How to introduce two people on LinkedIn (with permission first)

How do you introduce two people on LinkedIn?

Ask each person for permission first, then post one short message in a LinkedIn group message that names both people, says why they should talk, and hands over. Move to email within a message or two so there is a written record.

The practical method is a group message: you start one conversation with both people in the same thread. LinkedIn's features vary by account type and change over time, so use the messaging screen you see. The craft is in the permission step and the brevity of the note, not in the tool.

Before you message: get permission from both sides

An introduction without consent puts your relationship with both people at risk. Do this before you create the thread.

1. Ask the person being introduced first. Send a private message saying who you would like to introduce, why, and what it might involve for them.
2. Wait for a clear yes. Silence is not consent.
3. Check the other side. If you are introducing an owner to a program such as SourceX, make sure the owner has agreed to be contacted and knows what the conversation is about.
4. Agree what you may share. A name, role and company are normally enough. Do not share anything from the owner's confidential records, and do not describe them.
5. Note your interest. If you may be paid when the introduction leads to a deal, say so.

The 5-line group message

Keep it to five short lines, in this order:

What to say for an owner and SourceX

When the introduction is an owner and SourceX, the note has one extra duty: say that you may receive a reward if the company licenses its data and the deal completes.

Keep the reward sentence plain and leave out any amount. Rewards are 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects, capped at $100,000 cumulative per referred company, and they become payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee. No reward is guaranteed.

Move to email for the record

LinkedIn threads are easy to lose and hard to export. After the first reply, add a line such as "I will move this to email so you both have it on file" and send a short email to both addresses. The introduction email builder drafts an owner-approved message, and the guide to who replies first and moving to BCC explains how to step out of the thread politely.

A written record matters for credit as well as manners. Credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified company application within the window set in the terms; see what an attribution window is.

Common mistakes

Illustrative example

Illustrative and fictional. An outsourced accountant is talking with a client, the owner of a 120-person engineering services firm. The accountant messages the owner privately, explains the program, and asks for permission. The owner agrees. The accountant then creates the group message with a SourceX contact, using the five lines above, and sends a short email the next day. The owner replies within a few days and the accountant steps back.

Follow-up timing

Introductions go cold quickly, and over-chasing is worse than silence. A simple rhythm works.

If the owner says no or not now, thank them, note the date, and leave it. A respectful no keeps the door open for a later conversation and protects your reputation with the person who made the introduction possible.

What never to put in the message

Keep the thread clean. Do not include confidential details about the owner's company, any claim about what the company could earn, any typed reward amount, or a promise that the company will be approved. Nothing is binding until the company agrees price and terms and signs, and a conversation is not an approval.

Which companies are worth introducing

Only introduce companies that plausibly fit. The baseline is a US company with 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), several years of documented operations, rights to license the data and an authorized sponsor. The employee count guide shows how to check headcount before you spend a favor on an introduction.

Rules on fees and disclosure differ by profession; if you are licensed, check your own. If you want to understand how a paid reward can later be questioned, read referral fee clawbacks; partners outside the US may also read introducer agreements.

Next step

Register as a partner, then use the how it works page to see what happens after your introduction. Companies that prefer to apply directly can use sourcex.si/apply.