How to Introduce Two People by Email

Introduce two people by email by addressing both, explaining who each person is in relation to the topic, and giving them the next step they have agreed to. For an optional professional connection, check that both welcome the introduction first. Keep the message specific about what each person has offered.

“You two should connect” leaves the readers to work out why. “Mateo has offered to share two suggestions about the equipment guide; Priya will send one question” gives the exchange a useful starting point.

This guide is for a connector writing to two people who do not yet know each other. The practice situation is fictional. It is about making a limited email introduction, without assigning a new owner or arranging a meeting.

Establish what the introduction is for

Before drafting, check the purpose and the expected involvement. Has someone agreed to answer a question, share a resource or discuss a possible opportunity? Those are different offers. Being willing to receive an introduction does not mean accepting every request that might follow.

In his practical guide to email introductions, Nick Gray recommends checking both people’s interest, including context about each person and explaining why you are connecting them. That is useful preparation for this kind of optional introduction.

Keep this check proportionate to the situation. If you are introducing an already-confirmed new account contact, the message needs to explain the agreed responsibility change. The client handoff guide covers that task. Here, neither person takes over the other’s work.

Give each reader enough context

A simple structure is to name one person, then introduce the other:

Priya, Mateo is a colleague in internal support who recently organized an equipment checkout guide.

Then reverse the direction so Mateo also understands who Priya is and why the topic matters to her. You do not need a full biography. Choose the role or experience that explains this particular connection.

Use facts you can support. “Recently organized a similar guide” describes relevant experience. “The leading expert who will solve your problem” adds an endorsement and an outcome you may not be able to justify.

Purdue OWL’s email guidance recommends meaningful subject lines and short, direct paragraphs when writing to an unfamiliar recipient. In an introduction, a subject such as “Introduction: Priya and Mateo — equipment checkout guide” names both people and the shared topic.

Address both recipients in the greeting as well as including them on the message. For the exercise below, both belong in the To field because the introduction is for both of them. You do not need to include a wider team to make the connection.

Practice: connect Priya and Mateo

You are Elena. You work with Priya and also know Mateo. They have not corresponded before. Use these facts:

Person	Relevant context	Agreed involvement
Priya	Operations coordinator preparing an equipment checkout guide	Will send one specific question by email
Mateo	Internal support colleague who recently organized a similar guide	Offered to share two non-confidential suggestions by email

Both have agreed to this email introduction to exchange ideas. Mateo has not agreed to review the whole document, attend a meeting or become its owner. No attachments have been shared, and no response deadline has been agreed.

Write the introduction before reading the model. Address both people, give each the context they need, explain the connection and let Priya take the agreed next step. Avoid adding a claim about Mateo’s expertise or a promise about the finished guide.

Here is one possible answer:

To: Priya; Mateo

Subject: Introduction: Priya and Mateo — equipment checkout guide

Hi Priya and Mateo,

Thank you both for agreeing to this email introduction to exchange ideas about the equipment checkout guide.

Priya, Mateo is a colleague in internal support who recently organized a similar guide.

Mateo, Priya is an operations coordinator I work with. She is preparing an equipment checkout guide and would like to ask you one specific question.

Mateo has offered to share two non-confidential suggestions by email. Priya, could you send him the question you would like to discuss?

I’ll leave the exchange with you both.

Best, Elena

Each person gets an introduction. The message connects Mateo’s relevant experience to Priya’s current task, then names the small exchange they accepted. The request to Priya starts that exchange without asking Mateo to take on additional work.

The closing hands the conversation to the two recipients. It does not transfer ownership of the guide. Nothing in the message creates a meeting, a document-review obligation or a deadline.

Editing task: remove the extra promises

Using the same supplied facts, revise this overextended passage:

Priya, Mateo is our top expert and will review your whole guide this week. I’ve connected you so you can book a call and get it finished.

Before reading the alternative, identify what the passage adds. The facts do not establish an expert ranking, a whole-document review, availability this week, a call or a finished-guide commitment.

A more accurate excerpt is:

Priya, Mateo recently organized a similar guide and has offered to share two non-confidential suggestions by email. Could you send him the one question you would like to discuss?

This is a replacement passage, not a complete introduction. In the full email, keep the sentence that introduces Priya to Mateo too. Accuracy should not leave one reader without context.

Change the availability before you send

Now return to your unsent introduction. Mateo tells you that he is only available to respond next week. His offer is still limited to two non-confidential suggestions by email. You do not yet know whether that timing works for Priya.

First, write a separate check to Priya. Do not send the introduction as though the revised timing has already been accepted. One possible message body is:

Mateo is only available to respond next week. Would that timing still work for the question you wanted to ask him? I’ll wait for your confirmation before sending the introduction.

If Priya needs an answer sooner, the introduction cannot solve that timing problem as currently offered. Let her decide whether the later exchange would still help. Do not promise an earlier answer from Mateo.

For the next part of the exercise, Priya has now confirmed that next week works for her. Revise the next-step paragraph in the introduction, keeping the roles and limited offer unchanged. One possible replacement is:

Mateo has offered to share two non-confidential suggestions by email and is available to respond next week. Priya, thank you for confirming that this timing works for you. Could you send him the one question you would like to discuss?

Keep the rest of the introduction, including the context about each person. This paragraph communicates availability, not a promise to answer on Monday or a newly agreed deadline. If the exchange needs a specific date, ask rather than inventing one.

Read it from both sides

Before sending, read once as each recipient. Can each person tell who the other is, why you connected them and what they are expected to do next?

Then check the scope of every offer. A question is not a request to review an entire document. Relevant experience is not proof of an outcome. An agreed email exchange is not an agreed meeting.

For help choosing an opening and closing that fit the relationship, see professional email greetings and sign-offs. For more situations to write through, try the professional email writing exercises.

To practise writing your own replies, start practicing for free. EmailBetter sends workplace scenarios tailored to your profile to your inbox. You write your reply in your usual email app, then review AI feedback in your dashboard.