Concept
Five-Point Email
A five-point email is a short cold message to a stranger that a busy reader can say yes to in seconds: it stays under 100 words, opens with your shared connection, asks for advice rather than a job and closes with one easy question.
Steve Dalton's The 2-Hour Job Search starts from an uncomfortable fact. Most cold emails go unanswered not because people are unkind, but because answering is too much work. A long backstory, an attached CV and a vague request for "any opportunities" force three decisions on the reader: what you want, whether they can give it, and whether helping you puts their name at risk. Silence is the cheapest answer to all three. Dalton treats outreach as a design problem: make replying cheaper than ignoring you. The five points remove the work. First, keep it under 100 words. Second, put the connection first, such as a shared school, employer or contact. Third, never ask for a job; ask for insight. Fourth, describe your interest broadly enough that they can help. Fifth, end with one small, question-shaped ask. Throughout, keep more than half the words about them.
A real-life example
Maya, a marketing analyst, wanted to move into product. Her first draft to a product lead at a fintech firm ran 320 words with her CV attached, and it got no reply. Her rewrite read: "Hi Sam, I'm a fellow Leeds graduate and I've followed your work on the payments app. I'm exploring product roles and would value your perspective on how you made the move. Would you be open to a 15-minute call next week?" Sam replied the same afternoon.
How to use it
- 1Draft the email, then cut it below 100 words and check that more than half of them are about the reader.
- 2Move your shared connection into the first line and delete every mention of jobs, openings or your CV.
- 3End with one question they can answer yes to in seconds, such as a 15-minute call or a single piece of advice.