Cold Email Sequence Generator

<quick_start> Trigger: "Create a cold email sequence for [audience]" or "Write a 7-email sequence for [use case]" Input: Target audience/ICP, your value proposition, social proof/case studies, sequence length Output: Full email sequence with subject lines (A/B), body copy, timing, personalization variables, and performance benchmarks </quick_start>

<variant_support> This skill supports A/B variants via config.json.

1. Read this skill's config.json — check if variants.enabled is true
2. If enabled, run: bash scripts/variant-assigner.sh cold-email-sequence-generator-skill $(date +%s)
3. Apply the prompt_suffix from the assigned variant's definition to modify the workflow
4. Record the variant name in the outcome sidecar (see final stage below)

Current experiment: cold-email-subject-style-001

• control: Standard 7-email framework
• concise: 5-email framework, 50-word max per email </variant_support>

<success_criteria>

• Sequence type selected (Classic 7-email, Fast-Track 5, Long-Play 12-14, Event-Based, Re-Engagement)
• Each email has A/B subject lines, body copy, and clear single CTA
• Send timing and day/time recommendations included
• Personalization variables identified with sourcing guidance
• Social proof integrated (case studies, stats, testimonials)
• Breakup email included as final touch
• Performance benchmarks provided for optimization </success_criteria>

Sequence Types

1. Classic Cold Outreach (7 emails, 2 weeks)
2. Fast-Track (5 emails, 1 week)
3. Long-Play Nurture (12-14 emails, 4-6 weeks)
4. Event/Trigger-Based (3-5 emails, event-specific)
5. Re-Engagement (5 emails, revive old leads)

Email Sequence Framework

Email #	Role	Goal	Length	CTA Style
1	Introduction	Make them aware you exist	50-100 words	Soft ask (reply, quick question)
2	Value Proof	Establish credibility	75-125 words	Specific meeting time
3	Different Angle	Address alternative pain	50-75 words	Yes/no question
4	Social Proof	Show peer validation	60-90 words	Simple reply
5	Resource Share	Give before asking	40-60 words	Soft (let me know if helpful)
6	Direct Ask	Be straightforward	30-50 words	Direct meeting request
7	Breakup	Last attempt + opt-out	25-40 words	"Should I close your file?"

Timing & Sending

Email #	Day	Time	Expected Open Rate
1	Day 0	10:00 AM	40-50%
2	Day 2	11:00 AM	30-40%
3	Day 4	2:00 PM	25-35%
4	Day 6	10:30 AM	20-30%
5	Day 8	3:00 PM	15-25%
6	Day 10	9:00 AM	12-20%
7	Day 14	4:00 PM	10-18%

Best Practices: Tuesdays-Thursdays highest open rates. 10-11 AM and 2-3 PM optimal. Avoid Mondays (inbox overload) and Fridays (weekend mode). Send in recipient's local timezone.

Email Templates

Email #1: The Introduction

Subject Lines (A/B Test):

• A (Curiosity): Quick question about [their company]'s [specific challenge]
• B (Value): [Quantifiable outcome] for [their company type]
• C (Personal): [Name], saw your post about [specific topic]

Hi [First Name],

I noticed [specific observation about their company/role] and thought you might be facing [specific challenge].

We've helped [similar company 1] and [similar company 2] [achieve specific outcome] without [common objection].

Worth a quick 15-minute conversation to see if we can do the same for [their company]?

Best,
[Your Name]

P.S. - [Personalized one-liner based on research]

Email #2: The Value Proof

Subject: "How [Similar Company] achieved [specific result]"

[First Name],

Following up—wanted to share how this worked for a company like [theirs].

[Similar Company] was [specific situation]. In just [timeframe], they:
- [Specific result #1 with metric]
- [Specific result #2 with metric]
- [Specific result #3 with metric]

The best part? They got started in under [timeframe] without [common objection].

Would [Day] at [Time] work for 15 minutes?

[Your Name]

Email #3: The Different Angle

Subject: "Different thought about [their company]"

Hi [First Name],

I realize [original pain point] might not be top of mind right now.

But what about [alternative pain point]?

Most [their role]s say [common complaint], which is why [mini value prop].

If this hits closer to home, happy to share how [quick win].

[Your Name]

P.S. - If neither is relevant, just let me know and I'll stop!

Email #4: The Social Proof

Subject: "[Mutual connection] suggested I reach out" OR "How [competitor] handles [challenge]"

[First Name],

I was speaking with [name/title] at [similar company] about [challenge].

