How to Reconnect With Someone After Years Apart
Eddie — Founder
Published October 2026
Finding someone can be easier than deciding what to do once you find them.
That’s when the overthinking starts.
Will they remember me?
Will they think this is weird?
What if they don’t want to hear from me?
All fair questions.
Give them context
Don’t just write:
“Hi, remember me?”
Make it easy for them.
“Hi Sarah, we worked together at ABC in Brisbane around 2010.”
Done.
Now they know who you are and where you fit.
You don’t need a dramatic reason
You can just say you were thinking about that time in your life.
Or something reminded you of them.
Or you wondered how they were going.
That’s enough.
Keep the first message light
The thing I’d avoid is putting 15 years of emotion into message number one.
If there’s more to say, there’ll be time.
The first message really only needs to answer:
Who are you?
How do they know you?
Why are you saying hello?
That’s it.
Leave room for no reply
This matters.
People change.
Lives get complicated.
Their memory of the relationship may be different from yours.
Send the message.
If they respond, great.
If they don’t, leave it there.
No second platform.
No “just checking you saw this”.
No LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook hat-trick.
One message is enough.
Don’t tell them how much research you did
Even if it took you weeks.
“I came across your profile” sounds much better than giving them the full investigative timeline.
Nobody wants to feel like they’ve been the subject of a documentary.
Keep your expectations sensible
Sometimes an old friendship restarts.
Sometimes you exchange three nice messages.
Sometimes you just find out they’re doing well.
All of those can be good outcomes.
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Eddie — Founder
Eddie is the founder of Someone I Knew, a privacy-first way to help people reconnect with someone from their past using the things they remember and information that’s already public.