Sep 7, 2026 · 59 min
Glenn Kramon makes cold emails earn a response
Stanford Writing Masterclass: How to Write Emails People Actually Answer with Glenn Kramon
As AI makes polished writing more interchangeable, effective outreach depends on specificity, useful information, and a recognizable human voice.
- 1Strong emails open with a relevant connection, clear ask, or specific detail instead of generic pleasantries.
- 2Cold outreach works better when it leads with concrete value for the recipient rather than the sender’s ambitions.
- 3Thoughtful persistence and specific gratitude preserve relationships that automated, interchangeable writing cannot replicate.
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Glenn Kramon recounts repeatedly trying to reach Sergey Brin, turning an unanswered cold email into a lesson about persistence and humor.
The brief
Glenn Kramon, a former New York Times editor and Stanford lecturer, argues that strong email writing begins by respecting a reader’s limited attention rather than announcing the sender’s needs.
His target is the familiar opening “Hope you are well”: generic politeness spends attention without creating relevance, while a specific connection or clear ask gives the reader a reason to continue.
Kramon’s rules favor warmth, competence, personalization, and immediate value—especially in cold emails, where detailed research and a useful opening matter more than broad claims.
The conversation turns to AI’s growing ability to produce competent prose, but Kramon warns that stylistic sameness makes authentic voice more valuable, not less.
The standout story is Kramon’s repeated outreach to Sergey Brin, which becomes both a lesson in thoughtful persistence and a reminder that unanswered messages can still yield a memorable human story.
His broader prescription is simple: write gratitude letters with specific memories, offer something useful, and follow up without treating a busy recipient’s silence as a personal verdict.