Real Connections

Not all overlaps are worth mentioning in cold emails. The good ones are rare, specific, relevant, and authentic. If you wouldn’t be excited talking about it in person, don’t put it in the email. Here’s how to spot the difference.

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How to know if an overlap is worth mentioning in a cold email

An overlap is worth mentioning if:

Rare: the overlap is uncommon enough that mentioning it feels genuinely surprising. (Both went to Harvard = common, both raised llamas as kids = rare.)

Specific: it’s precise and clear, not general or vague. (Both interested in “startups” = vague, both wrote about why growth hacking failed at Airbnb = specific.)

Relevant: it meaningfully connects you to the reason you’re emailing. (Both play pickleball ≠ relevant, both run cold-email startups = relevant.)

Authentic: you genuinely care about it. People spot insincerity instantly. (Shared hometown only helps if you actually care about that town.)

In short, a good overlap is surprising, clear, meaningful, and real. If you wouldn’t be excited talking about it in person, don’t put it in the email.