Honest Intros Sign in

Use case

Find stockists and wholesale buyers

Makers, small brands and suppliers: reach the independent shops, cafes and restaurants that could put your products on their shelves and menus.

Updated · By Otman Ounana · How we research

Short answer

Each email says one true thing you saw on the shop or cafe's own site, who you are with one benefit, and offers a short 3-point outline for a small trial. You approve the campaign before anything is sent.

Start with this use caseFree, no card. Nothing is sent until you approve it.

Who this is for

Get your products onto the shelves and menus of independent shops, cafes and restaurants.

Who you would write to

You choose one group of buyers for each campaign. Groups that suit this use case:

Buyers at small shops rarely have time to look for new suppliers, so good products never reach them. A short email that starts from something true about them is easier to answer than a pitch.

What a first email looks like

Every first email has the same three parts: something you saw on their site, who you are with one benefit, and an offer of a short 3-point outline. Here are 3 examples for this use case.

Hannah from Fenwick Hill Preserves, writing to The Corner Pantry

The sentence on their site: “The Corner Pantry stocks bread from three local bakers and opens at seven on weekdays.”
Subject: Fenwick Hill Preserves x The Corner Pantry

Hi Joe,

I saw The Corner Pantry stocks bread from three local bakers and opens at seven on weekdays.

I'm Hannah from Fenwick Hill Preserves. We make small-batch jams and chutneys in Shropshire that sit well next to fresh bread on a deli counter.

If useful, I can send a short 3-point outline for a trial shelf of our jams at The Corner Pantry. Worth sending over?

If this isn't relevant, just tell me and I won't write again.

Best,
Hannah

Luca from Larkspur Coffee, writing to Field Kitchen

The sentence on their site: “We serve brunch every day from 8am and bake our cakes in house.”
Subject: Larkspur Coffee x Field Kitchen

Hi Aisha,

I saw Field Kitchen serves brunch every day from 8am and bakes its cakes in house.

I'm Luca from Larkspur Coffee. We roast coffee for independent cafes in the North West and deliver fresh bags every fortnight.

If useful, I can send a short 3-point outline for a guest coffee on the Field Kitchen brunch menu. Worth sending over?

If this isn't relevant, just tell me and I won't write again.

Best,
Luca

Sofia from Tidewell Ceramics, writing to Marsh Lane Gifts

The sentence on their site: “We stock work by over 20 makers from the South West, with a new window display each month.”
Subject: Tidewell Ceramics x Marsh Lane Gifts

Hi Ruth,

I saw Marsh Lane Gifts stocks work by over 20 makers from the South West, with a new window display each month.

I'm Sofia from Tidewell Ceramics. We make hand-thrown mugs and bowls in Cornwall for gift shops that sell local work.

If useful, I can send a short 3-point outline for a small set of our mugs in the Marsh Lane window. Worth sending over?

If this isn't relevant, just tell me and I won't write again.

Best,
Sofia

These emails are fictional examples. The companies, people and sentences are made up, and each stands in for a line a real business would have on its own site.

Who does what

Five helpers do the work and you approve once.

FindCheckReadWriteSendYou relax Harbour & Coarchitects · LeedsPennant Accountsaccountants · YorkFieldstone Lawsolicitors · Hull Grandma's recipe blog plop maya@harbourandco.example info@@harbour boing! harbourandco.example Harbour & Co Our second studio openedin Leeds this spring Maya, managerHarbour & Co "Second studio openedin Leeds this spring" To: Maya, Harbour & Co Dear Sir/Madam, Hi Maya, 1 2 3 I saw Harbour & Co opened a secondstudio in Leeds this spring. I'm Sam from Brightline IT. We helpsmall practices ... If useful, I can send a short 3-point outline ...Worth sending over? Approve campaign ding! London9:00New York9:00Sydney9:00 Yes, send it Not for us Out until Monday
  1. Finds companies that buy what you sell. Here that means groups such as independent shops and delis and cafes and coffee shops.
  2. Checks every address.
  3. Reads their site, picks something true. Each email says one thing seen on their own site, and the product checks it is really there.
  4. Writes a short, honest email. Three parts and under 110 words.
  5. You approve once. Nothing goes out before you approve the campaign.
  6. Sends from your Gmail, in their working hours. From your own Gmail, one email at a time.
  7. Replies land in your inbox. Follow-ups stop on a reply, and anyone who opts out is never written to again.

How many emails a day

Plan for up to 100 a day from day one of your two-week free trial, then 50 a day, from your own Gmail. The trial covers one campaign, which means one buyer group. That is enough to learn what your offer does, and it is the pace a careful person would send at.

What to expect

One campaign that used this method had about 1 in 10 people reply in its first week. That is one B2B software company, counting every human reply including no. It is not a promise for yours.

1 in 10: people who replied to the first emails of a B2B software company's campaign that used this method, first week of sending, September 2026 (2,726 emails; every human reply counted, including no). Your results will depend on your offer and your list.

The rules to know first

The rules for cold email differ by country and by who you write to. Before you send, read the guide for each place you will write to. This is general information, not legal advice.

Questions

Can I write to shops in more than one town?

Yes. Emails go out in the reader's working hours in their own time zone, so a campaign across several towns or countries still lands during their day.

What if a shop is a sole trader?

The rules for sole traders are stricter in some countries, the UK among them. Read the sole trader guide linked on this page before you send, and leave out anyone you are unsure about. You decide who is on every list.

Should I offer a discount in the first email?

The first email has no prices and no links. It offers a short outline of the range and a small first order; the terms come in the outline, once the buyer has said yes.

More use cases

Honest Intros is also used for:

Start with this use case

Sign in with Google, paste your website, and your campaign is set up for this use case. You can change every line before you approve it.

Start with this use caseFree, no card. Nothing is sent until you approve it.

Read next

  • Cold email to restaurantsSample first emails to restaurants and cafes in the 3-point format: one observation from the restaurant's own website, who you are and an offer of a short outline, with what to notice and what to avoid.
  • Personalise from their websiteHow to personalise cold email from a prospect's own website: one true observation in plain words, who you are, and a small offer, with every fact backed by a sentence on their page.
  • "How much does it cost?"What it means when a cold email reply asks about price, three reply templates, what not to do and when to stop.
  • "Send me more information"What to do when a prospect replies asking for more information: three reply templates, what not to send, and how to tell a brush-off from a real request.
  • Cold email checkerFree cold email checker. Paste your email and see a score, with each rule explained: length, a specific opening line, one question, an opt-out, no links, prices or hype.
  • Sole traderA sole trader is a self-employed person who runs a business in their own name, without forming a limited company.
  • Follow-upA follow-up is a later email in the same thread, sent to someone who has not replied to the first.