Networking and informational interview outreach

Write short, personal messages to strangers that get replies, with follow-ups that are polite and not pushy.

Change note: Initial version

Prompt

Write a cold outreach message to someone I would like to learn from.

About me: {{about_me}}
Who I'm contacting: {{recipient}}
What connects us or why them: {{connection}}
What I want: {{ask}}
Platform: {{platform}}

Create:
1. The main message, under {{max_words}} words, matching the norms of {{platform}}. Open with the specific reason I chose them, make one small and easy-to-answer ask, and make declining effortless. No flattery, no "pick your brain", no attached pitch or resume unless relevant.
2. Two alternate versions with different angles (for example one referencing their work, one referencing a shared background).
3. A gentle follow-up to send after {{followup_days}} days if there is no reply, and a final short one.
4. A thank-you note to send after the conversation, with room for one thing I learned.
5. Three smart questions to ask on a 20-minute call that are not answerable by a web search.

Keep the voice natural, humble and direct. Do not invent shared history; use only what I provided.

Variables

• {{about_me}}About youlong

  Default: Second-year MBA student with a background in logistics operations.

• {{recipient}}Who you are contactingtext

  Default: a supply chain director at a consumer goods company

• {{connection}}Connection or reasontext

  Default: we are both alumni of the same university; I read her talk on inventory forecasting

• {{ask}}Your asktext

  Default: a 20-minute call about moving from operations into strategy

• {{platform}}Platformselect

  Options: LinkedIn message, email, Twitter/X DM

  Default: LinkedIn message

• {{max_words}}Max wordsselect

  Options: 60, 90, 120

  Default: 90

• {{followup_days}}Follow-up after (days)number

  Default: 7

Example output

**Main message**
Hi Priya, I'm a fellow Marquette alum, now an MBA student after five years in logistics operations. Your talk on inventory forecasting changed how I think about safety stock, especially the point about demand signals from retail partners. I'm exploring a move from operations into strategy and would value 20 minutes of your perspective on how you made that shift. Happy to work around your schedule, and no worries at all if it's not a good time. Thanks, Marcus

**Follow-up (day 7)**
Hi Priya, a quick nudge on my note above. I know your calendar is full; even a couple of lines by message would be great.

**Thank-you**
Thank you for your time. Your advice to [specific insight] gave me a clear next step: I'll [action]. I'll let you know how it goes.

**Questions for the call**
1. What did you wish you had known before leaving operations?
2. Which skill mattered more than expected?
3. How did you decide which strategy teams to join?

Notes

A single specific reason and an easy exit make people more likely to answer. Send the first version only; save the alternates for a different contact.