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Cold Email

Corey HainesCommunityCreated by Corey Haines

  • Skill
  • Workflow
  • Business and productivity
  • MIT
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From the author

Write and run B2B cold outbound that gets replies, from cold emails and follow-ups to sending setup, LinkedIn, multichannel cadences, and reply handling. Use when the user mentions "cold email," "cold outreach," "outbound," "prospecting email," "SDR emails," "follow-up sequence," "nobody's replying," "email deliverability," "sending domains," "warm up inboxes," "LinkedIn outreach," "connection request message," "multichannel sequence," "cadence," "cold call," "voicemail," "handle replies," "AI SDR," "teardown outreach," or "product-led outbound." Send from secondary domains, verify lists first, turn off open tracking, and stop every channel when a prospect replies. Copy avoids AI tells like 'it's not X, it's Y' reveals. For building the list and account research, see prospecting. For lifecycle email, see emails. For call scripts and sales collateral, see sales-enablement.
— the description by Corey Haines

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides a structured approach to B2B cold outbound, focusing on human-centric communication that avoids common AI-generated pitfalls. It covers the entire lifecycle of an outbound campaign, including technical deliverability setup, writing principles, follow-up strategies, and reply handling. The goal is to move away from template-based sales pitches toward thoughtful, peer-level outreach that earns replies and meetings.

What it does

  • Guides the creation of conversational, peer-level cold emails that avoid robotic sales jargon.
  • Provides frameworks for structuring emails based on observations, insights, and value propositions.
  • Outlines technical requirements for deliverability, including secondary domains and mailbox warmup.
  • Defines strategies for multichannel sequences involving LinkedIn and email.
  • Offers guidance on managing and categorizing replies to ensure timely follow-up.
  • Includes benchmarks and data to help calibrate campaign performance and avoid common mistakes.

When to use it

  • When you need to initiate B2B cold outreach or prospecting campaigns.
  • When existing outbound efforts are failing to generate replies or meetings.
  • When you need to set up a new outbound infrastructure, including domains and mailboxes.
  • When you want to improve the quality and human tone of your sales copy.
  • When you need to integrate email with other channels like LinkedIn for a cohesive cadence.

Advantages

  • Reduces the likelihood of emails being flagged as spam by focusing on deliverability best practices.
  • Increases reply rates by emphasizing personalization and peer-to-peer communication.
  • Provides a clear, repeatable process for managing the entire outbound lifecycle.
  • Helps avoid common 'AI tells' that cause prospects to ignore or delete messages.
  • Encourages a data-driven approach by focusing on reply rates rather than vanity metrics like open rates.

Usage examples

“Write a cold email to a CTO at a Series B startup about our new cloud cost optimization tool, referencing their recent funding news.”
The agent generates a brief, conversational email that acknowledges the funding, highlights the specific challenge of cloud costs at their scale, and offers a low-friction CTA.
“My cold emails aren't getting replies. Can you review this sequence and suggest improvements?”
The agent analyzes the copy for 'AI tells' and length, suggests a more value-focused structure, and recommends a cadence that adds fresh proof points to each follow-up.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/coreyhaines31/cold-email/download

  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip cold-email.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Corey Haines

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 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.

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 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 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.

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.

  • 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. 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.

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.

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:

Use this data to inform your writing — not as a checklist to satisfy.

Tool Integrations

For setup, see the tools registry, including its sales outbound quick start. Tools most used with this skill:

JobToolsGuides
Email sending and sequencesInstantly, lemlist, Outreachinstantly.md, lemlist.md, outreach.md
LinkedIn stepsHeyReach, lemlist (both carry LinkedIn terms-of-service risk)heyreach.md
Verification before sendTruelist, Huntertruelist.md, hunter.md
CRM and reply loggingHubSpot, Attio, Closeattio.md, close.md
BookingCalendly, SavvyCalcalendly.md, 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)

Files

references/outbound-plays.md

Outbound Plays

A play is a repeatable outbound motion: a trigger, an offer, a sequence, and a definition of success. Plays keep outbound from becoming a pile of one-off emails. This reference covers four that work in 2026, with the conditions each needs.

1. Value-first teardown (services and agencies)

Give a specific piece of the work before asking for anything. It works best when what you sell is expertise someone can see: conversion optimization, design, SEO, ads, copy, analytics.

Trigger: something visible changed or matters right now: a new pricing or landing page, a redesign, launched ad campaigns, a new head of growth, fresh funding with growth targets.

