Cold Email Writer

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Write a cold outreach email to a hiring manager, founder, or recruiter
• Reach out about a job opening they weren't referred to
• Introduce themselves to a company they want to work at
• Mentions: "cold email", "reach out", "intro email", "outreach", "contact hiring manager"

Core Principle

Cold emails fail because they sound like cover letters. The goal is to sound like a smart person who genuinely noticed something specific about the company, not a candidate broadcasting their credentials.

The email should feel like: A colleague mentioning something interesting they read, not a sales pitch.

The Template Structure

Subject

Quick intro, [First Name Last Name]

Simple. No clickbait. No role title. Just a name.

Opening, The Hook (2-3 sentences)

Start with what genuinely pulled the candidate in. Must be specific to this company, not a generic compliment.

I just came across [Company] and ended up spending more time on it than I expected.
[One specific thing that caught their attention, a stat, a product decision, a market insight from the JD or website]

What makes a good hook:

• A specific number or stat from the company's materials ("only 5% of the market is online")
• A product decision that shows you understand the domain ("you're building from scratch alongside underwriters, not just distribution")
• A technical insight from the JD ("improving the data infrastructure for LLM usage, not just the model layer")

What makes a bad hook:

• Generic: "I love what you're building"
• Vague: "Your mission resonates with me"
• Flattering: "You're one of the most exciting companies in the space"

Location Disclosure (if international)

If the candidate is in a different country from the company, disclose it early and casually: