Professor Email Pre-Send Checklist (Free) with Dr. David Atuahene

Before you email a professor, supervisor, PI, or academic advisor, use this 1-page Professor Email Pre-Send Checklist to make sure your message is clear, relevant, professional, and easy to respond to.

It helps you check:

• whether you are contacting the right person
• if your subject line is strong
• whether your introduction is clear
• if you have shown genuine academic fit
• whether your request is specific
• what to remove before sending
• when and how to follow up

This checklist is designed for students and early-career researchers applying for Master’s, PhD, research, visiting scholar, or funded academic opportunities.

It is also a preview of the full Academic Outreach Playbook, which includes the complete framework, email templates, follow-up strategies, and my real University of Wisconsin–Madison outreach case study.

Free download. Use it before every academic outreach email.