skills/compose-outreach/references/outreach-formats-guide.md

# Outreach Formats — Guidelines and Examples

## Email

### Structure
- **Subject line:** 4-8 words, specific and curiosity-inducing. Reference the hook directly.
- **Opening:** Acknowledge the specific signal. Start with "You", "Your team", "Saw that", "Noticed" — not "I".
- **Value Bridge:** 1-2 sentences connecting their signal to something you can help with. Be concrete.
- **Ask:** Single, specific, low-friction next step.
- **Total length:** 3-5 sentences max. No paragraphs.

### Example

> Subject: Question about your [feature] usage
>
> Noticed your team has been deep in [feature] recently — you've hit [usage metric] in the last two weeks. That usually means teams are running into [common blocker] around this stage. Happy to walk through how [similar company] handled it if useful. 15 minutes this week?

---

## Call Script

Three parts — a guide, not a word-for-word read:

**Opening (10-15 seconds):** State your name and company, then reference the specific hook immediately.

**Value Bridge (20-30 seconds):** Explain why this is worth their time *right now*, tied to a concrete outcome.

**Ask (10 seconds):** Single, specific, low-friction — e.g., "Do you have 15 minutes to explore if that's relevant?"

---

## LinkedIn Message

### Constraints
- **300 characters maximum** (platform limit is 400 — we target 300 to prevent overruns)
- No attachments, no links in the first message
- No pitch — just open a door

### Structure
- Personal acknowledgment (what you noticed about them)
- One brief sentence on why you reached out
- Soft invitation to connect or respond

### Example

> Saw your post about [topic] in [community] — our team has been thinking about the same problem. Would love to share what we've learned. Open to a quick chat?

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## Tone Calibration by Context

| Context | Tone | Approach |
|---------|------|----------|
| Inbound / trial / active community member | Warm, helpful, collaborative | Lead with their activity, offer help |
| Cold outreach (no prior relationship) | Professional, respectful, brief | Lead with signal, be direct about why now |
| Re-engagement (went dark) | Casual, low-pressure | Short, acknowledge the gap, easy ask |
| Executive outreach | Formal, concise, outcome-focused | Lead with business impact, not product |
| Champion job change | Warm, congratulatory | Celebrate them, then gently explore new opportunity |

---

## What to Avoid (All Channels)

- Starting with filler ("I hope this email finds you well") or defensive language ("I know you're busy but...")
- Multi-paragraph messages with multiple asks
- Vague subject lines like "Following up" or "Quick question"
- Fabricated familiarity ("I've been following your company for a while...")