The sequence

  1. Email 1 asks permission, with no link. Name one specific thing you noticed on their page, and offer the rest.

    Looked at your new pricing page. The annual toggle defaults to monthly, which usually costs a few points of annual uptake. I noted two other things I'd test there. Want me to send them over?

  2. When they say yes, send a 2–4 minute video (or a one-page annotated screenshot) covering 3 specific, testable ideas on their page. Show their page on screen in the first seconds.

  3. Follow-up asks a small question about the ideas, not for a meeting: "Was the second one already on your list?"

  4. Then offer the call: "Happy to walk through how we'd prioritize the rest."

Why the permission step: no link or attachment in the first email protects deliverability, a "yes" filters for real interest, and the teardown goes only to people who asked for it. That keeps a time-intensive asset efficient.

Rules

  • The ideas must be real and specific to their page. A generic checklist dressed as a teardown burns trust and the brand.

  • Give enough to be useful, and leave the "how we'd do all of it" for the call.

  • Volume is low by design: around 50 well-chosen accounts a week, mostly Tier 1 and 2.

  • An agent can draft the teardown (screenshot, analysis against your CRO or design framework), but a human expert reviews every one before it goes out. It represents your expertise.

Measure: permission rate (yes to email 1), teardown-to-call rate, call-to-proposal rate.

2. Product-led outbound (self-serve and freemium SaaS)

Reach out to people already using the product, when their usage shows they're ready for more.

Triggers, in rough order of strength:

  • Hitting a plan, credit, or usage limit

  • A large job or upload (a much bigger list, project, or import than usual)

  • Inviting teammates

  • Signing up from a company domain that matches the ICP

  • Returning repeatedly to pricing or upgrade pages

The sequence

  1. Within minutes of the trigger, a short plain-text email from a founder or named account owner, sent from their own address. Reference what they're doing:

    Saw you're verifying larger lists this week. If you're running these before outbound campaigns, a couple of settings help with catch-all domains. Happy to share them, or set you up with a volume plan if you're doing this regularly.

  2. LinkedIn connect the same or next day, for company-domain users.

  3. One follow-up with a specific resource for their use case.

  4. Stop if they upgrade, go quiet for two weeks, or say no.

Rules

  • Speed matters more here than anywhere: the trigger loses most of its value within a day.

  • Never make the tracking feel like surveillance. Talk about the job they're doing and leave the logged events out of it.

  • Offer help first and an upgrade second. Product-qualified users convert far better than cold contacts (vendors report many times higher), so you don't need a hard sell.

  • Route accounts that exceed self-serve limits to a person. See the revops skill's routing rules.

Measure: trigger-to-reply rate, trigger-to-upgrade rate within 14 days, expansion revenue per triggered account.

3. Problem-led cold outbound (any product)

The default play for accounts with no product usage: lead with a problem the segment is known to have, prove you understand it, and offer something small.

Trigger: a signal from the prospecting skill's signal plays reference, or a tightly defined segment.

Offer something smaller than a meeting: a sample of the work (verify a sample of their list, audit one page, benchmark one metric), a relevant resource, or a quick answer to a question they're probably asking.

Example for a technical product (an email verification tool selling to agencies that send cold email for clients):

Agencies running outbound for several clients usually find out about a bad list when the domain is already hurting. Want me to run a sample of one client's list through and send back what would have bounced?

Rules

  • The problem must be specific to the segment, with proof from a similar customer.

  • The free sample has to be genuinely small to deliver, or the play won't scale.

  • If you sell deliverability, compliance, or quality, your own outbound has to be flawless. A bounce, a typo, or a missing opt-out from a company selling those things undercuts the pitch.

4. Founder-led outbound

Early-stage, or for a small set of strategic accounts: the founder writes personally, from their own account, about why they built the thing.

  • Short, personal, specific to the recipient. No templates.

  • Ask for advice or feedback as often as for a meeting. People answer founders.

  • 10–20 a week, done consistently, beats occasional bursts.

  • Pairs naturally with the founder posting on LinkedIn, so the name is familiar when the email lands.

Choosing plays

If you...Start with
Sell services where expertise is visibleValue-first teardown
Have self-serve usersProduct-led outbound for usage triggers, plus problem-led for everyone else
Sell a technical product to a defined segmentProblem-led with a free sample
Are pre-product-market fit or chasing a few big logosFounder-led

Run one play at a time until it works. Each needs its own copy, its own success metric, and a few hundred touches before you can judge it.

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Security

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Attribution and licence

Created by
Corey Haines
Publisher
Corey Haines (Community)
Source
coreyhaines31/marketingskills · skills/cold-email · commit 96798cf
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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