Letter of Introduction Writing Guide + Samples

A letter of introduction is an email that formally connects one person to another, often intended to forge new relationships, collaborations, or networking opportunities. You may write an introduction letter to connect two people you know, introduce a new team member to your department, or introduce yourself to someone you want to know.

Here, we’ll discuss when you need to write an introduction letter and go through the steps to craft your own.

When to write an introduction letter

There are several occasions when it may be appropriate to write a letter of introduction, such as when you want to:

• Connect two people you know

• Network with a new person

• Introduce yourself at a new job

• Welcome new team members

• Onboard a new client, contractor, or freelancer

Most commonly, you’ll write a letter of introduction connecting two of your contacts who may benefit from knowing each other. For example, say your friend Priya is considering shifting from content marketing to a career in user experience (UX) design—the same shift your former co-worker Amil made two years ago. You may offer to write a letter of introduction connecting Priya and Amil so that Priya can learn more about her desired career change from someone who recently underwent the same process.

Tip: Before you send your letter of introduction, namely when you are connecting two people, it’s important to message each person separately to make sure that they’re okay with you initiating this new relationship.

How to write a letter of introduction

Whether you’re writing to connect two people or introducing yourself to someone new, the structure for your letter of introduction will be pretty consistent. However, you’ll always want to tailor the language in each section to the particular people and purpose.

In your email, you’ll want to include:

• Greeting

• Why you’re writing

• Quick introduction

• Relevance to your contact

• Necessary contact information

• Sign off

Let’s take a closer look at each section.

Greeting

You'll want to open a new email chain with a greeting whenever you get it. Since this note will introduce two of your friends, keeping your greeting casual and friendly is fine.

Hi Amil—I hope all is well.

Why you’re writing

Make it clear from the outset that this is an introduction by naming the other parties in your email.

Meet Priya Khan, cc’d here.

Quick introduction

In one or two sentences, tell your recipient a bit about the person you’re introducing. You may include details like how you know them or what they do. Keep it brief, as you can anticipate that the people you’re connecting will spend more time getting to know each other later.

Priya is one of my closest friends and a content marketer at Company X. You may be familiar with their blog, Blog-X, for which she helped develop the strategy.

Establish relevance

Next, lay the groundwork for this new relationship by stating what your contacts have in common or how they may be able to help each other.

She’s interested in exploring UX design and has been taking some online classes from Google. Since you’ve gone through a similar career transition, I thought you might be willing to share your experience moving into the field.

Share contact information

If there’s any contact information you want to share beyond your email address, such as a phone number, be sure to include that before you send your email.

You can reach Priya via email or call her at (555) 555-5555.

Sign off

As with any email, end with a sign-off, such as “thank you,” “best,” or “sincerely.”

I’ll let you two take it from here.

Thanks,

Kashvi

Letter of introduction samples

Putting the above sample all together, a letter of introduction may read something like:

Hi Amil—I hope all is well.

Meet Priya Khan, cc’d here.

Priya is one of my closest friends and a content marketer at Company X. You may be familiar with their blog, Blog-X, for which she helped develop the strategy. She’s interested in exploring UX design and has been taking some online classes from Google. Since you’ve gone through a similar career transition, I thought you might be willing to share your experience moving into the field.

You can reach Priya via email or call her at (555) 555-5555.

I’ll let you two take it from here.

Thanks,

Kashvi

Introducing a new team member

To welcome a new colleague onto a team, you may write something like this:

Hi all,

Meet Jai, our team’s newest software engineer manager.

Jai joins us from B Industries, where they led the development of the company’s recently launched app. Outside work, they enjoy exploring national parks and playing guitar in their cover band. Here, they will oversee the team working on our operating system updates and liaise with various product managers and marketing team members.

Jai is set up on email and Slack, so please join me in welcoming them to the team!

Best,

Navi

Introducing yourself

If you are writing a letter of introduction to introduce yourself, you can follow a similar structure, though the result may read slightly differently. Here’s an example of how you may introduce yourself to a potential new contact:

Hi Mr. Shah,

My name is Amar Patel, and I’m a marketing associate at Firm Y. I admire the analytical work you contributed to the M Project. I’m wondering if you may be open to talking about your expertise.

Recently, I’ve gravitated towards incorporating data into campaign planning and am earning a Professional Certificate in Marketing Analytics from Meta. I’m hoping to supplement my learning with insight from professionals like you.

I’d love to schedule a 20-minute video call if you can connect. Please let me know via email here.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Thank you,

Amar

Tips for writing an introduction letter

• Allow your relationships to guide your tone. You know the most effective way to communicate with your contacts. Set the tone for the connection you’re building by writing naturally.

• Keep it brief. Your role in this email chain is to introduce two people. Stay focused on your task and keep your language concise.

• Personalise every introduction email. Each person entering this new connection comes with their background and goals, and your email should reflect their uniqueness.

Keep exploring

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