Cold email works when it's short, clearly about them, and asks for one small thing. Most cold email
fails because it's a feature dump that's all about the sender. This skill writes a tight, personalised
email built on a real trigger or relevance hook, with a single low-friction ask — plus the follow-ups
that actually drive most replies. (For job-search / networking outreach, use outreach-message; this is B2B sales prospecting.)
Required Inputs
Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:
- Who you're emailing — role, company, and the segment/ICP.
- The relevance hook — a real reason to contact them now (a trigger event, a specific pain in their role/industry, a mutual connection).
- What you offer — the outcome you drive for people like them (not your feature list).
- Proof — a comparable customer, a result, a number.
- The ask — ideally low-friction (a 15-min call, a relevant resource, an "open to it?" reply).
Output Format
Cold Email: [offer] → [persona]
Subject lines — 3 options, short (≤6 words), specific, no clickbait or "Quick question."
The email (≤120 words):
- Opener — the relevance hook: something true about them (trigger, pain, connection). Not "I hope this finds you well."
- Value — the outcome you drive for people in their seat, with one proof point. One or two sentences.
- Ask — one clear, low-friction request, phrased to make "yes" or even "not now" easy.
- Signature — minimal.
Follow-ups — 2 short ones (send ~3–4 days apart): a value-add nudge (a resource/insight, not "just bumping this") and a graceful breakup email ("I'll close the loop — want me to circle back next quarter?"). Most replies come from these.
Note — what to personalise per prospect (the one line that proves it isn't a blast), and the one metric to watch (reply rate, not open rate).
Deeper Materials
references/reply-rate-calibration.md— line-by-line calibration of what actually moves reply rates, with honest expectations
Quality Checks
- Under ~120 words and skimmable on a phone
- Opens with a real, specific relevance hook about the recipient
- Frames value as the prospect's outcome, with one proof point
- Exactly one low-friction ask
- Includes 2 follow-ups (value-add + graceful breakup)
- Subject is specific and honest (no bait)
Anti-Patterns
- Do not open about yourself ("We're a leading platform…") — lead with them
- Do not feature-dump — one outcome + one proof beats a capability list
- Do not stack asks or ask for too much ("30-min demo" cold) — make the first yes tiny
- Do not use fake personalisation ("loved your post!") — be specifically, verifiably relevant or don't claim it
- Do not skip follow-ups or make them "just checking in" — each must add a reason to reply
Based On
B2B cold-email practice — relevance/trigger-led openers, one-outcome value, single low-friction ask, value-adding follow-up cadence.