Paid intro: how to monetize your connections
Short answer: If you have access to decision-makers (founders, VPs, hiring managers, investors), that has value. On Kreer, you can offer "paid intro": someone pays you a fixed fee ($5-$50) for a verified introduction to someone in your network. You get paid directly, make a brief email intro, and both parties connect. It's a real way to monetize your connections without doing much.
Why someone would pay for an intro
A cold email has a 1-5% response rate. An intro from someone trusted: 60%+. The difference is enormous. A founder looking for investors, a candidate looking for the right CTO, a company looking for the right VP of Sales: they'd all pay to bypass the noise and reach someone who decides.
And you have what they need: access. You know the people they want to know. That has a price.
Who offers paid intros
People who have verified connections with decision-makers:
- VPs and executives: access to other VPs or founders in your industry
- Investors and VCs: access to founders, operators, other VCs
- Recruiting experts: access to hiring managers and CTOs hiring
- Sales leaders and business development: access to buyers in specific industries
- HR partners: access to organizational leaders and CHOs
- Career mentors: access to people who hired or worked at specific companies
How it works on Kreer
The process is straightforward:
- You set a fee for intro (typically $5-$50 USD)
- Someone on Kreer sees your profile, pays through the payment gateway, and requests an intro to someone in your network
- You get notified instantly with the money in your account
- You make a simple email intro, connecting both parties in a conversation
- The platform handles the timeout: if no response in 48 hours, the fee is refunded automatically
How much you can earn
It depends on demand and price. Here's a real example:
- Conservative: 5-10 requests per month at $15 each = $75-$150/month
- Moderate: 15-20 requests per month at $25 each = $375-$500/month
- Optimistic: 30+ requests per month at $40 each = $1,200+/month
Your actual work: answering emails. That's it. This isn't about creating content, it's not about selling, it's not about booking calls. You just connect two people.
How to set your price
Think about the real value of the connection you're facilitating. If you introduce a candidate to a CTO who's hiring and the company pays the candidate $150k, $25-$40 for that intro is a steal. If you introduce a founder to an investor pouring in $1M, $50 is ridiculously low.
Start moderate ($15-$25) and raise based on demand. If you're getting 20 requests per month at $15, that means unsatisfied demand. Raise to $25 or $30 and maintain the number of requests you can handle well.
When your network gets too big
The only real limit: your capacity to respond and make quality intros. If you're getting 100 requests per month but can only make 50 quality intros, quality matters more. A bad intro damages your reputation and your relationship with your contact.
That's why it matters: only offer paid intro if you actually know your network well and are willing to make a decent personal intro. It's not a numbers game, it's a reputation game.
Paid intro vs mentorship vs sessions
On Kreer, these are distinct ways to monetize:
- Paid intro: one intro, done. $5-$50, no call, no follow-up.
- Consulting session: 45-60 minutes solving a specific problem. $100-$500.
- Mentorship: long-term relationship with follow-up. $200-$600 per session.
You can offer all three. A VP of Engineering can offer $20 for a paid intro to a hiring CTO, but $300 for a 1-hour consulting session on architecture. They complement, not compete.
When to start
Today. You don't need to "build an audience" first. You don't need 10,000 followers. If you have verified access to valuable people, you can publish your profile tomorrow and start receiving requests. Kreer is already where people look for connections.
Frequently asked questions
What is a paid intro exactly?
Someone pays you a fixed price ($5-$50) for a verified introduction to someone in your network. You get paid, make a brief email intro, and both parties connect.
How much can I earn with paid intros?
With a valuable network (100+ connections to decision-makers), expect 5-20 requests per month. At $25 each, that's $125-$500/month without much work.
Do I need to be famous?
No. You just need real access to valuable people. A VC with 500 verified connections. A founder with access to other founders. It's about access, not fame.