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):
- Who are you writing to? — Role, company, why them specifically
- What do you want? — The outcome (meeting, reply, intro, demo)
- What's the value? — The specific problem you solve for people like them
- What's your proof? — A result, case study, or credibility signal
- 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.
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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.
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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")
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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).
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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?
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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
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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.
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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.
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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)