| name | cold-outreach-sequence |
| description | Generate complete multi-touch cold outreach sequences — not just one email, but a full 3-5 email sequence with timing, escalation logic, and a different angle per touch. Use when the user needs a sales sequence, drip campaign, follow-up series, or any cold outreach with more than one touchpoint. Triggers on requests like "outreach sequence", "email sequence", "follow-up series", "drip campaign", "sales cadence", "multi-touch outreach", or when someone needs more than a single cold email. |
| category | workflow |
| tags | ["cold-email","outreach","sequence","sales","follow-up"] |
| author | tushaarmehtaa |
Generate complete multi-touch cold outreach sequences. Not one email — a full campaign where each touch has a different angle, a specific send day, and a clear job to do. Use /cold-email for single emails. Use this when one email isn't enough.
Before Writing Anything
Gather this information — ask for anything missing:
- Target — Role, company type, industry. The more specific, the better the hook.
- Offer — What you're proposing. One sentence.
- Credibility — Social proof. Numbers, notable clients, results. Be specific.
- Goal — Meeting, demo, partnership, intro, advice?
- Unique asset — Demo link, one-pager, case study, free tool? (goes in Email 3)
- Sequence length — 3 touches (light, 7 days) or 5 touches (standard, 12 days)?
If the user says "make it for [target] offering [thing]", extract the rest from context before asking.
The Two Sequence Structures
5-Touch Standard (12 days)
| Touch | Day | Job | Max Length |
|---|
| Email 1 | 1 | Problem + Credibility + Ask | 4 sentences |
| Email 2 | 3 | Bump — low pressure | 2 sentences |
| Email 3 | 5 | Give value, ask nothing | 3 sentences |
| Email 4 | 8 | Social proof — name-drop a real result | 3 sentences |
| Email 5 | 12 | Breakup — clean exit | 2 sentences |
3-Touch Light (7 days)
| Touch | Day | Job | Max Length |
|---|
| Email 1 | 1 | Problem + Credibility + Ask | 4 sentences |
| Email 2 | 3 | Value-add with asset | 3 sentences |
| Email 3 | 7 | Breakup | 2 sentences |
The Rules That Don't Move
Subject lines:
- Email 1: Short, specific. References something real about them.
- Emails 2-5: Always "Re: [original subject]" — stay in the same thread. Do not break the thread.
- Never use: "Following up", "Checking in", "Touching base", "Just wanted to"
Length:
- No email exceeds 60 words in the body
- Emails 2 and 5 should be under 30 words
- If you can remove a word, remove it
Tone escalation:
| Touch | Tone |
|---|
| 1 | Confident, direct, problem-aware |
| 2 | Casual, brief, zero pressure |
| 3 | Generous — give something, ask nothing |
| 4 | Social proof — "others are doing this" |
| 5 | Clean exit — door stays open |
What each touch must NOT do:
- Email 1: Must not be generic. If you removed the recipient's name, it should fall apart.
- Email 2: Must not re-pitch. Just nudge.
- Email 3: Must not ask for a call, meeting, or response. Only give.
- Email 4: Must not fabricate social proof. Real clients or skip this touch entirely.
- Email 5: Must not guilt-trip. Clean, warm, final.
The Templates
Email 1
Subject: [specific observation — recent post, job change, company news, product launch]
Hey [Name],
[One sentence: something specific you noticed about them. This sentence must be about them, not you.]
[One sentence: what you do + your strongest proof point.]
[One sentence: specific ask with a time — "15 minutes this week?"]
[Your name]
Email 2
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hey [Name],
Bumping this in case it got buried.
[Your name]
Email 3
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hey [Name],
[One sentence: share something genuinely useful — demo, relevant case study, insight about their industry, or a tool they'd care about.]
No pressure on a call — thought this might be relevant.
[Your name]
Email 4
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hey [Name],
[One sentence: name a real client or result — be specific.] [One sentence: why that's relevant to their situation.]
Happy to show you how — [specific time ask].
[Your name]
Email 5
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hey [Name],
Last note on this. If the timing's off, completely understand — happy to revisit whenever it makes sense.
[Your name]
Research First
Before drafting Email 1, find a hook. A generic opener makes the whole sequence waste of time. Spend 3 minutes looking at:
- Their LinkedIn: recent post, new role, company milestone
- Their Twitter/X: recent tweet about a problem your offer solves
- Their company: recent funding, launch, press mention
- Job postings: what they're hiring tells you what they're building
The hook in Email 1 must be recent (last 30-60 days) and specific. "I love your work" is not a hook.
Workflow
- Gather target, offer, credibility, goal, asset, sequence length
- Research one specific hook for Email 1
- Draft all emails in sequence order
- Check: is every email under 60 words?
- Check: does Email 1 only work if you know who the recipient is?
- Check: does each touch have a distinct job (no "following up" repeats)?
- Output complete sequence with send days labeled
Verify
[ ] Every email under 60 words
[ ] Email 1 has a specific, researched hook — not generic
[ ] Emails 2-5 thread on same subject line with "Re:"
[ ] Each touch has a different angle — no repeated pitch
[ ] Email 3 gives value with no ask
[ ] Email 4 uses real social proof — or touch is skipped
[ ] Email 5 is clean — no guilt, door stays open
[ ] Send days use business days (no weekends)
[ ] Asset (if exists) is in Email 3, not Email 1
See references/guide.md for full sequence examples across industries and subject line variations.
