SKILL.md
Cold Email & Outreach
Design, optimize, and scale cold email outreach with high deliverability and compliance.
Install
git clone https://github.com/thatrebeccarae/claude-marketing.git && cp -r claude-marketing/skills/cold-email-outreach ~/.claude/skills/Deliverability Fundamentals
Authentication (Required)
| Record | Purpose | Check |
|---|---|---|
| SPF | Authorizes sending servers | dig TXT domain.com |
| DKIM | Cryptographic message signing | DKIM selector lookup |
| DMARC | Policy for failed auth | dig TXT _dmarc.domain.com |
Domain Warming
New domains or IPs need gradual volume ramp:
| Week | Daily Volume | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5-10 | Known contacts only |
| 2 | 15-25 | Mix of known and new |
| 3 | 30-50 | Monitor bounce/spam rates |
| 4 | 50-100 | Scale if rates healthy |
| 5+ | 100-200 | Max per domain/day |
Dedicated sending domain: Use a subdomain (outreach.company.com) to protect your primary domain reputation.
Health Benchmarks
| Metric | Healthy | Warning | Critical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bounce rate | <2% | 2-5% | >5% |
| Spam complaint | <0.1% | 0.1-0.3% | >0.3% |
| Open rate | >40% | 20-40% | <20% |
| Reply rate | >5% | 2-5% | <2% |
Sequence Design
Optimal Sequence Structure
Email 1 (Day 0) — Value-first introduction
Email 2 (Day 3) — Follow-up with new angle
Email 3 (Day 7) — Social proof / case study
Email 4 (Day 14) — Breakup email (last attempt)Timing
- Best send days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
- Best send times: 8-10am recipient timezone
- Avoid: Monday morning, Friday afternoon, weekends
- Follow-up spacing: 3-5 days between emails (never daily)
Subject Line Formulas
| Formula | Example | Open Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Question | "Quick question about [company] growth?" | High |
| Mutual connection | "Saw your talk at [event]" | Very high |
| Specific result | "[Company] could save $40K/year on [X]" | High |
| Curiosity | "Idea for [specific initiative]" | Medium-high |
| Direct | "15-min call about [pain point]?" | Medium |
Rules: Under 50 characters. No ALL CAPS. No spam triggers (free, guarantee, act now). Personalized > generic.
Email Body Framework
Line 1: Personalized opener (research-based, NOT "I hope this finds you well")
Line 2-3: Pain point or observation specific to them
Line 4-5: How you solve it (one sentence, with social proof)
Line 6: Low-friction CTA (question, not demand)Length: 50-125 words. 3-5 sentences max. Mobile-readable.
Personalization Tiers
| Tier | Effort | When | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Researched | High (5+ min/email) | Top 50 accounts | Reference specific blog post, recent funding, or LinkedIn activity |
| Templated | Medium (1 min) | Mid-tier prospects | Company name, industry pain point, role-specific angle |
| Dynamic | Low (automated) | Scale outreach | First name, company name, industry via merge fields |
Compliance
CAN-SPAM (US)
- Clear sender identity (real name and company)
- Accurate subject line (not misleading)
- Physical mailing address in footer
- Unsubscribe mechanism (honor within 10 days)
- Mark as advertisement if applicable
GDPR (EU/UK)
- Legitimate interest basis for B2B cold email (document it)
- Clear identity and purpose in first email
- Easy opt-out mechanism
- Do not email personal email addresses without consent
- Data retention policy for prospect data
Best Practices
- Always include unsubscribe link
- Respect opt-outs immediately (automated)
- Never buy email lists
- Verify emails before sending (reduce bounces)
- Keep records of consent and opt-outs
Anti-Patterns
- Mass blasting — sending same email to 1000+ at once kills deliverability
- No personalization — "Dear Sir/Madam" or obviously templated
- Feature dumping — listing product features instead of addressing pain
- Aggressive follow-ups — daily follow-ups = spam reports
- No unsubscribe — illegal under CAN-SPAM and GDPR
- Misleading subjects — "Re:" or "Fwd:" on first contact
- Too many links/images — triggers spam filters
- No domain warming — sending 500 emails day 1 from new domain
Integration with Other Skills
- copywriting-frameworks — Apply PAS, BAB, QUEST to cold email copy
- icp-research — Define ideal customer profile before building prospect lists
- email-composer — General email writing (cold-email-outreach is specifically for outbound sequences)
- klaviyo-analyst — For marketing automation email (different from cold outreach)