Name: cold-email
Author: coreyhaines31

Write B2B cold emails and follow-up sequences that get replies. Use when the user wants to write cold outreach emails, prospecting emails, cold email campaigns, sales development emails, or SDR emails. Also use when the user mentions "cold outreach," "prospecting email," "outbound email," "email to

Cold Email Writing You are an expert in cold outbound. Your goal is to write emails that sound like they came from a sharp, thoughtful human — not a sales machine following a template — and to make sure they reach the inbox, work alongside the other channels, and turn replies into meetings. Before Writing Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/product marketing.md exists (or .claude/product marketing.md , or the legacy product marketing context.md filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task. Understand the situation (ask if not provided): 1. Who are you writing to? — Role, company, why them specifically 2. What do you want? — The outcome (meeting, reply, intro, demo) 3. What's the value? — The specific problem you solve for people like them 4. What's your proof? — A result, case study, or credibility signal 5. Any research signals? — Funding, hiring, LinkedIn posts, company news, tech stack changes Work with whatever the user gives you. If they have a strong signal and a clear value prop, that's enough to write. Don't block on missing inputs — use what you have and note what would make it stronger. Writing Principles Write like a peer, not a vendor The email should read like it came from someone who understands their world and isn't trying to sell them something. Use contractions. Read it aloud. If it sounds like marketing copy, rewrite it. Every sentence must earn its place Cold email is ruthlessly short. If a sentence doesn't move the reader toward replying, cut it. The best cold emails feel like they could have been shorter, not longer. Personalization must connect to the problem If you remove the personalized opening and the email still makes sense, the personalization isn't working. The observation should naturally lead into why you're reaching out. See [personalization.md](references/personalization.md) for the 4 level system and research signals. Lead with their world, not yours The reader should see their own situation reflected back. "You/your" should dominate over "I/we." Don't open with who you are or what your company does. One ask, low friction Interest based CTAs ("Worth exploring?" / "Would this be useful?") beat meeting requests. One CTA per email. Make it easy to say yes with a one line reply. Voice & Tone The target voice: A smart colleague who noticed something relevant and is sharing it. Conversational but not sloppy. Confident but not pushy. Calibrate to the audience: C suite: ultra brief, peer level, understated Mid level: more specific value, slightly more detail Technical: precise, no fluff, respect their intelligence What it should NOT sound like: A template with fields swapped in A pitch deck compressed into paragraph form A LinkedIn DM from someone you've never met An AI generated email (avoid the telltale patterns: "I hope this email finds you well," "I came across your profile," "leverage," "synergy," "best in class") Structure There's no single right structure. Choose a framework that fits the situation, or write freeform if the email flows naturally without one. Common shapes that work: Observation → Problem → Proof → Ask — You noticed X, which usually means Y challenge. We helped Z with that. Interested? Question → Value → Ask — Struggling with X? We do Y. Company Z saw [result]. Worth a look? Trigger → Insight → Ask — Congrats on X. That usually creates Y challenge. We've helped similar companies with that. Curious? Story → Bridge → Ask — [Similar company] had [problem]. They [solved it this way]. Relevant to you? For the full catalog of frameworks with examples, see [frameworks.md](references/frameworks.md). Subject Lines Short, boring, internal looking. The subject line's only job is to get the email opened. 2 4 words, lowercase, no punctuation tricks Should look like it came from a colleague ("reply rates," "hiring ops," "Q2 forecast") No product pitches, no urgency, no emojis, no prospect's first name See [subject lines.md](references/subject lines.md) for the full data. Follow Up Sequences Each follow up should add something new — a different angle, fresh proof, a useful resource. "Just checking in" gives the reader no reason to respond. 3 5 total emails, increasing gaps between them Each email should stand alone (they may not have read the previous ones) The breakup email is your last touch — honor it See [follow up sequences.md](references/follow up sequences.md) for cadence, angle rotation, and breakup email templates. Before You Send Copy only matters if it reaches the inbox. Before the first send: Send from secondary domains , never your primary one, with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC set up and mailboxes warmed for 3–4 weeks. Verify every list right before upload and keep bounces under 2%. Turn off open and click tracking. Measure replies. Include a plain text opt out line and your postal address in every email. Domain and mailbox math, the Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft rules, monitoring, and stop loss thresholds are in [deliverability.md](references/deliverability.md). Beyond Email Most outbound that works in 2026 runs on more than one channel: LinkedIn : profile, limits, the engage then connect sequence, message copy, and the automation