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📰 Today's topic: The email that gets your friends hired

Something that’s happened to me a few times: a friend tells you they're looking for fractional product work. Of course, you say you’ll keep an eye out. And you mean it. But you get busy, and it never pans out to anything.

Now, here's what I do these days, and it works often enough that I've stopped doing anything else. I write a short blurb about the person: what they do, what they're looking for, and one line on why I'd vouch for them.

Then I BCC every founder in my network who might plausibly need it, like portfolio companies, angel community founders, people I've invested alongside.

It’s one email, but without fail, three or four people reach out to my friend directly, usually within 48 hours.

This beats the job board version

Most portfolio support runs on a pull model. You post an opportunity somewhere like a community channel or a needs-and-leads thread and hope the right person happens to be looking at that surface on that day.

The problem is that nobody sees most of these posts. Most people don't check the channel. The BCC email is a push. It lands in the inbox of someone who has hiring authority, whether or not they were actively looking. Half the responses I get are from founders who weren't actively looking and realized they should be.

The mechanics

Keep it short enough to read on a phone. One paragraph on the person: what they've done, what they want, their availability, and one line about why you specifically believe they're good. 

And don’t forget to give them a direct way to contact them. Don’t make yourself the go-between. You’ll drop the ball. 

A few other rules: BCC, always. Founders shouldn't see each other's addresses, and nobody wants a reply-all thread. And no attachments (e.g. no resume pdf). And send it just once. Do not follow up.

Your reputation is the filter

Your name is the product here. If you send three people who turn out to be mediocre, founders stop opening your emails permanently. 

The filter has to be brutal. Not "would I help this person," which is most people you know. It's "would I be comfortable if this hire goes badly and the founder remembers I sent them."

That question kills about 80% of the candidates I'd otherwise be happy to help, which is the right ratio.

How to steal this as a new angel

You may be thinking you don't have a network of founders yet, and that's fair when you're four checks into a $5k-per-deal portfolio. But start with the founders you did invest in. Even two or three is enough. Founders who got a good hire from you tell other founders. Now you're in more deals.

– Brian from Angel Squad– Brian from Angel Squad

🍫 A snack for the road: Come hang out with us in SF tomorrow!

Join us for an exclusive investor demo day featuring the top startups from Orange Planet's Global Market Expansion Program (GMEP) — a Korean accelerator backed by Smilegate, one of Korea's leading tech companies.

​These founders have spent the summer in San Francisco immersing themselves in the US startup ecosystem, and now they're ready to pitch. You'll hear high-potential Korean startups deliver sharp 2-3 minute pitches, followed by Q&A and open networking.

​This event is designed for investors — come ready to engage, give feedback, and connect with the next wave of founders making their move into the US market.

Overheard in SF…probably

“We raised at a $40 million cap because $50 million felt greedy.”