Email Drafting
Pure reasoning skill for writing cold emails. No scripts, no tools — just frameworks, patterns, and examples from real campaigns that consistently generate replies.
When to Use
Use this skill when:
- User says "write a cold email", "draft outreach", "help me with email copy", "write a sequence"
- Any task requires cold email copy — subject lines, full sequences, or individual emails
Phase 0: Intake
Collect campaign context before writing anything. Ask all questions at once, organized by category. Skip any the user has already answered.
Campaign Context
- What product/service are you selling?
- What problem does it solve? Who feels this pain most acutely?
- What's the campaign angle? (hiring signal, competitor displacement, pain-based, event-triggered, etc.)
- Is there a specific signal or trigger? (job posting, G2 review, LinkedIn engagement, funding round, etc.)
Audience
- Who is the recipient? (title, seniority, department)
- What keeps them up at night? (daily frustrations relevant to your product)
- What objections will they have? (budget, switching cost, "we already have X", timing)
Proof & Credibility
- What social proof do you have? (customer logos, case studies, metrics)
- Name 2-3 peer companies the recipient would recognize as similar to them
- Any hard metrics? (cost savings, speed improvement, % lift)
Tone & Style
- What tone fits? (casual-direct, professional-sharp, provocative, empathetic)
- Who is the sender? (founder, AE, SDR — this affects voice)
- Any brand guidelines or words to avoid?
Sequence
- How many touches? (default: 3)
- What's the desired CTA? (call, demo, reply, resource download)
- Email-only or multi-channel? (email + LinkedIn, email + phone)
Phase 1: Draft Emails
Email Structure Formula
Every cold email follows this skeleton:
Hook (1 sentence) → Evidence (1-2 sentences) → Offer (1 sentence)
Word count targets:
- Cold intro (Touch 1): 50-90 words
- Follow-up (Touch 2-3): 30-50 words
- Breakup (final touch): 20-40 words
Frameworks
Pick the framework that matches the campaign angle:
| Framework | Structure | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| PAS | Problem → Agitate → Solve | Pain-based signals (complaint posts, operational friction) |
| BAB | Before → After → Bridge | Aspirational buyers (growth-stage, scaling companies) |
| AIDA | Attention → Interest → Desire → Action | Cold database outreach (no specific signal) |
| Signal-Proof-Ask | Signal → Proof → Soft ask | Signal-based campaigns (hiring, engagement, events) |
Personalization Tiers
Choose based on campaign size and expected ROI per lead:
| Tier | What It Means | Lead Volume | Expected Reply Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (Generic) | Merge fields only ({first_name}, {company}). Same template for everyone. | 500+ leads | 1-3% |
| Tier 2 (Segment) | Industry/role-specific pain points + proof swaps. One template per segment. | 50-500 leads | 3-7% |
| Tier 3 (Deep) | Reference a specific signal (their post, comment, job posting, news). Unique per lead. | 1-50 leads | 8-20% |
Subject Line Patterns
8 proven patterns from real campaigns:
| # | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Signal reference | "Before you fill that [role] role" |
| 2 | Peer framing | "What TIA members are doing with AI workers" |
| 3 | Question | "Is [Company] still [doing thing product fixes]?" |
| 4 | Replacement | "Looking for a [competitor] replacement?" |
| 5 | Data hook | "$150K agency study → $8K. 48 hours." |
| 6 | Empathy | "When [event that affected them]" |
| 7 | Direct | "[Topic] for [Company]" |
| 8 | Curiosity | "How [peer company] did [interesting thing]" |
Rules for subject lines:
- Under 50 characters
- No ALL CAPS, no exclamation marks, no emoji
- No "quick question" or "touching base"
Tone Guidance
| Tone | When to Use | Voice Example |
|---|---|---|
| Casual-Direct | SDR sending to peers, startup-to-startup | "Hey — saw your post. We work on the same problem." |
| Professional-Sharp | Enterprise outreach, VP+ recipients | "I wanted to reach out because [specific reason]." |
| Provocative | Competitive displacement, challenger positioning | "Your current tool is costing you more than you think." |
| Empathetic | Orphan capture, pain-based outreach | "I know switching platforms mid-cycle is brutal." |
Sequence Design Principles
| Touch | Timing | Purpose | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touch 1 | Day 1 | Hook + proof + soft CTA | 50-90 words | The only email that can be longer |
| Touch 2 | Day 3-5 | New angle or asset | 30-50 words | Different proof point, not a "bump" |
| Touch 3 | Day 7-10 | Different proof point or social | 20-40 words | Shorter = better this late |
| Touch 4 | Day 14-21 | Breakup (optional) | 20-30 words | Remove pressure, leave door open |
Sequence rules:
- Never repeat the same CTA across touches
- Each touch needs a new reason to reply
- Later touches = shorter emails
- Never send a "just checking in" or "bumping this" — add value or stop
Hard Rules
These are non-negotiable. Every email must pass all 10:
- No filler openers. Never "I hope this finds you well", "I hope you're having a great week", "just reaching out"
- No "just checking in" follow-ups. Every touch adds a new reason to reply
- Max 4 paragraphs per email. Most should be 2-3
- Every email references something specific to the recipient. Title, company, signal, industry — never fully generic
- Exactly one CTA per email. Always low-friction (15-min call, "worth a look?", "open to chatting?")
- Never lie about how you found them. If it was a database search, don't say "I came across your profile"
- No filler words. Ban: synergy, leverage, circle back, loop in, touch base, align, ping
- Subject lines under 50 chars. No caps, no exclamation marks, no emoji
- No selling in the first sentence. Lead with them, not you
- Sign off simply. Name only, or Name + one-line title. No "Best regards", no "Looking forward to hearing from you"
Phase 2: Review & Refine
- Present 3-5 draft variants for Touch 1 (different angles/frameworks)
- Ask user to pick a direction or combine elements
- Generate the full sequence based on chosen direction
- Iterate max 3 rounds — after that, ship it
Example Library
Real emails from real campaigns. Use these as structural templates — swap product, proof, and signal for the current campaign.
Type 1: Signal-Based (Hiring)
Signal source: LinkedIn Jobs — company posting for role that product replaces Framework: Signal-Proof-Ask
Subject: Before you fill that {role_title} role
Hi {first_name} — I noticed you're hiring for a {role_title} at {company}. Before you finalize that hire, worth a quick look at what companies like DHL, Werner, and MODE Global are doing instead — deploying AI workers for exactly this function.
4x cheaper than a BPO equivalent. 10x the call capacity. Runs 24/7. Happy to send over a quick overview or jump on a 15-minute call if the timing is right.
Why it works: Opens with their specific hiring signal (proves relevance). Names peer companies (social proof). Quantifies the alternative (4x, 10x). Low-friction CTA.
Type 2: Signal-Based (Peer/Association)
Signal source: Industry association membership directory Framework: BAB (Before → After → Bridge)
Subject: What TIA members are doing with AI workers
Hi {first_name} — as a TIA member running a serious freight brokerage, you're probably seeing the same thing we are: the best operators are rethinking how they staff carrier-facing functions.
Companies like Werner, MODE Global, and Circle Logistics — TIA members you'd rec