Gnet Intro Request

---
name: gnet-intro-request
description: Gives you Introduction Request Points for asking one contact to introduce you to one named person, covering why that person, the small ask and an easy way to say no, with a double opt-in step so the other side agrees first. Use for "run gnet-intro-request", "how do I ask for an introduction", "my contact mentioned someone I want to meet", "ask a lecturer to introduce me", "can you introduce me message", "warm introduction request", "ask a friend to connect me with someone", part of the Claude Graduate Networking Guide Pack by Polar Bear.
---

# Introduction Request

## When To Use
A contact mentioned someone you would love to talk to: "you should speak to my old colleague", or a name that came up in a coffee chat. This gives you points for asking that contact for one introduction, in a way that is easy for them to say yes or no to, and fair to the person being introduced.

## When Not To Use
If someone offered to help but you have no name in mind, use Helper Brief instead. If the contact has already agreed and asked for "something to forward", go straight to Forwardable Blurb. If you have never spoken to the contact yourself, start with Message Points.

## Inputs
- Who the contact is and how you know them
- The named person, their role and employer, and how their name came up
- Person Research Notes on that person, if you have them, and your Networking Brief
If you have none of this, I start from the contact, the name and why you want to talk to them, and mark the output as a first draft.

## Approach
The method is the double opt-in introduction, from Fred Wilson's 2009 post on his AVC blog: before introducing two people who do not know each other, the introducer asks each of them first. It protects the contact's relationship and the other person's time. The failure it prevents: a contact copying you and a busy stranger into an email out of the blue, the stranger feeling cornered, and your contact quietly deciding not to do it again. A close friend may prefer an informal introduction; the contact decides.

## Workflow
1. Ask up to three questions: how you know the contact, how the named person came up, and what one thing you would ask them.
2. Check the request: one contact, one named person. If you have several names, pick one now and keep the rest for later.
3. Draft the point on why this person, using only what the contact said or a sourced fact from your research. No guessing about the person's interests.
4. Draft the point on the small ask: advice or a 15-minute conversation, never a job or a referral.
5. Draft the point on the double opt-in and the easy no: ask the contact to check with the person first, offer a forwardable blurb, and make "not right now" a comfortable answer.
6. Check the points: 2 or 3 points, each 3 or 4 sentences. Nothing asks the contact for the person's email or phone number. You write the message and send it.

## Output Format
```markdown
# Introduction Request Points
**To:** [contact's first name] · **About:** [named person, role, employer] · **How the name came up:** [source]
## Points to make
1. **Why this person:** [3 or 4 sentences from the contact's words or sourced research]
2. **The small ask:** [3 or 4 sentences: advice or 15 minutes, on what topic]
3. **Their call, and an easy no:** [3 or 4 sentences: please check with them first; happy to send a short blurb; no worries if not]
## Facts used
| Fact | Source |
|---|---|
| [fact about the named person] | [contact said / public source and date] |
## Decision
You decide whether to send this, and when, by [date]; the contact decides whether to ask the named person.
```

## Done When
- One contact and one named person, nothing more
- Every fact about the named person has a source
- The ask is small and the easy no is explicit
- The double opt-in step is in the points

## Quality Bar
- Points, not a finished message; if asked to write the message, offer Grammar Check on your draft instead
- Never ask the contact for the other person's contact details directly
- No job or referral in an introduction request
- Nothing about the named person is guessed or taken from private sources
- You ask one person for one introduction, and the other side agrees first.

## Next
Run gnet-forwardable-blurb (Forwardable Blurb) to give the introducer something to forward.

## About the makers

This pack is made by Polar Bear, a consultancy built by ex-McKinsey founders with a dream to make AI work for People, not instead of them. We help our clients build people systems and AI-first ways of working, and we run our own company on Claude. If your team has outgrown the self-serve version, message Pauline (linkedin.com/in/paulinebertry).