Write highly effective cold emails and LinkedIn messages to recruiters, hiring managers, founders, and engineers at target companies. Based on Ben Lang's proven cold outreach framework (Next Play). Use when the user wants to: (1) write a cold email to someone at a company they want to work for, (2) craft LinkedIn messages or InMail to recruiters or hiring managers, (3) reach out about unadvertised positions, (4) follow up on outreach or applications, (5) network with founders or executives for job opportunities, (6) prepare an outreach campaign to multiple companies. Triggers on: cold email, outreach, reach out to, contact recruiter, email founder, write to hiring manager, job email, networking email, LinkedIn message, InMail.
Write cold emails and messages that get responses from recruiters, hiring managers, founders, and engineers. Based on Ben Lang's framework (former Notion community lead, angel investor, creator of Next Play).
Announce at start: "I'm using the cold-outreach skill to help craft your message."
Cold email works. You can email any company regardless of posted jobs, location requirements, or stated credentials. Startups regularly make exceptions. The gap between effective and ineffective cold emails is enormous - this skill keeps you on the effective side.
Prerequisite: Cold outreach works best when you are genuinely competent at something valuable AND have demonstrated that competency. This skill amplifies real credibility; it cannot create it.
Crafting a cold outreach message involves these steps:
Ask the user for the information needed. Do not ask all at once - start with the essentials:
Essential (ask first):
If not provided, ask as follow-up:
If the user already provided this context, skip directly to drafting. If company or recruiter details are missing, prompt for them before drafting.
Extract and sharpen the user's top 2-3 credentials. Apply these rules:
Make abstract concrete:
Use numbers where they add clarity: revenue impact, user counts, performance metrics, team size, time saved. Keep them broad and avoid project-specific minutiae.
Prioritize relevance: Choose credentials that map directly to what the target company needs, not the most impressive ones in general.
Match to the target:
Every effective cold email has exactly three parts:
Part 1 - Who you are: One sentence with your most relevant credential. Part 2 - Why you're reaching out: One sentence stating your purpose clearly and directly. Part 3 - Why they should care: 2-3 bullet points with concrete, specific accomplishments.
End with ONE clear ask. See references/email-examples.md for proven examples.
Generate the email in this structure:
Subject: [under 50 characters, relevant and direct]
Hi [Name],
[One sentence: who you are with most relevant credential]
[One sentence: why you're reaching out]
[2-3 bullets: why they should care, with high-level relevant accomplishments]
[One sentence: clear ask]
Best,
[User's name]
Total: 100-150 words. See references/email-examples.md for complete examples.
Before presenting the draft, check every message against these five failure modes. If any apply, fix before showing the draft.
Subject lines - Under 50 characters, relevant:
Who to email:
Finding email: Try [email protected] first (works ~70% of the time). Use Hunter.io, RocketReach, Nymeria, or ContactOut. Check personal websites and social media bios.
When to send: Tuesday-Thursday, 8-10 AM in their timezone. Avoid Mondays and Fridays.
See references/email-examples.md for follow-up templates.
For LinkedIn connection requests or InMail, apply the same three-part structure but even shorter:
Connection request (300 character limit):
Hi [Name], I'm a [role] with [X years] in [domain]. Saw you're hiring for [role] at [Company]. Would love to connect and learn more.
After connecting (wait 1-2 days, then message): Same three-part structure as email, but slightly more conversational. Keep under 150 words.
For standout outreach, demonstrate value instead of just listing credentials:
Only suggest this approach when the user has time and the target company warrants the extra effort.
Even perfect emails can go unanswered (bad timing, inbox overload, spam filters, not hiring right now). The solution is volume:
If response rate is under 10%: revisit the five deadly sins, shorten emails, add more specificity, check targeting.
Before any message is finalized, verify:
Proven cold email examples that got responses, organized by scenario (startup founder, recruiter, hiring manager, internal transfer). Also includes follow-up templates and LinkedIn message examples. Load when drafting to reference specific patterns.