Whether you're requesting a meeting, information, a favor, or approval - the way you ask determines the answer you get.
The Request Email Formula
- Context - Why are you reaching out?
- Specific Request - What exactly do you need?
- Reason - Why does it matter? (What's in it for them?)
- Easy Next Step - Make it simple to say yes
- Gratitude - Thank them in advance
Example: Requesting a Meeting with a Senior Executive
Subject: 15 Minutes to Discuss [Specific Topic]?
Dear [Name],
I'm [Your Name], [Your Title] at [Company]. I've been working on [project/initiative] and believe your expertise in [their area] could provide valuable insights.
Would you be open to a brief 15-minute conversation this week or next? I have a specific question about [topic] that I think only you can answer.
I'm happy to work around your schedule - mornings, afternoons, or even a quick phone call works.
Thank you so much for considering this. I truly appreciate your time.
Why This Works
- Specific (15 minutes, not "sometime")
- Flattering without being sycophantic
- Flexible (works around THEIR schedule)
- Low commitment ask
- Grateful tone
Make the Request Easy to Grant
Every request email asks someone to spend a resource: time, attention, information, or reputation. The job of the email is to make the cost obvious and small, and the reason obvious and legitimate. Vagueness raises the perceived cost, which is why unclear requests get postponed rather than refused.
The Five Parts
- Who you are, if there is any chance they do not know.
- The specific request, in one sentence, near the top.
- Why you are asking them — the reason it is this person, not anyone.
- What it costs them — how long, what format, what you have prepared already.
- The deadline, with a real date and a reason for it.
Do the Work in Advance
The single most effective thing you can do is reduce the effort to almost nothing. If you need a reference, attach the bullet points they might mention. If you need an introduction, write the forwardable paragraph so they can send it without composing anything. If you need a document, name the exact document and where it usually lives. People say yes to requests that are already ninety percent done.
Deadlines Without Manufactured Urgency
Give a date and the reason behind it: "I need this by Thursday because the application closes Friday at 5." A reason turns a deadline from a demand into information. Invented urgency, on the other hand, is noticed and it costs you the next request.
Asking a Stranger
Two extra things matter. First, explain how you found them — unexplained contact feels intrusive. Second, make the ask smaller than you would for someone who knows you. A specific question answerable in one paragraph will get a reply where a request for a call will not.
Asking Up the Chain
Senior people are not short of goodwill; they are short of time. Lead with the decision you need from them, keep the background to two sentences, and state clearly what happens if they do nothing. Offer a default: "If I do not hear back by Friday, I will proceed with option B." That respects their time and still moves the work.
Follow Up Once, Then Change Something
One reminder after a few days is normal and expected. If there is still no reply, do not send the same message a third time — either shrink the ask, change the channel, or ask someone else. Repeated identical reminders read as pressure and rarely produce the thing you needed.
Afterward
Thank them specifically, and tell them what came of it. "The introduction worked — we start in October" costs you a line and makes the next request far easier to grant. Most people never close this loop, which is exactly why doing it is memorable.