How to write an export email to a buyer: first contact, follow-up and templates

Four emails, four jobs

An export conversation is built from a few recurring emails. Knowing which one you are writing keeps each email to a single purpose.

Why the first email introduces, not pitches

Most institutional advice quoted in this guide comes from CBI, which is part of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its guides cover doing business with European buyers, so treat them as a starting point if you sell to another region and adapt them to your buyer's sector and country. In its grains, pulses and oilseeds guide, CBI says the goal of a first contact is to create initial interest and secure a follow-up, whether by an introductory email or a short phone call. Its fish and seafood guide adds that, even when email opens the relationship, European buyers prefer to meet face to face before business is finalised.

That makes the first email an introduction rather than a sales pitch. CBI writes that hard-selling techniques such as unsolicited quotes often do not work. Its seafood guide also notes that not every buyer wants a price list, and that you cannot quote before you know the specifications and quantities the buyer needs.

Find the person before you write

CBI's apparel guide tells you to address your first message to the right person and to avoid general company addresses such as info@. To find a personal address it suggests a search engine, the company website (for example an “our team” page) or LinkedIn, and it asks you to say clearly how you got the contact details. The seafood guide recommends a formal email to the purchase manager. The UK government's guidance on working with agents and distributors gives the same direction for LinkedIn: once you have found the companies you want, use it to reach the appropriate contacts directly.

The job title differs between companies: purchasing, product or category manager, import lead. If you find no person at all, a general address is the last resort; ask in the first sentence for the message to be passed to the right colleague.

Subject line and opening sentence

CBI says purchase managers are short of time and receive many emails, so keep yours brief and put the purpose in both the subject line and the first paragraph. The grains guide asks you to research the company and personalise the message. The apparel guide orders things the other way: introduce your company and yourself first, and move to products and prices once a personal connection exists. The first-contact templates below put the reason for writing first and who you are straight after it, with no prices; if you write to a buyer in a sector that expects the introduction first, such as apparel, swap the first two paragraphs.

Open with your reason for writing, not with a pleasantry. One sentence should say why this buyer, and it should hold one detail that links you to the buyer's company, range or market. The buyer's own website is the place to find that detail.

Tone and language by market

Style differs across Europe. CBI's seafood guide says English is the common business language in Northern Europe (it names the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany), while companies in Southern Europe (France, Spain, Portugal, Italy) highly appreciate being addressed in their own language, such as French in France or Spanish in Spain, though English can get you by. The same goes for the brochure or presentation you attach. The grains guide adds that business culture in Germany can be formal and hierarchical, that people in the Netherlands appreciate a direct style, and that indirect communication is considered most polite in the United Kingdom.

Anatomy of a first email

In the same seafood guide, CBI describes the European seafood sector as one that values formal communication and prefers last names until people know each other; other sectors and countries may differ.

1. Greeting: if you do not know the buyer, use the surname (Dear Mr/Ms [Surname]).
2. Reason for writing and link to this buyer: in the first sentence, say why you chose this buyer, tied to their range or market. It matches the subject line.
3. One concrete detail: something the buyer can check, such as material, certification or production capacity. Do not claim what you cannot show.
4. Who you are: your company, what you make, where, and where you found the contact details. Two sentences at most.
5. One request: a short call or one piece of information, never both.
6. Signature: full name, role, company, website and phone number.

Templates you can adapt

Fill in every bracketed field and tailor the message to the buyer before sending. Each template does one job and stays short on purpose.

Check whether your country's trade ministry or export promotion agency publishes templates. Türkiye's Ministry of Trade, for example, said on 26 March 2021 that topic-specific email templates in Turkish and English had been added to its Easy Export Platform (Kolay İhracat Platformu).

The quotation lines come from the example quote table in CBI's grains guide: product specification, price and Incoterm, certifications, packaging, shipment, terms of delivery and payment, and the expiry date of the offer. The same guide tells you to find out the buyer's purchasing conditions and to have the quote and conditions confirmed and signed before you ship.

According to CBI's grains guide, a sample must represent the lot you will ship and come with a detailed technical data sheet, and you should confirm that the buyer received it and follow up afterwards. The guide calls a sample that does not match the quality of the rest of the lot useless and even considered fraudulent.

After you send: follow-up and replies

CBI advises against giving up too quickly: people decline in different ways, and a decline does not have to mean disinterest; the buyer may lack time or rank the topic low.

• CBI's apparel guide advises answering an email or call from a buyer or prospect within 24 hours, even if only to confirm receipt and promise a fuller answer later.
• It also advises keeping the number of emails down and drawing up a plan that shows the next piece of information or action and when it will come.
• After a meeting with a buyer it advises following up within 24 hours and sending what was asked for, such as promotional material, samples or answers; if you do not have them yet, manage expectations and tell the buyer when to expect to hear from you.

Company introduction mailing versus first contact

A company introduction mailing describes your business. A first-contact email goes to one researched buyer, for one reason. They are different messages.

You can still use your company profile: CBI recommends a short company and product introduction in the first email and a digital presentation for further information. The message is addressed to the buyer; the profile sits in the attachment.

Before you send: local rules and technical setup

• Google's email sender guidelines say that since 1 February 2024 everyone who sends email to personal Gmail accounts (@gmail.com, @googlemail.com) must set up SPF or DKIM authentication for the sending domain.
• Sending domains or IPs need valid forward and reverse DNS (PTR) records, email must travel over a TLS connection, and messages must follow the RFC 5322 format.
• The spam rate shown in Postmaster Tools must stay below 0.3%.
• Senders of more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail accounts have extra requirements: SPF and DKIM together, DMARC, and unsubscribe support for marketing messages.

These requirements cover only mail sent to personal Gmail accounts; if you send to another mailbox provider, check that provider's guidelines. If you send from your own domain, ask your email or domain provider whether these settings are switched on.

Common mistakes

• Claiming to do everything. CBI's apparel guide says that presenting yourself as your country's top manufacturer who can make any product never works; promote the products you specialise in.
• Exaggerated or false claims. CBI's natural cosmetic ingredients guide advises accurate information about products, pricing and delivery times, and no exaggerated or false claims.

Where Alvara AI fits

Alvara AI is a tool for manufacturers and exporters that finds buyers abroad: you enter your website address and it lists matching overseas companies with their decision maker and a verified email. For each buyer with a contact person it writes an email draft; you copy it and send it from your own email. Alvara AI does not send email on its own. Before you send a draft, review it against this guide: right person, short message, one request.