Here's what they said after implementing [solution]:
"[Direct quote with specific result]"

Open to a quick call to hear more about what's working in [their industry]?

[Your Name]

Email #5: The Resource Share

Subject: "Thought you might find this useful"

[First Name],

No ask here—just sharing something helpful:

[Brief description of resource]: [Link]

We created this after hearing [their role]s struggle with [pain point]. Actionable tips even if you never use our product.

Hope it helps!

[Your Name]

Email #6: The Direct Ask

Subject: "Let's cut to the chase"

[First Name],

Let me be direct: I think we could help [their company] [achieve outcome] based on [observation].

I'd like to show you:
1. [Specific thing #1]
2. [Specific thing #2]
3. [How others in their position use it]

15 minutes. No pressure. How's [specific day/time]?

[Your Name]
[Phone number]

Email #7: The Breakup

Subject: "Should I close your file?"

[First Name],

I'll assume [topic] isn't a priority right now—totally fine.

I'll close your file unless I hear otherwise. For what it's worth, we see best results when [time-sensitive reason], so if you want to revisit, might be worth a quick chat now.

No worries either way—appreciate your time.

[Your Name]

P.S. - If someone else at [their company] should hear about this, happy to redirect.

Breakup Variations:

• FOMO: "Taking you off the list. FYI—[competitor] just started and is seeing [early result]."
• Permission: "Assuming this is: 1) Not relevant, 2) Not priority, 3) Bad timing. Which? If #3, when should I check back?"
• Referral: "Clearly I'm not reaching the right person. Should I talk to someone else about [topic]?"

A/B Testing Strategy

Test Priority (in order):

1. Subject Lines: Question vs. Statement, Generic vs. Personalized, Short vs. Long
2. Email Body: Length (50 vs. 100 words), CTA style (Link vs. Question vs. Time slot)
3. Send Time: Morning vs. Afternoon, Tue vs. Wed vs. Thu

Method: Send to 100 prospects (50/50 split), wait 48 hours, measure open + reply rates, winner goes to remaining list.

Performance Benchmarks

Metric	Good	Great	Exceptional
Email 1 Open Rate	35-45%	45-55%	55%+
Email 1 Reply Rate	3-8%	8-15%	15%+
Sequence Reply Rate	8-15%	15-25%	25%+
Positive Reply %	40-50%	50-70%	70%+
Meeting Booked %	1-3%	3-6%	6%+

Segmentation

Adjust sequences by Industry (swap case studies, use industry terminology), Company Size (Startup: ROI focus; Mid-Market: scalability; Enterprise: security/compliance), Role (Executive: strategic outcomes; Practitioner: time savings; Technical: architecture/specs), and Intent (Hot: shorter/faster; Warm: standard 7-email; Cold: longer nurture).

Quick-Start Templates

SaaS Sales: Question about growth metric → Competitor case study → Alternative pain → Mutual connection → Free benchmark report → 15-min demo → Close file

Agency/Services: Recent achievement → Client case study → Quick idea for challenge → Competitor approach → No-strings audit → 15-min call → Bad timing?

Partnership: Mutual contact intro → Win-win opportunity → Similar partner example → Partnership program question → Worth exploring?

Pro Tips

1. 3-Second Rule: Prospect should understand value in first 3 seconds
2. One CTA Only: Don't give multiple options
3. Mobile-First: 50%+ opened on mobile; keep scannable
4. No Attachments: Use links; attachments trigger spam filters
5. The P.S. Works: PostScripts get read; use for secondary CTA
6. Follow-Up Matters: 80% of responses come from emails 3-7

Pre-Launch Checklist

• Sender email has good deliverability (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• Email warmed up (sent successful emails recently)
• List cleaned (no invalid emails)
• Personalization variables all filled
• Links tested and tracked
• CRM integration working
• A/B tests configured
• Daily send limits set (avoid spam flags)

Emit Outcome Sidecar

As the final step, write to ~/.claude/skill-analytics/last-outcome-cold-email-sequence-generator.json:

{"ts":"[UTC ISO8601]","skill":"cold-email-sequence-generator","version":"1.1.0",
 "variant":"[assigned variant or default]","status":"[success|partial|error]",
 "runtime_ms":[estimated ms from start],
 "metrics":{"sequences_created":1,"emails_generated":[count],"subject_variants_generated":[count]},
 "error":null,"session_id":"[YYYY-MM-DD]"}