7.1 KiB
| name | description |
|---|---|
| cold-email | 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. Covers subject lines, opening lines, body copy, CTAs, personalization, and multi-touch follow-up sequences. |
Cold Email Writing
Write B2B cold emails optimized for reply rates. Based on data from 85M+ analyzed emails (Gong), 16.5M campaigns (Belkins), and billions of scored messages (Lavender).
Required Inputs
Before writing, gather or confirm:
- Prospect info — Name, role, company, industry, company size
- Research signals — At least one: recent funding, job postings, LinkedIn activity, tech stack, company news, podcast/talks, website changes
- Value proposition — The specific problem solved and for whom
- Social proof — A relevant case study: [Similar Company] + [Specific Result] + [Timeframe]
- Sequence context — First touch, follow-up number, or breakup email
If the user hasn't provided these, ask before writing.
Core Principles (ranked by impact)
1. Select the right hook type
Timeline hooks outperform problem hooks by 3.4x in meetings booked.
| Hook type | Reply rate | Meeting rate | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timeline | 10.01% | 2.34% | Trigger events, deadlines, seasons |
| Numbers | 8.57% | 1.86% | Strong quantified results |
| Social proof | 7.12% | 1.21% | Recognizable client wins |
| Problem | 4.39% | 0.69% | Only when pain is acute + specific |
2. Personalize to the problem, not the person
Every personalized element must logically connect to the problem you solve. Remove the personalization — if the email still makes sense, it isn't doing its job.
See personalization.md for the 4-level system and research signals.
3. Keep it radically short and human
- 50–80 words for cold openers. Never exceed 125.
- 3rd–5th grade reading level: no sentence over 20 words, no word over 3 syllables unless it's a proper noun.
- "You/your" should appear 3x more than "I/we." Every sentence should serve the reader.
- 2–3 line paragraphs max. Generous white space. Plain text only.
- Tone: conversational-professional. Write like a peer talking to a peer — not texting a friend, not pitching on Shark Tank. Use contractions. Read it aloud; if it doesn't sound like speech, rewrite.
4. Use interest-based CTAs, not meeting asks
Soft CTAs ("Worth a chat?" / "Open to exploring?") outperform hard CTAs ("Book a meeting here"). One CTA per email. Under 6 words. Close-ended yes/no.
5. Subject lines: short, boring, internal-looking
- 2–4 words, lowercase, no punctuation tricks.
- Look like an internal email ("reply rates", "hiring ops", "Q2 forecast").
- No salesy words, numbers, emojis, urgency, or product pitches.
- Never use prospect's first name (signals automation).
See subject-lines.md for full rules and data.
6. Follow-ups must add new value
Each follow-up uses a different angle. Never "just checking in." 3–5 total emails with increasing gaps. 55% of replies come from follow-ups.
See follow-up-sequences.md for cadence and angle rotation.
Framework Selection
Default to PAS for most situations. Match to context:
| Framework | Best for | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| PAS | Problem-aware prospects (default) | Problem → Agitate → Solution |
| BAB | Transformation stories, emotional buyers | Before → After → Bridge |
| QVC | C-suite, ultra-brevity needed | Question → Value → CTA |
| Star-Story-Sol | Strong case study available | Character → Challenge → Result |
| PPP | Genuine trigger event to praise | Praise → Picture → Push |
| 3C's (Berman) | Agency/services with vertical case studies | Compliment → Case Study → CTA |
| Mouse Trap | Maximum brevity, curiosity-driven | Observation + Binary question (1–2 lines) |
See frameworks.md for all frameworks with examples.
Workflow
Step 1: Assess inputs
Confirm prospect info, research signals, value prop, and social proof. Ask for missing pieces.
Step 2: Select framework + hook type
Match framework to prospect seniority and awareness level. Default to timeline or numbers hooks.
Step 3: Write the email
Five-line structure:
[Personalized trigger/observation — 1 sentence]
[Pain point connection — 1 sentence]
[Social proof/specific result — 1 sentence]
[Concise value connection — 1 sentence]
[Low-friction CTA — 1 sentence]
Step 4: Self-check
Before presenting:
- Under 80 words?
- 3rd–5th grade reading level? (no sentence >20 words, no word >3 syllables)
- "You/your" appears 3x more than "I/we"?
- Tone sounds like a peer, not a vendor? (read aloud test)
- Personalization connects to the problem?
- One CTA, interest-based, under 6 words?
- Subject line: 2–4 words, lowercase, internal-looking?
- No jargon, feature dumps, or self-proclaimed superlatives?
- Passes the "so what?" test from prospect's perspective?
Step 5: Generate follow-up sequence (if requested)
Write 2–4 follow-ups with different angles per follow-up-sequences.md.
Output Format
Present each email as:
**Subject:** [subject line]
**Framework:** [framework used]
**Hook type:** [timeline/numbers/social proof/problem]
---
[Email body]
---
**Word count:** [N]
**Reading level:** [grade level]
**I/You ratio:** [ratio]
For sequences, present all emails with day numbers and angle labels.
Anti-Patterns (never do these)
- Open with "I hope this email finds you well" or "My name is X and I work at Y"
- Use "synergy," "leverage," "circle back," "best-in-class," "leading provider"
- Include HTML formatting, images, or multiple links
- Pitch your product in the subject line
- Use fake "Re:" or "Fwd:" subject lines
- Send identical templates with only {{FirstName}} swapped
- Ask for 30-minute calls in first touch
- Write "just checking in" follow-ups
References
- frameworks.md — All copywriting frameworks with B2B examples
- subject-lines.md — Subject line optimization rules and data
- personalization.md — 4-level system, research signals, 3-min method
- follow-up-sequences.md — Cadence, angle rotation, breakup emails
- benchmarks.md — Performance data, expert methodologies, common mistakes