cold-email-sequence

Cold Email Sequence

Co-write a 3-email cold outreach sequence one email at a time. The sequence follows the James Shields framework: trigger-based subject, three-sentence body, irresistible no-strings offer, one-word reply CTA. I present each draft, refine with you, and lock it before moving to the next - voice, social proof, and offer all stay tight that way.

James Shields framework - a widely-used outbound playbook that rejects the "book a demo" CTA in favor of trigger-based subjects, three-sentence bodies, free no-strings offers, and one-word reply CTAs. Optimized for reply rate, not impression count.

When to use

• "Write me a cold email sequence for these contacts".
• "Draft 3-email outreach for {audience}".
• Phase 4 of either LinkedIn pipeline.
• You have a verified contact list (from Apollo, Clay, Hunter, or anywhere else) and want fresh copy.
• You want to refresh tired cold email copy with a proven framework.

When NOT to use

• Warm leads who already know you - use a direct one-off email, not a 3-step cold sequence.
• Lifecycle / onboarding / nurture for existing users - that's a different motion (and lives in the Marketing agent).
• Transactional emails (receipts, password resets, notifications).
• Post-call follow-ups - use the Sales agent's write-my-outreach with stage=followup.
• Newsletters or content emails - use the Marketing agent's content skills.

Connections I need

• None. This skill writes locally and produces a sequence file. Connections come back into play in instantly-campaign (the next phase).

Information I need

I gather the inputs in step 1 below. The minimum:

• Trigger / source - what connects you to these leads (the LinkedIn post, the event, the news item).
• Product - one-line description of what you sell.
• Social proof - at least one case study with real numbers (no "10x improvement" without naming who and how). Preferably 3+ so each email gets fresh proof.
• Offer - the free / low-friction thing you're giving away (teardown, audit, free trial, free seat).
• Reply CTA - the one-word reply you want (defaults to "I'm in").
• Sender - your first name only.
• Existing draft - optional, any copy you want me to start from.

If any of trigger / product / social proof / offer is missing I ask for it inline before drafting.

The framework

Rule 1: Personalize the subject, not the body

• Subject references the trigger (post, event, comment).
• Body uses {{firstName}} only.
• Avoid {{company}} {{title}} etc. in the body - reply rates drop when the merge fields feel obvious.

Rule 2: Three sentences plus PS (Email 1 only)

• S1: context / trigger (why you are emailing).
• S2: what you built / the offer.
• S3: social proof (specific numbers).
• PS: soft opt-out so they can disengage without ignoring.

Rule 3: Irresistible offer

• Free access, no strings.
• "I just want honest feedback".
• No demo, no call, no commitment in the cold step.

Rule 4: Low-friction CTA

• Reply with one word: "I'm in".
• NOT "book a call" or "schedule a demo".

Rule 5: No fluff

• No em dashes (use periods).
• No "I hope this finds you well".
• No bullet points or formatting in the body.
• Lowercase subject lines.
• Write like you're texting a colleague.

Steps

Step 1: Gather inputs

Ask once, capture in the run notes. If anything's already in config/context-ledger.json (sender, voice, social proof bank), use it without re-asking. Confirm the trigger and the offer, since those change per campaign.

Step 2: Email 1 - the opener (Day 0)

Draft to this template:

Subject: <personalized to trigger, lowercase, casual, 2-4 words>

Hey {{firstName}},

<1 sentence: I saw your <trigger>. Brief validation.>

<1-2 sentences: What I built. Concrete.>

<1-2 sentences: Social proof. Specific numbers.>

<1 sentence: The offer. Free, no strings.>

Reply "<cta>" and I'll <action>.

<sender first name>

PS <Soft opt-out, e.g. "If this is not your problem right now, just reply 'not now' and I'll go away.">

Present to user. Refine until approved. Do NOT proceed until locked.

Step 3: Email 2 - the follow-up (Day 3)

Draft to this template:

Subject: (same thread, blank)

Hey {{firstName}},

<1 sentence: Follow up. Acknowledge inbox noise.>

<2 sentences: NEW social proof. Different client, different numbers from Email 1.>

<1 sentence: Restate offer.>

Reply "<cta>" and I'll <action>.

<sender first name>

Shorter than Email 1 (no PS). NEW social proof - never repeat from Email 1.

Present to user. Refine until approved. Do NOT proceed until locked.

Step 4: Email 3 - the breakup (Day 7)

Draft to this template:

Subject: (same thread, blank)

Hey {{firstName}},

Last one from me on this.

<1 sentence: Tool is live. Others using it.>

<1 sentence: Final CTA - if you want yours, reply "<cta>" today.>

I won't email again after this.

<sender first name>

4 sentences max. "I won't email again" creates urgency. No new pitch.

Present to user. Refine until approved.

Step 5: Save the locked sequence

Write to sequences/{runId}-sequence.md if called from an orchestrator (the orchestrator passes runId); otherwise sequences/{YYYY-MM-DD}-{campaign-slug}-sequence.md.

File format:

# {Campaign name}

Locked on {ISO date}. Sender: {first name}. Target audience: {short description}.

## Email 1 (Day 0)

Subject: <subject>

<body>

## Email 2 (Day 3)

Subject: (same thread)

<body>

## Email 3 (Day 7)

Subject: (same thread)

<body>

## Sending notes

- Schedule: Mon-Fri, 8-5 in {timezone from context, default America/Vancouver}.
- Sending accounts: {from context, default "all connected"}.
- Lead count target: {from contacts file, e.g. "92 verified leads"}.

Step 6: Append to outputs

outputs.json row: {type: "sequence", title: "{Campaign name} sequence", summary: "3-email locked sequence ready for Instantly load.", path: "sequences/{file}", status: "locked", domain: "sequence"}.

Step 7: Final summary to user

One line: "Sequence locked at {path}. Ready to load into Instantly when you are."

Outputs

• sequences/{runId}-sequence.md - locked 3-email sequence ready for instantly-campaign.
• outputs.json - one row, type: "sequence", status: "locked", domain: "sequence".

Quick reference

Common mistakes

What I never do

• Write all 3 emails before showing you any. Each email is locked with you before I draft the next. Catches voice drift early.
• Reuse social proof across emails. Email 2 must use a different client + different numbers from Email 1. If you only gave me one social proof point, I stop and ask for another before drafting Email 2.
• Use em dashes, exclamation points, or AI-tell formatting in the body. The instantly-campaign skill also strips ampersands at upload time (Instantly bug), but the body should not contain those characters from me in the first place.
• Add tracking pixels or link shorteners to the body. Cold deliverability is fragile; the sender platform handles tracking, the body stays plain.
• Write a Subject for Email 2 or 3. Keeping the thread (blank subject) is intentional and is what tells the recipient's inbox to thread them.