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Write a Professional Outreach Email

Write an email to a mentor, professor or founder that actually gets a reply.

20 minutes Beginner Badge: Clear Communicator
WritingCommunicationProfessionalism

What you will build

One real outreach email under 150 words, written to a specific person, with a clear and easy ask.

Why this matters

Most internships and mentorships in India start with a cold email. Being able to write one well is a genuine advantage.

Learning outcomes

  • Write subject lines that get opened
  • Show you have done your homework in one sentence
  • Make an ask small enough that saying yes is easy

Step-by-step challenge

  1. 1

    Choose a real person

    Someone whose work you can actually describe in a line.

  2. 2

    Write the subject line

    Six words or fewer, specific, no flattery.

  3. 3

    Draft the body

    Who you are, why them, your ask, your thanks. Under 150 words.

  4. 4

    Cut 20 percent

    Delete every sentence that does not help them decide.

  5. 5

    Proofread aloud

    Anything you stumble on, rewrite.

Submission requirements

  • Your final email as text or a screenshot
  • The name and role of the person you wrote to (no contact details)
  • A reflection on what you cut and why

Accepted formats: Canva link, PDF, image, document, video link or written reflection.

Assessment rubric

Problem clarity

Is the problem or task described precisely and honestly?

Scored 1–5

Originality

Does the work show your own thinking rather than a copied template?

Scored 1–5

Practicality

Could this actually be used or tested in the real world?

Scored 1–5

Communication

Is it easy to follow for someone seeing it for the first time?

Scored 1–5

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