--- name: cold-email-sequence description: "Use this skill when you need a complete cold email sequence (cadence) for a campaign: \"write a 4-step outbound sequence\", \"build an email campaign for this segment\", \"plan the follow-ups\". Designs the number of steps, spacing and angle of each email so every touch adds something new, writes all emails with subject lines, defines when people leave the sequence, and sets the metrics that decide whether to keep, change or kill it." license: MIT metadata: title: Cold email sequence category: cold-email tags: "SDR, Founders, Sales, Agencies" author: prosyo version: "1.0.0" keywords: "cold email sequence template, outbound email cadence, b2b email sequence, claude email sequence skill, 4 step cold email sequence" inputs: "Segment and persona, Offer and proof points, Campaign goal" outputs: "Full sequence with timing, All emails and subject lines, Exit rules, Success metrics" --- Use this to build a whole campaign rather than one email. It produces a sequence where each step has its own angle, so follow-ups add value instead of saying "just bumping this". ## Inputs - Segment, persona and the problem the campaign is about. - Approved proof: customer stories, numbers, assets you can share. - Goal: meetings, replies to a question, sign-ups. ## The play ### 1. Set the shape The default for cold B2B is 4 emails over about 14-18 days: | Step | Day | Angle | Length | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | 0 | Observation → problem → proof → ask | 50-90 words | | 2 | 3 | New angle: a different pain or a sharper insight | 40-70 words, same thread | | 3 | 7-8 | Proof: a short customer story or a useful asset | 60-90 words, new thread | | 4 | 14-16 | Close the loop: a polite final note, easy out | 25-50 words | Add LinkedIn or phone steps between emails when the channel fits the persona; the multichannel cadence covers that. ### 2. Give each step one job No step repeats the previous one. Every follow-up must stand alone: many people only ever see one of the emails. Read [references/sequence-example.md](references/sequence-example.md) for a full annotated 4-step example and step-by-step variations. ### 3. Thread deliberately Step 2 replies in the same thread (it reads as a natural follow-up). Step 3 starts a new thread with a new subject, which gives a second chance at the inbox. Step 4 can go either way. ### 4. Define exits People leave the sequence when they reply (any reply, including out-of-office with a return date: pause, not stop), book, bounce, opt out, or when anyone at the same account books a meeting. ### 5. Set the scorecard Judge after 150-300 contacts per variant: | Metric | Healthy | Action if below | | --- | --- | --- | | Bounce rate | under 2% | Stop; clean the list | | Reply rate | 5%+ | Rework angle or targeting | | Positive reply rate | 1.5-3%+ | Rework offer and ask | | Meetings per 100 contacts | 1+ | Check reply handling speed | ## What good looks like - Step 3 could be someone's first email and still make sense. - No "just following up", "bumping this to the top", or "did you see my last email". - The final email is gracious and gets replies in its own right: "not a priority" answers are useful data. - The common mistake is seven emails with the same pitch reworded; volume of touches without new value burns the list. ## Rules - MUST give every step a distinct angle. - MUST stop the sequence on reply, booking, bounce or opt-out. - MUST pause, not continue, when an out-of-office names a return date. - NEVER send more than 5 cold emails to one person in a sequence. - NEVER guilt-trip in follow-ups. ## Example prompts - "Write a 4-step sequence for Heads of Finance at 200-1,000 person SaaS companies. Problem: month-end close takes too long." - "Turn this single cold email into a full sequence." - "Our sequence gets replies on step 1 only. Rewrite steps 2-4." --- # Annotated 4-step sequence Segment: Heads of Finance at 200-1,000 person SaaS companies. Problem: month-end close takes too long. Proof: Contoso closes in 4 days instead of 9 (approved). ## Step 1 (day 0) > Subject: month-end close > > Hi Maya, finance teams at Lumen's size usually close in 8-10 days, and most of that time goes to chasing approvals and reconciling spreadsheets. > > Contoso's team was at 9 days last year. They now close in 4, mostly by automating the reconciliations that used to sit with two analysts. > > Is a faster close on your list this year? Job: name the problem and prove it is solvable. 60 words. ## Step 2 (day 3, same thread) > Hi Maya, one more angle: the slow part is rarely the accounting itself. It is the 30-40 approvals that wait in inboxes over the last week of the month. > > If that sounds familiar, I can send the checklist Contoso used to cut them in half. Job: a sharper insight plus a give. 48 words. ## Step 3 (day 8, new thread) > Subject: how contoso closes in 4 days > > Hi Maya, a short story in case it is useful. Contoso's controller, Priya, had two analysts spending the last week of every month matching bank lines to invoices. They automated the matching, moved approvals into one queue and set a day-3 cut-off. > > Result: a 4-day close and one analyst moved to forecasting. Happy to share what they changed first. Job: proof as a story; works as a standalone first email. 70 words. ## Step 4 (day 15, same thread as step 3) > Hi Maya, I will stop here. If faster closes become a priority later, just reply "close" and I will send the Contoso checklist. Either way, good luck with quarter end. Job: graceful exit, one-word reply option. 35 words. ## Variations by situation | Situation | Change | | --- | --- | | Very senior persona (C-level) | 3 steps, each under 60 words, longer gaps (day 0, 5, 12) | | Strong trigger (new leader, funding) | Step 1 leads with the trigger; step 2 offers a stage-specific asset | | Technical persona | Step 2 becomes a concrete how-it-works detail, no adjectives | | Agency or services offer | Step 3 is a mini case study with a screenshot offer (not an attachment) | | Low volume, Tier 1 | Step 1 fully 1:1; steps 2-4 semi-personal | ## Out-of-office handling - Return date given: pause the sequence until 2 business days after the return, then resume at the next step. - "No longer with the company": stop, mark the contact, and look for the replacement. - Referral in the auto-reply ("contact Sam instead"): start Sam on step 1 with a line naming the referral.