Thread by @mjay_shuaib

𝖧𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾 𝖺 𝗌𝗂𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗂𝗅 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖾𝖾𝗄 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗁 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝖺 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽𝖾𝖾 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗏𝖾 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾.

A long thread. Tag your friend & retweet 💫

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Let's meet by 5 PM (WAT) today to discuss this exciting thread. I will be dissecting the email that got me a positive response to join the research team of a grant awardee lately. Retweet for others to benefit as well. See you soon!

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Let's ride on guys, the time is now.

Are you ready to finally know the most simple way to land your first collaboration with a grant winner? I will be revealing that in this thread. Easy-peasy.

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Earlier this month, I read the announcement of a grant awardee on Facebook. I was very impressed by the proposed research he will be working on along with his collaborator. The topic fits well into my interest. As such, I set out to write an email to the awardee to discuss the

probability of joining his team. Here is the positive response, as seen below. Congratulations 🎉 to me

What I will be discussing here is just the dissection of the email I sent out paragraph by paragraph. I don't use any samples while drafting it. I instead develop it my own way using the previous experience of cold emailing professors. You can also tweak it to suit your taste.

So, let's get started!

[Paragraph One] As expected, this is the introductory part of the email where you briefly introduce yourself. However, your name and affiliation are not enough here. You need to chip in one huge achievement that fits into the topic of the email. It might be a scholarship/award

you've won, recognition, features in media, or even a publication similar to what the grant awardee will be working on. Why should you mention your achievement? The response is straightforward. Writing a cold email to someone you don't have any relationship with needs you to

create a scene that will make the receiver perceive you as a winner yourself and someone that he should collaborate with. In other words, you are not coming to be a parasite. Yourself is an award winner. Because human mindset perceives an unknown person as a threat until it's

proven otherwise. And that's why mentioning one huge accomplishment you had will work well in this regard. In my case, I mentioned how I was recently chosen as one of the 16 successful applicants across Africa by the @SwissTPH for a travel award to attend a field malaria course

in Tanzania. It would be best if you also replicated the same when next you are sending out a pitch.

Task: Write out your first paragraph containing details, including your name, affiliation, highest degree achieved, and one remarkable feat. Go for it! See you in P2.

[Paragraph 2] Here is where you congratulate the grant winner. Talk a little about how you get to know about it - from his social media or elsewhere. Eulogize him and let him know he has achieved a remarkable feat for being selected for the award. Human love praise, do it here.

[Paragraph 3] This is where you show your scholarly understanding of the research topic the grant receiver will be working on. Tell him you know about the topic. Mention how significant, novel, and contribution the research outcome will have on the research area. Then, present

the PURPOSE why you are writing him in this paragraph. Something like, "It will be a great opportunity to join your team on this research." You will see that I didn't mention the reason for contact from the early paragraphs. I did that to keep the reader glue before I table my

request. If writing out the purpose of contact in the first paragraph works well for you, go on with that. There is no rigidity in the template. Just do what you think will work.

Task: Write your P2 and P3. Praise the awardee and showcase your knowledge on the research topic.

[Paragraph 4] The closing with a specific call to action. Don't just end with "I look forward to hearing from you soon." No. Ask him to do something specific. In my case, I closed with how I wanted to discuss the proposed topic further by scheduling a video call. Mentioning video

call is a way to increase your interest in joining the team. You both have to see yourself and talk better. And end finally with any closing phrase and your name.

I hope this is helpful to you. Kindly retweet and share to benefit others. Remember to follow @mjay_shuaib and

turn on the notification bell for more of a thread like this. Now, it's your turn. Go and write your own sample, and I will be glad to help you review it. Thanks for your time.

Talk to you soon. Stay safe. #COVID is real.

#TillWeAllWin #NoOneHasTrulyWon

PS: You don't need to wait to have a postgraduate degree, publications, or vast research experience before seeking collaboration with a researcher. You show how enthusiastic you are about the research and the impact you are bringing to the team. Make your tone be a win-win game.

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