In order to keep their sanity, investors have to look for signals to determine which emails to even open — much less respond to. This is where the art of contacting investors gets interesting.

How important are personal connections?

The most important, by far.

If we had to compare an email sent through a trusted connection with a crappy company versus a cold email with a great company, chances are the crappy company would get a response. That’s because investors put so much weight on whether the introduction is being vetted through a trusted friend.

But my deal is so sweet, won’t that help?

Not if the e-mail never gets opened or read.

The first goal in contacting investors is to get them to even look at you. The second goal is to get them to listen. If we can’t connect in a trusted manner that gets their attention, the quality of our deal won’t save us.

We’ve never bought anything from a store we never visited.

Isn’t it their job to respond?

Not really. Investors are rewarded for sorting through deals and picking the ones that look promising. That means they only have time to respond to inquiries and deals that they can invest their precious little time into.

Should I send the email again?

You can, but it’s probably not very useful. The better approach would be to find another way to get an introduction to the investor through a third party. Most people do this through social networks or through trusted advisors.