You’ve had a great discovery call. You’re champion gets it, they’re nodding along, you guys are on the same page, and they’re even ready to move forward…
And now they need to pull in their executive for the final decision.
A common mistake is when you assume your champion can pitch the solution as effectively as you can.
So the here’s the key:
You're not writing to your champion. You're writing through them (to who they’ll forward it to).
Internal emails always get prioritized over external ones. Your email’s competing against Slack pings, calendar invites, messages from their boss, and general inbox chaos.
So your goal is to write an email that's so easy to forward, your champion just hits “FWD.”
Today I’m going to break down my “Forwardable Email” framework in 3 steps:
- The anatomy of a forwardable email
- An example email selling Threekit to Ikea
- How to actually get your champion to forward it
(PS. This is one of 2 emails I wrote live on the latest 30MPC YT drop. Check it out right here.)
The Anatomy of a Forwardable Email
Before I breakdown the examples, here's what does makes an email forwardable:
- Subject line that reads like internal communication. Write it like your champion would write it to their execs and internal team.
- Include “trigger phrases” from discovery. Use their own words, and catchphrases / unique words they used when describing the problem.
- Create tension through uncertainty. Introduce a real threat to their desired future state.
- Ask them to weigh in (not a meeting). Your ask needs to be in line with their job description. You’re not looking to set up a 30 minute demo with an executive.
Now let me show you what this looks like in practice.
Email Example: Threekit → IKEA (Post-Discovery)
Subject: Imagination Gap
Kora, looks like IKEA's shifting toward smaller-format stores in 2026.
But there's a ~17% return rate for digital orders in complex categories, like kitchens.
So we're planning to close "the imagination gap" with AR — to get back to the growth Home Depot sees.
Best if we can get Javier's feedback on this draft plan, before we get too deep.
Think he's up to weigh in?
Threekit sells AR/3D visualization. Smaller IKEA stores (like NYC) can use ThreeKit to help customers visualize furniture in their home while still keeping store footprint small.
We had a great discovery call with our champion (Kora).
Now we want to multithread to the VP (Javier) after discovery.
Let’s breakdown the email above that I’d send through Kora (our champion) to Javier (the VP):
- The “Imagination Gap” subject reads like IKEA internal language. It’s something that Javier is already thinking about and familiar with.
- The “smaller format” is a trigger phrase from discovery. We know this is an initiative from IKEA in 2026.
- The “~17% return rate” creates tension to the above. We can’t fit an entire kitchen in the store, so people are returning more products.
- The ask to “weigh in” is not about demoing our software. We’re trying to figure out if he’s even open to considering our approach to solving the problem.
Now, you don’t just send this email to your champion blindly. Here’s how you set the expectations live.
How to actually get your champion to forward it
Now, toward the end of those conversations with Kora, I'm going to set up the expectation:
Hey Kora, seems like we're on the same page of what we could do together, but it would be best to get Javier's feedback sooner rather than later.
So if I write you a short email with the summary that we've been working on, are you willing to forward this along the Javier?
I'm going to get the commitment live so Kora is going to expect it so that she knows what to do: Just hit forward as soon as she sees this in her inbox.
Again, the key thing is this is coming from Kora to Javier. Not from me, the seller.
Because Javier is not going to recognize me, but he will recognize.
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So before you send your next mid-funnel email, ask yourself:
If my champion forwarded this right now — with no additional context — would the executive know exactly what to do?
If the answer is no, rewrite it.
Your email isn't the destination. It's the vehicle. Make it easy to forward.
Checkout the full email breakdown on the latest 30MPC YT drop right here:
