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Your first buyers of a testing tool are probably two hops away: a friend who works with a QA lead, an engineering manager or a CTO tired of flaky tests. These templates make it easy for that friend to say yes and forward. Each one is ready to copy, with [brackets] for what you fill in.

All guidesFor founders of a testing tool

1. The direct ask to a close friend

Subject: Quick favor, intro to [Name]? Body: Hey [Friend], I'm building [Tool], which [cuts flaky end-to-end test failures / auto-generates API tests] for teams running [Cypress / Playwright / Jest]. I saw you work with [Name], [QA Lead / Eng Manager] at [Company]. Would you be open to introducing us? I want 20 minutes to learn how they handle [test maintenance], not to pitch. I've pasted a short blurb below you can forward. Thanks, [Your name]. Use this when you already know exactly who you want to meet and your friend is close enough to text.

2. The forwardable blurb

Body: Hi [Name], [Friend] suggested we talk. I'm [Your name], building [Tool]. It helps teams that [spend hours each week rerunning failing CI pipelines] by [one-sentence what it does]. I'm talking to [QA leads / SDETs] at teams of [10-100 engineers] to see if this is a real problem for them. Would a 20-minute call next week work? Happy to send a 2-minute demo first if easier. [Your name]. Paste this under every intro request so your friend just hits forward and changes nothing.

3. The 'who do you know' ask

Subject: Who do you know who runs QA? Body: Hey [Friend], I'm building [Tool] for teams who [fight flaky tests / have no time to write tests]. Do you know anyone who is a QA Lead, Head of QA, SDET, or an Engineering Manager at a startup with [20-200 engineers]? Even one name helps. If yes, I'll send a blurb you can forward. Thanks, [Your name]. Use this with friends in tech when you don't know their network well yet.

4. The ex-colleague ask

Subject: [Old company] friend asking a favor. Body: Hi [Name], hope [new role] is going well. I left [Old company] to build [Tool]. Remember how [our release got blocked for two days by broken Selenium tests]? That's what I'm fixing. Is there anyone on your team, or a past team, who owns test automation and would talk to me for 20 minutes? I'd value their honest take. [Your name]. Use this with former teammates, because a shared testing pain story makes the ask instantly concrete.

5. The LinkedIn mutual connection ask

Search LinkedIn for "QA Lead" OR "SDET" OR "Head of Quality", filter by 2nd-degree connections, and note who the mutual friend is. Then message: Hi [Friend], I see you're connected to [Name], [Title] at [Company]. How well do you know them? I'm building [Tool] for [Playwright/Cypress] teams and would love an intro if you're comfortable. If you don't know them well, no worries at all. [Your name]. Use this when you've found a specific buyer and need to check how warm the link really is first.

6. The community friend ask

Body: Hey [Name], we've chatted in [Ministry of Testing Slack / Test Automation University forum / r/QualityAssurance / Playwright Discord]. I'm building [Tool] for [problem]. You know this crowd better than me. Is there anyone you'd suggest I talk to who's dealing with [problem] right now? A name or a thread link is plenty. [Your name]. Use this with people you've had real exchanges with in testing communities, not strangers.

7. The follow-up after no reply

Subject: Re: Quick favor, intro to [Name]? Body: Hi [Friend], bumping this in case it got buried. Totally fine if now isn't a good time or you'd rather not. If it helps, I can just ask you one question instead: does [Name]'s team struggle with [flaky tests / slow CI]? [Your name]. Send this once, 5-7 days after the first ask, then stop.

8. The thank-you and loop-close

Body: [Friend], thanks for connecting me with [Name]. We talked [Tuesday]. They told me [one real thing you learned, e.g. they rerun failed jobs 3 times before trusting them], which changed how I'm thinking about [feature]. Really appreciate it. [Your name]. Send this within a day of the call, because friends who hear what happened introduce you again. Hulby, an AI cofounder, can draft and track these intro asks for you each day.

Mistakes to skip

  • Asking a friend to 'introduce me to anyone in QA' with no title, company size or problem named.
  • Making your friend write the intro instead of giving them a blurb to forward.
  • Pitching features like 'AI-powered test generation' instead of the pain, like broken builds before a release.
  • Never telling the friend how the call went, so they never help again.

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Questions

How many friends should I ask at once?

Start with 10 to 15 people you'd feel fine texting. Send them all this week.

Who is the best person to get introduced to?

A QA Lead, SDET or Engineering Manager at a 20 to 200 engineer company who owns the test suite. CTOs work for smaller teams.

Should I mention pricing in the intro?

No. The first call is to learn their testing pain. Pricing comes once they say the problem is real.

What if my friends don't work in tech?

Use the 'who do you know' template anyway. Partners, siblings and old classmates often work next to engineers.