How to respond to an introduction email from an investor or advisor

The reply is part of the introduction

When an investor or advisor introduces you to a prospect, they have done the hard part. They found the person, spent a favour, and wrote an email that makes you sound worth twenty minutes. If you followed the approach in how to ask your investors and advisors for customer introductions, the prospect probably agreed to the conversation before the email was sent.

Your reply decides whether any of that turns into a meeting. It also decides whether your backer makes the next introduction. Most connectors watch the thread for a day or two to see what happens. A fast, short, generous reply tells them their favour was well spent. A slow one, or a pitch, tells them something else.

Reply the same day

Speed matters more than polish here. The prospect said yes at a moment when the conversation felt timely, and that moment fades. The connector is waiting to see whether you show up. Answer within the working day if you can, even if you are travelling and the reply is three sentences long.

A good reply takes two minutes to write, so there is rarely a reason to wait. If you need to look the prospect up first, do it quickly: their role, their company's recent news, one thing that tells you why they might care. That is enough.

Thank the connector, then move them to bcc

Open with one line for the person who made the introduction, and tell them you are moving them to bcc. Thank them briefly. A paragraph of gratitude in front of the prospect reads as nervous.

Moving the connector to bcc is the convention in startup circles, and it is a courtesy. It lets them see that you replied without making them read every message about which Tuesday works. Say that you are doing it, so they do not wonder why the thread went quiet.

Make the first message about them

The prospect did not agree to a demo. They agreed to a conversation because someone they trust thought it would be worthwhile. Your reply should make that conversation feel worth having from their side.

Write one or two sentences that connect what you do to something specific about them. If your backer said the prospect's team is rebuilding its forecasting, mention that. If they recently changed jobs, a new head of sales is often looking for exactly the kind of quick win you might offer. Then stop. The product explanation belongs on the call, where you can ask questions and tailor it.

Propose times or send a link

The fastest way to lose an introduction is a line like "let me know when works for you." It hands the prospect a scheduling task, and scheduling tasks get postponed.

Offer two or three specific times in their time zone, or a link to book, and say how long the call will be. Twenty or thirty minutes is easier to accept than an hour. If they are senior and you suspect an assistant manages their calendar, say you are happy to work with whoever handles scheduling.

An example reply

Here is the whole thing in practice. The names are made up.

Subject: Re: Priya, meet Sam (Lumen Data)

Thanks, Alex, for connecting us. Moving you to bcc to spare your inbox.

Priya, great to meet you. Alex mentioned your team is rebuilding
pipeline forecasting before next year's planning, which is the
problem we spend all day on at Lumen. I'd like to hear how you run
it today and share what we see work at companies your size.

Would 25 minutes on Tuesday at 10am or Wednesday at 2pm your time
suit you? Or pick any time here: [booking link]

Sam

It is short, it is about Priya's problem, and it ends with a decision she can make in five seconds.

What not to send

A deck attachment. Nobody opens it before a first call, and an unexpected attachment from a stranger can land in spam. If the prospect asks for materials, send them after the conversation, matched to what they told you.

A long paragraph about your company. The connector's email already explained who you are. Repeating it at length pushes the ask out of view.

A reply-all that keeps the connector on the thread. Every scheduling message then lands in their inbox too.

A request for a longer meeting than you need. An hour-long demo is a bigger yes than a twenty-minute conversation, and you have not earned it yet.

If the prospect does not reply

Silence after an introduction is common and usually means the prospect is busy, not uninterested. Wait about a week, then reply on the same thread with one or two lines and fresh times or the link again. Keep it light. Do not mention the connector, which can read as pressure.

If that second message also goes unanswered, stop. Send the connector a one-line note: you followed up twice, you are leaving it there, and thank you again. This matters more than it seems. It shows you did your part, it stops your backer wondering whether you dropped the ball, and it means they can nudge the prospect themselves if they think it is worth it.

If you request introductions through NetworkOS, the request goes to the advisor who knows the person, by default the prospect agrees before the introduction email goes out from your advisor's own Gmail, and the request shows where it stands from asked to introduced, so you are not guessing whether an introduction is on its way. It covers only introductions requested through it, not ones your investor makes by hand, and sign-in is Google only.

After the meeting

Whatever happens on the call, tell the connector. One line is enough: the meeting happened, it is moving to a trial, or it was not a fit and here is why. Backers who hear what came of their introductions keep making them. What to include in that note, and when to send it, is a short habit worth building early.