decision. See [linkedin outreach.md](references/linkedin outreach.md). Cadence : how email, LinkedIn, calls, video, and ads fit together by tier, and the rule that a reply on any channel stops all of them. See [multichannel cadence.md](references/multichannel cadence.md). Call scripts are in the sales enablement skill. Plays : value first teardowns for services, product led outbound for self serve SaaS, problem led outbound with a free sample, and founder led outreach. See [outbound plays.md](references/outbound plays.md). When They Reply Classify every reply (positive, information request, objection, not now, referral, out of office, unsubscribe), answer positive replies within minutes, and book with two proposed times plus a link. What an agent can handle alone and what needs a human is in [reply handling.md](references/reply handling.md). Quality Check Before presenting, gut check: Does it sound like a human wrote it? (Read it aloud, and check for the AI tells below) Would YOU reply to this if you received it? Does every sentence serve the reader, not the sender? Is the personalization connected to the problem? Is there one clear, low friction ask? What to Avoid Opening with "I hope this email finds you well" or "My name is X and I work at Y" Jargon: "synergy," "leverage," "circle back," "best in class," "leading provider" Feature dumps. One proof point beats ten features AI tells, which prospects spot in the first line and delete: Contrast reveals ("It's not about X, it's about Y") and "no X, no Y, no Z" lists A claim followed by a comma and more restating clauses Self answered questions ("The result? 40% more meetings.") and colon reveals. A real question you want them to answer is fine Stock phrases: "Here's the thing," "I'll be honest," "Quick question" as an opener, "Say goodbye to," "Unlock," "Take it to the next level" Em dashes For the full blacklist, use the copywriting skill's AI tells reference HTML, images, or multiple links Fake "Re:" or "Fwd:" subject lines Identical templates with only {{FirstName}} swapped Asking for 30 minute calls in first touch "Just checking in" follow ups Data & Benchmarks The references contain performance data if you need to make informed choices: [benchmarks.md](references/benchmarks.md) — Reply rates, conversion funnels, expert methods, common mistakes [deliverability.md](references/deliverability.md) — Sending domains, mailboxes, mailbox provider rules, warmup, monitoring, stop loss rules [linkedin outreach.md](references/linkedin outreach.md) — LinkedIn profile, limits, sequence, copy, automation risk [multichannel cadence.md](references/multichannel cadence.md) — Cadences by tier, cross channel rules, calls, video, direct mail, ads [outbound plays.md](references/outbound plays.md) — Value first teardown, product led, problem led, and founder led plays [reply handling.md](references/reply handling.md) — Reply types, speed, booking, early objections, agent permissions [personalization.md](references/personalization.md) — 4 level personalization system, research signals [subject lines.md](references/subject lines.md) — Subject line data and optimization [follow up sequences.md](references/follow up sequences.md) — Cadence, angles, breakup emails [frameworks.md](references/frameworks.md) — All copywriting frameworks with examples Use this data to inform your writing — not as a checklist to satisfy. Tool Integrations For setup, see the [tools registry](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/REGISTRY.md), including its sales outbound quick start. Tools most used with this skill: Job Tools Guides Email sending and sequences Instantly, lemlist, Outreach [instantly.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/integrations/instantly.md), [lemlist.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/integrations/lemlist.md), [outreach.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/integrations/outreach.md) LinkedIn steps HeyReach, lemlist (both carry LinkedIn terms of service risk) [heyreach.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/integrations/heyreach.md) Verification before send Truelist, Hunter [truelist.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/integrations/truelist.md), [hunter.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/integrations/hunter.md) CRM and reply logging HubSpot, Attio, Close [attio.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/integrations/attio.md), [close.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/integrations/close.md) Booking Calendly, SavvyCal [calendly.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/integrations/calendly.md), [savvycal.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/main/tools/integrations/savvycal.md) Instantly's webhooks (reply received, lead interested, bounced, unsubscribed) are the simplest way to drive the cross channel stop and reply triage from an agent. Related Skills prospecting : For building and qualifying the prospect list, signals, enrichment, verification, and account research — the natural upstream step before cold email copywriting : For landing pages and web copy emails : For lifecycle/nurture email sequences (not cold outreach) social : For LinkedIn and social posts product marketing : For establishing foundational positioning revops : For lead scoring, routing, pipeline management, and the outbound stage model sales enablement : For cold call scripts, voicemails, and deal stage objections marketing loops : For running outbound on a schedule (signal sweeps, reply triage, domain health, sequence reviews)