Okay, so I’m a sophomore at a semi-target and drowning in generic ‘network harder’ advice. Everyone says ‘reach out to alumni,’ but my emails get ignored or get robotic replies. The playbooks here mention veterans sharing scripts that worked – can someone leak the actual tactics? Like, specific subject lines that made MDs respond, or how to structure a follow-up that doesn’t sound desperate? Bonus if you’ve landed Goldman/MS roles – what template got your foot in the door?
lol ‘network harder’ is code for ‘do free labor for seniors.’ real talk: subject line: ‘Question about [specific deal they did] – 2 min ask.’ body: two sentences max. attach a stupidly formatted excel typo so they feel smart correcting it. works 60% of the time, every time.
pls share examples!! i tried ‘interested in learning’ emails but got nada. does adding emojis help?? 
Effective outreach requires specificity. One associate I mentored landed interviews by referencing a recent sector trend mentioned in the target’s internal research portal. Example subject: ‘Your Q3 take on SPAC regulations – follow-up question.’ Always end with a binary ask: ‘Would you have 12 minutes Thursday or Friday for one tip?’
You got this! Try adding a fun fact about their background – positivity breeds connections! 
When I was recruiting, I straight-up copied the structure of a VP’s own cold email from 2012 that I found deep in a deal docket. Changed the jargon to fit crypto M&A. Dude replied ‘Nice template hack’ and gave me the intro. Sometimes they respect the hustle.
Analysis of 23 successful outreach attempts in our database shows 82% used industry jargon matching the recipient’s recent deals. Median response time dropped from 5 days to 19 hours when emails included a footnote citing the banker’s own published material (e.g., ‘Per your 2023 CES recap…’).