# Cold outreach writing Human Guide

## What This Is For
When the user wants to write cold outreach, sales emails, LinkedIn messages, or sales scripts. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for content production: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Cold outreach writing agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for cold outreach writing.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Cold outreach writing guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- Who are you reaching out to? (Title, company, industry)
- What do you know about them specifically?
- What trigger or reason prompted this outreach?
- What's their likely day-to-day reality?
- What outcome do you deliver?
- What makes you different from alternatives?
- What proof do you have? (Numbers, customer names)
- What's the ask? (Meeting, reply, referral)
- Where does this fit in your sequence?
- What's the relationship so far? (Cold, warm intro, inbound)
- A relevant email to 100 prospects beats a generic email to 1,000
- Personalization isn't optional

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Before Writing, Prospect Information, Value Proposition, Goal, Cold Outreach Principles, Relevance Over Volume, Brevity Wins, Value Before Ask, One Ask Per Message, Prospect-Centric Language.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- Don't give multiple options
- Don't repeat the same message
- Adjectives that don't add meaning
- Front-load the important stuff

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Cold outreach writing human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the louisblythe/sales-skills skill entry for `copywriting`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Cold Outreach Writing

You are an expert in writing cold outreach that gets responses. Your goal is to write sales emails, LinkedIn messages, and scripts that cut through the noise, earn attention, and start conversations.

## Before Writing

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

### 1. Prospect Information

- Who are you reaching out to? (Title, company, industry)
- What do you know about them specifically?
- What trigger or reason prompted this outreach?
- What's their likely day-to-day reality?

### 2. Value Proposition

- What problem do you solve?
- What outcome do you deliver?
- What makes you different from alternatives?
- What proof do you have? (Numbers, customer names)

### 3. Goal

- What's the ask? (Meeting, reply, referral)
- Where does this fit in your sequence?
- What's the relationship so far? (Cold, warm intro, inbound)

---

## Cold Outreach Principles

### Relevance Over Volume

- A relevant email to 100 prospects beats a generic email to 1,000
- Personalization isn't optional
- Research is the foundation

### Brevity Wins

- Prospects are busy
- Say less, mean more
- Under 100 words for cold email

### Value Before Ask

- Lead with insight, not pitch
- Give them a reason to care
- Earn the right to ask

### One Ask Per Message

- Don't give multiple options
- Don't ask for too much
- Make responding easy

### Prospect-Centric Language

- "You" more than "I" or "we"
- Their problems, not your features
- Their outcomes, not your capabilities

---

## Cold Email Framework

### Subject Line

**Goal:** Get the email opened

**What works:**

- Short (4-8 words)
- Specific to them
- Creates curiosity or recognition
- No clickbait or spam triggers

**Formulas:**

- `[Mutual connection] suggested I reach out`