cold-outreach

name	cold-outreach
description	Research a prospect and generate a personalized cold outreach sequence. First message, two follow-ups, and a break-up message. Based on real signals from their website, not generic templates.

Cold Outreach

Research a prospect company and generate a 4-message outreach sequence personalized to their specific situation. Not templates - actual personalization based on what you find.

What this does

Three phases:

1. Prospect Research - Extract signals from their website, marketing activity, and context
2. Pain Signal Identification - Find the specific angle that will resonate
3. Sequence Generation - Write 4 messages: opener, follow-up 1, follow-up 2, break-up

How to use

Pass a company URL or LinkedIn URL:

/cold-outreach https://empresa.com

Or with context:

/cold-outreach https://empresa.com - contacto: Ana Lopez, directora de marketing, LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/analopez

Phase 1 - Prospect Research

Collect the signals that make outreach feel personal:

From their website:

• What they do and who they serve
• What they are clearly investing in (design, content, ads)
• What is clearly missing or underperforming (compared to what you'd expect)
• Any recent changes (new product, rebrand, expansion)
• Tech stack signals (no pixel = cannot run ads; no analytics = flying blind)

From search:

• Recent news, press, blog posts
• Job postings (reveals priorities and pain)
• Social media activity (are they active? what topics?)
• Reviews or testimonials (reveals what customers value)

From LinkedIn (if profile provided):

• Contact's role and responsibilities
• Recent activity / posts
• Time in current role (new role = often looking to prove impact)
• Shared connections or context

Phase 2 - Pain Signal Identification

Pick ONE primary pain angle. Not five angles - one.

The best angle is:

• Specific to them (you saw something on their site / LinkedIn)
• Connected to a business outcome they care about (revenue, leads, time)
• Something the agency can actually help with

Angle selection:

Finding	Angle
No conversion tracking	"You're spending on [channel] with no way to measure return"
No Meta Pixel	"Your audience data is building in competitors' accounts, not yours"
Inactive social (3+ months)	"Your social presence is sending the wrong signal to new visitors"
No case studies	"Prospects who visit your site can't see proof - that's a closing problem"
Old website	"Your website is costing you credibility with every new visitor"
SEO competitors ranking above them	"X and Y are capturing searches you should be winning"
Hiring for marketing	"You're scaling marketing - this is the moment to get the foundation right"

What to avoid:

• "I loved your website" (nobody believes it)
• "I noticed you could improve your SEO" (too generic)
• "We work with companies like yours" (irrelevant)
• "I wanted to reach out because..." (filler)

Phase 3 - Sequence Generation

Generate 4 messages. Each has a different purpose.

Message 1 - The Opener

Purpose: Get a reply. One ask. One specific observation.

Format:

Subject: [specific, not clickbait - max 7 words]

[Their name],

[One observation from research - something specific to them]

[One sentence connecting it to a business outcome]

[One question or one offer - not both]

[Name]

Rules:

• Under 80 words
• No attachment, no portfolio link in first message
• The observation must be specific enough that they think "they actually looked at my site"
• One ask only: either a question OR a link/offer, never both

Example:

Subject: Your Meta Pixel isn't firing

Ana,

I was looking at Empresa.com before reaching out - your Meta Pixel is installed but not firing conversion events, which means you're building audiences in Meta without knowing which visits actually convert.

Worth a 15-minute call to show you what that's costing?

Carlos

Message 2 - Follow-up 1 (3-4 days after Message 1)

Purpose: Add value. Give something without asking for anything.

Format:

[First name],

[Reference to message 1 - don't apologize for following up]

[One piece of relevant information or insight - specific to their situation]

[Soft ask or no ask at all]

[Name]

Rules:

• Under 60 words
• Give value before asking again
• Can include a link to a relevant article or example (not your portfolio)

Message 3 - Follow-up 2 (5-7 days after Message 2)

Purpose: Create mild urgency or context. Last real attempt.

Format:

[First name],

[One line: what you've noticed since your last message - could be something about their industry, a competitor, or a seasonal angle]

[The ask again, slightly reframed]

[Name]

Rules:

• Under 50 words
• Do not apologize for following up
• Do not say "I know you're busy"

Message 4 - Break-up (7-10 days after Message 3)

Purpose: Close the loop, leave the door open. Often gets the highest reply rate.

Format:

[First name],

Closing this thread since I haven't heard back. No hard feelings - timing is everything.

[One line: what you'd have helped with]

If things change, you know where to find me.

[Name]

Rules:

• Under 40 words after the opening line
• No negativity, no guilt
• The "what you'd have helped with" line should be specific - it is your last pitch

References

• references/email-frameworks.md - PAS, before/after, one-liner formats
• references/personalization-signals.md - what to look for per company type

Output principles

1. One specific observation per message - never generic
2. Under 80 words for Message 1, shorter for each subsequent
3. One ask per message - never a question AND a link
4. No attachments in the sequence (unless asked)
5. Personalization must be verifiable - only include things actually found in research
6. Sequence must feel human, not automated - if it sounds like a mail merge, rewrite it