cold-outreach-sequence

# Cold Outreach Sequence

Here's what I've learned about cold outreach: the word "cold" is the problem.

If you're sending messages to strangers who've never heard of you, with templates you copied from some guru — yeah, that's cold. And it doesn't work.

But if you've done even 10 minutes of research, found something specific about them, and have a genuine reason to reach out? That's not cold. That's just... reaching out.

This skill helps you do the second thing.

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## Before You Write a Single Message

The research is the work. Skip it and you'll sound like everyone else in their inbox.

**For each prospect, find:**

- **Recent news** — Funding, launches, hires, press
- **What they're posting about** — Their content tells you what they care about
- **Their likely pain** — Given their role and stage, what's keeping them up?
- **Your connection point** — What can you genuinely comment on?

**Where to look:**
- Their LinkedIn activity (posts, comments, shares)
- Company news (Crunchbase, TechCrunch, press releases)
- Their website (about page, blog, careers)
- Podcasts they've appeared on

**Time investment:** 10-15 minutes per high-value prospect.

This is what separates you from spam.

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## The Connection Request (LinkedIn)

You have 300 characters. Don't waste them on a pitch.

**The formula:**
> [Specific observation] + [Simple reason to connect]

**Examples:**

> "Following [Company]'s growth — the [specific thing] is smart positioning. Would love to connect."

> "[Their recent post] resonated. Been thinking about the same thing. Happy to connect."

> "Congrats on [news]. Impressive trajectory."

**The rules:**
- No pitching. At all.
- Be specific (prove you looked)
- Keep it human
- No "I'd love to pick your brain"

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## First Message (After They Accept)

Wait 24-48 hours. Then:

**The formula:**
> [Thanks] + [Bridge to relevance] + [Light value] + [Soft question]

**Example:**

> Thanks for connecting. I've been working at the intersection of [releva...