question it answers

  1. What are the most common cold email mistakes that make people delete on sight?

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