Writing a first email to a newly appointed director
A new director is making decisions for the first time. A short, specific email with one ask is the one that gets a reply.
A newly appointed director is deciding who to trust and what to change. A short, specific email in their first weeks can land well. A long one about you won't.
Why the timing works
New directors look at suppliers, systems and costs with fresh eyes, and they haven't yet settled on the suppliers they'll keep. You don't need to know what's on their mind. You only need to show that you noticed, and that you can help with something real.
The shape of the email
- Open with the reason. Say what you saw, plainly. I saw you've joined the board at Marsh & Keel. It's true and it's about them.
- Say one useful thing. Something you know about businesses like theirs, in a sentence or two.
- Make one small ask. A short check, a quick call, a question. Not a demo.
- Sign off like a person. First name, company, no slogan.
An example
Example, with made-up names.
Subject: Welcome to the board
Hi Sarah,
I saw you've joined Marsh & Keel as a director. Congratulations.
Most practices your size tell us the same thing about the run-up to January: the laptops, the email and the backups all have to hold at once, and nobody has time to look after them.
We look after IT for small practices across South Yorkshire. Would you like me to run a quick check of your email and backups before the rush, at no cost to you?
Jess
What to leave out
- A list of everything you do.
- Fake familiarity, such as pretending you've met.
- Three asks. One is plenty.
- Attachments and tracking links in a first email.
Where to find the reason
In Adapt Insights, a new director shows as a Leadership change with its date, from the register. Open the record and press Write an opener from this for a first draft. Read it, change it to sound like you, and send it from your own mailbox. Every draft waits for your OK.
Not sure who to write to? The record shows the best route in, such as a director whose own mailbox is verified.
More from the blog.
A green tick next to an email address sounds like a promise. Here is what it proves, what it doesn't, and why we show four labels instead of one.
A catch-all server says yes to every address, including ones that don't exist. Here is what that means for your list, and how to send to them safely.
A practical walk-through: from a blank search to a saved list and a first campaign, with the checks that stop you wasting your time.
See it in the book.
Start free and search the UK, with every field labelled.