For cold email, direct messages, calls, demos and closing. Many founders, developers especially, avoid this work, and it is often what gets the first customers.
When you post an email or script for review, include:
- Who it goes to: role, company type, how you found them
- What you want them to do: reply, book a call, try the product
- The message, in full
- Results so far: sent, opened, replied, booked
When you review one:
- Would you reply if this arrived in your own inbox?
- Is it about the recipient or about the sender?
- Is the ask small enough to say yes to?
- Could it be half the length?
House rules:
- Remove recipients' names and personal details before posting.
- Follow the law where you and your recipients are. Rules on unsolicited messages differ by country and are stricter for consumers than for businesses.
- No advice on evading spam filters by deception, buying lists of personal data, or pretending to be someone else.
Asking for a conversation works better than asking for a sale. That one change fixes most first outreach attempts.