--- name: first-line-personalization description: "Use this skill when you need personalised first lines (icebreakers) for cold emails or LinkedIn messages at scale: \"write personalised openers for this list\", \"add a custom first line for each lead\", \"make my outreach feel 1:1\". Researches each prospect for a real, relevant hook, writes a one or two sentence opener that bridges to the email's problem, grades each line, and falls back to an honest role-based line when nothing specific exists. Never invents details." license: MIT metadata: title: First line personalization category: cold-email tags: "SDR, Founders, Agencies" author: prosyo version: "1.0.0" keywords: "personalized first lines, cold email icebreakers, ai personalization at scale, claude personalization skill, personalized opening lines" inputs: "Lead list with names and companies, The email the line opens, Research sources" outputs: "One opener per lead, Source per line, Quality grade, Fallback lines" --- Use this to add a personal opener to each contact on a list. The line proves the email was written for the reader and leads naturally into the problem the email is about. ## Inputs - The list: name, title, company, profile link, domain. - The email the line will open, so the line can bridge into it. - Allowed sources: company site, news, job listings, the person's public posts and talks. ## The play ### 1. Research each lead quickly Spend 1-3 minutes per lead. Look for, in order: something they said or wrote, a change in their role or team, a company trigger, a specific detail of how their company works. ### 2. Write the line with a bridge Formula: **specific observation + why it connects to the email's problem**. The second half is what makes personalization work; an observation with no bridge is a compliment, and compliments get ignored. - No bridge: "Loved your podcast episode on hiring." - With bridge: "Your point on the podcast that hiring SDRs is easy and ramping them is hard is exactly the problem below." ### 3. Grade every line | Grade | Meaning | | --- | --- | | A | Specific to the person and connected to the problem | | B | Specific to the company and connected | | C | Role or industry level, honest and relevant (fallback) | | Fail | Invented, generic flattery, or unrelated trivia; never ship | Aim for A or B on Tier 1 contacts; C is acceptable for Tier 3. ### 4. Write fallbacks, never fiction When research finds nothing, write a C line about the role at their company's stage. A sincere role-level line outperforms a fake personal one, and it never gets caught. ### 5. Check the merge The line must read naturally after "Hi {first name}," and before the email's second sentence. Check 5 rendered examples. ## Output format ``` name | company | first line | grade | source link | bridge used ``` Plus counts per grade and the leads where research found nothing. ## What good looks like - Every A and B line has a source link a reviewer can click. - Lines vary in structure; 200 lines starting "I saw that..." read as automation. - The common mistake is personalising on trivia (school, hometown, a vacation photo) that has nothing to do with the email. ## Rules - MUST attach a source to every A and B line. - MUST use a fallback line rather than invent a detail. - NEVER mention personal life, family, health or appearance. - NEVER claim to have read, watched or listened to something you did not. - NEVER reference profile views, website visits or other tracking. ## Example prompts - "Write personalised first lines for these 80 leads. The email is about cutting SDR ramp time." - "Grade the first lines in this campaign and rewrite the C and Fail ones." - "Give me fallback openers for Heads of Operations when there's no research."