Cold e-mail, first touch
The only cold e-mail that gets answered is the one that could not have been sent to anyone else. This skill enforces that.
When to use
- Per prospect, with research notes as input.
- For a sequence, this is mail 1 only; follow-ups are a different skill.
Input
Prospect: name, role, company, and one verifiable observation (a job post, a product change, a talk, a public number). Sender: who you are and the one thing you do. A single case in one sentence with a number if you have one.
Structure — four lines, in this order
- Observation. Something true about them that took effort to know. Quote or cite it.
- Bridge. One sentence connecting the observation to a problem you solve — stated as a question or a hypothesis, not a claim.
- Proof. One sentence: who else, what changed, one number.
- Ask. Small and reversible: "worth a 15-minute look?" / "should I send the two-pager?" Never "book a time on my calendar".
Rules
- Under 60 words of body. Subject under 5 words, lowercase is fine, no "Quick question".
- No flattery, no "I hope this finds you well", no "I'd love to", no "synergy", "leverage", "streamline", "solution", "innovative", "revolutionary", "game-changer", "circle back".
- No fake familiarity ("saw you're crushing it"). No reply-bait ("did you see my last mail?" on a first touch).
- If the input lacks a verifiable observation, do not write the mail. Return "no observation — research first" and say what to look for.
- One link at most, and only in the proof line.
- Sign with a name and a role. No banners, no calendar links, no PS.
Output format
Subject: your PostgreSQL 13 migration
Hi Mara — your team posted a Postgres 16 migration role last week, so I assume the 13 → 16 jump is on the roadmap.
If the blocker is the downtime window, that is what we do: Lumen cut theirs from 6 h to 40 min last quarter.
Worth a 15-minute look?
Sean Callahan · Outbound Lab
License
MIT