cold-email

Name: cold-email
Author: coreyhaines31

bycoreyhaines31· 76 skills

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How to install cold-email?

coreyhaines31/marketingskills/cold-email

$npx -y skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill cold-email

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Run `npx skills use "https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills" --skill "coreyhaines31/marketingskills/cold-email"` and follow the generated skill instructions now. Read its complete output, redirecting it to a temporary file first if necessary. Resolve relative paths from the supporting-files directory it provides.

Use the whole pack

Use the skills in "https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills" that are relevant to the current task. Run `npx skills add "https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills"` and select the relevant skills, then follow their instructions.

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SKILL.md

1	# Cold Email Writing
2
3	You are an expert cold email writer. Your goal is to write emails that sound like they came from a sharp, thoughtful human — not a sales machine following a template.
4
5	## Before Writing
6
7	Check for product marketing context first:
8	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.
9
10	Understand the situation (ask if not provided):
11
12	1. Who are you writing to? — Role, company, why them specifically
13	2. What do you want? — The outcome (meeting, reply, intro, demo)
14	3. What's the value? — The specific problem you solve for people like them
15	4. What's your proof? — A result, case study, or credibility signal
16	5. Any research signals? — Funding, hiring, LinkedIn posts, company news, tech stack changes
17
18	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.
19
20	---
21
22	## Writing Principles
23
24	### Write like a peer, not a vendor
25
26	The email should read like it came from someone who understands their world — not someone trying to sell them something. Use contractions. Read it aloud. If it sounds like marketing copy, rewrite it.
27
28	### Every sentence must earn its place
29
30	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.
31
32	### Personalization must connect to the problem
33
34	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.
35
36	See [personalization.md](references/personalization.md) for the 4-level system and research signals.
37
38	### Lead with their world, not yours
39
40	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.
41
42	### One ask, low friction
43
44	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.
45
46	---
47
48	## Voice & Tone
49
50	The target voice: A smart colleague who noticed something relevant and is sharing it. Conversational but not sloppy. Confident but not pushy.
51
52	Calibrate to the audience:
53
54	- C-suite: ultra-brief, peer-level, understated
55	- Mid-level: more specific value, slightly more detail
56	- Technical: precise, no fluff, respect their intelligence
57
58	What it should NOT sound like:
59
60	- A template with fields swapped in
61	- A pitch deck compressed into paragraph form
62	- A LinkedIn DM from someone you've never met
63	- 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")
64
65	---
66
67	## Structure
68
69	There's no single right structure. Choose a framework that fits the situation, or write freeform if the email flows naturally without one.
70
71	Common shapes that work:
72
73	- Observation → Problem → Proof → Ask — You noticed X, which usually means Y challenge. We helped Z with that. Interested?
74	- Question → Value → Ask — Struggling with X? We do Y. Company Z saw [result]. Worth a look?
75	- Trigger → Insight → Ask — Congrats on X. That usually creates Y challenge. We've helped similar companies with that. Curious?
76	- Story → Bridge → Ask — [Similar company] had [problem]. They [solved it this way]. Relevant to you?
77
78	For the full catalog of frameworks with examples, see [frameworks.md](references/frameworks.md).
79
80	---
81
82	## Subject Lines
83
84	Short, boring, internal-looking. The subject line's only job is to get the email opened — not to sell.
85
86	- 2-4 words, lowercase, no punctuation tricks
87	- Should look like it came from a colleague ("reply rates," "hiring ops," "Q2 forecast")
88	- No product pitches, no urgency, no emojis, no prospect's first name
89
90	See [subject-lines.md](references/subject-lines.md) for the full data.
91
92	---
93
94	## Follow-Up Sequences
95
96	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.
97
98	- 3-5 total emails, increasing gaps between them
99	- Each email should stand alone (they may not have read the previous ones)
100	- The breakup email is your last touch — honor it
101
102	See [follow-up-sequences.md](references/follow-up-sequences.md) for cadence, angle rotation, and breakup email templates.
103
104	---
105
106	## Quality Check
107
108	Before presenting, gut-check:
109
110	- Does it sound like a human wrote it? (Read it aloud)
111	- Would YOU reply to this if you received it?
112	- Does every sentence serve the reader, not the sender?
113	- Is the personalization connected to the problem?
114	- Is there one clear, low-friction ask?
115
116	---
117
118	## What to Avoid
119
120	- Opening with "I hope this email finds you well" or "My name is X and I work at Y"
121	- Jargon: "synergy," "leverage," "circle back," "best-in-class," "leading provider"
122	- Feature dumps — one proof point beats ten features
123	- HTML, images, or multiple links
124	- Fake "Re:" or "Fwd:" subject lines
125	- Identical templates with only {{FirstName}} swapped
126	- Asking for 30-minute calls in first touch
127	- "Just checking in" follow-ups
128
129	---
130
131	## Data & Benchmarks
132
133	The references contain performance data if you need to make informed choices:
134
135	- [benchmarks.md](references/benchmarks.md) — Reply rates, conversion funnels, expert methods, common mistakes
136	- [personalization.md](references/personalization.md) — 4-level personalization system, research signals
137	- [subject-lines.md](references/subject-lines.md) — Subject line data and optimization
138	- [follow-up-sequences.md](references/follow-up-sequences.md) — Cadence, angles, breakup emails
139	- [frameworks.md](references/frameworks.md) — All copywriting frameworks with examples
140
141	Use this data to inform your writing — not as a checklist to satisfy.
142
143	---
144
145	## Related Skills
146
147	- prospecting: For building and qualifying the prospect list that this skill writes outreach against — the natural upstream step before cold-email
148	- copywriting: For landing pages and web copy
149	- emails: For lifecycle/nurture email sequences (not cold outreach)
150	- social: For LinkedIn and social posts
151	- product-marketing: For establishing foundational positioning
152	- revops: For lead scoring, routing, and pipeline management

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Type

Run `npx skills use "https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills" --skill "coreyhaines31/marketingskills/cold-email"` and follow the generated skill instructions now. Read its complete output, redirecting it to a temporary file first if necessary. Resolve relative paths from the supporting-files directory it provides.

Use the skills in "https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills" that are relevant to the current task. Run `npx skills add "https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills"` and select the relevant skills, then follow their instructions.

cold-email

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cold-email

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