outbound-builder

name	outbound-builder
description	Builds and optimizes cold outbound sequences: researches the prospect segment, drafts multi-touch email cadences with subject line variants, and tightens each touchpoint for reply rate. Use this skill when the user says "build me a cold email sequence", "write cold outreach", "create an outbound cadence", "optimize my cold email", "write a prospecting sequence", or needs a targeted multi-step sequence for a specific role or company type. Not for nurture emails to existing subscribers, event invitations, product announcements, or newsletter copy.
license	MIT
metadata	{"skillsmith-see-also":"content-scorer","skillsmith-invocation":"user","skillsmith-maturity":"experimental"}
user-invocable	true

outbound-builder

Cold outbound fails at the delete button, not the send button. Each touchpoint must earn its read before it can earn a reply. This skill builds sequences backward from the reply — what would make this specific person respond — rather than forward from a template.

Determine mode

Two modes; detect from context:

• Build — user needs a new sequence from scratch. Requires: target persona (role, company stage, pain), value proposition, and desired next step. Clarify these before drafting if they are missing.
• Optimize — user has an existing sequence with reply rate or open rate data. Diagnose before rewriting: identify which touchpoint is the break point and why (subject line, opener, CTA, timing, length).

Research the segment first

Before writing a word: state what a skeptical member of the target persona already believes about this problem, what they have tried, and why those solutions disappointed them. The sequence earns its read by demonstrating this understanding — not by claiming it.

If the user has not provided this context, ask for one real example of their ideal prospect (name, title, company, what the company does). One real example is worth more than a persona description.

Draft the touchpoints

A standard 4-touch cadence:

1. Day 1 — Opener: One sharp insight about their world + one connection to the value prop. No pitch. Subject line: specific, not clever. ≤100 words.
2. Day 4 — Angle shift: Different lens on the same problem. Not a re-pitch. Acknowledge they may have seen the first note. ≤75 words.
3. Day 9 — Social proof or specificity: One concrete result for a similar company or a specific hypothesis about their situation. ≤75 words.
4. Day 14 — Breakup: Permission to close. Honest, not passive- aggressive. Keeps the door open. ≤50 words.

Produce 2 subject line variants per touch. Vary the axis: one plays specificity, one plays curiosity or urgency.

Evaluate before returning

Score each touchpoint on three axes (1–5): opens on a genuine insight (not "I hope this finds you well"), CTA is one clear action, reads in under 15 seconds. Any touch scoring below 3 on any axis gets rewritten before returning.