v1.0.0 to v1.0.0

---

name: cold-email-outreach

description: Cold email and outreach sequence design with personalization, deliverability optimization, follow-up cadence, and compliance (CAN-SPAM/GDPR). Use when the user asks about cold email, outreach sequences, email prospecting, cold outreach, or email deliverability for outbound.

license: MIT

origin: custom

author: Rebecca Rae Barton

author_url: https://github.com/thatrebeccarae

metadata:

version: 1.0.0

domain: cold-email

updated: 2026-03-18

tested: 2026-03-18

tested_with: "Claude Code v2.1"

---

# Cold Email & Outreach

Design, optimize, and scale cold email outreach with high deliverability and compliance.

## Install

```bash

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

1. **Mass blasting** — sending same email to 1000+ at once kills deliverability

2. **No personalization** — "Dear Sir/Madam" or obviously templated

3. **Feature dumping** — listing product features instead of addressing pain

4. **Aggressive follow-ups** — daily follow-ups = spam reports

5. **No unsubscribe** — illegal under CAN-SPAM and GDPR

6. **Misleading subjects** — "Re:" or "Fwd:" on first contact

7. **Too many links/images** — triggers spam filters

8. **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)