Email & outreach

email, cold email, reach out, follow up, follow-up, outreach, intro, reply to, respond to, pitch, networking, get in touch, draft an email, nudge, check in, cover letter, recruiter, prospect, warm intro

1. +Recipient & relationshipAssume a cold recipient with no prior relationship; open by placing yourself (who you are + why them specifically) in one line.
2. +Goal / the askPick one concrete, easy-to-say-yes-to ask and make it explicit in a closing line.
3. +Why-you-why-them hookLead with one specific, true reason tied to the recipient, not a generic compliment.
4. +Tone & registerWarm, professional, direct; conversational not chummy; no corporate filler or hype.
5. +Length & shapeUnder 120 words, 3 short paragraphs, one clear ask, plus a subject line.
6. +Subject lineOffer 2-3 options: specific, under 6 words, no clickbait or all-caps.
7. +Call to action / next stepClose with a specific, low-effort next step actionable in a single reply.

Left out for this type: role prompting ('world-class copywriter'); generic 'clear and well-structured' format; SEO keywords, hashtags, or emoji; long background dumps / 'include everything'; multiple asks or a menu of options; fake over-personalization theater; urgency/scarcity/flattery persuasion stuffing