Copy skill
Cold email opener writer
Give the assistant your offer, one concrete number and who you write to, and it writes three first-email variants that ask whether the recipient is a fit instead of pitching.
What it does
What the skill checks
- Writes the first email as a condition plus a yes/no fit question
- Keeps numbers and amounts as literal text, never as merge fields
- Signs with the sender's name, title and company
- Adds a plain-text P.S. opt-out to email 1 only
- Moves features, pricing and process to step 2
- Returns three structurally different variants with word counts
Use it when
- When you start a new campaign and need email 1
- When your current first email lists features and gets few replies
- When you test new angles and want variants that differ in structure
Example
What you paste and what you get back
Design agency, B2B website redesigns in 6 weeks for 20-200 person firms. Sender: Tom Reyes, Partner, Brightline Design. Fields: firstName, companyName.Variant A (condition first), 41 words
Subject: {{firstName}}, quick question
Body: Hi {{firstName}}, if we could rebuild your company site in six weeks, with your team spending under five hours on it, would {{companyName}} be the right fit to talk about it this quarter?
Signature: Tom Reyes, Partner, Brightline Design
P.S. If this isn't relevant, reply 'no' and I won't follow up.Install
Install it in your assistant
The same file works everywhere. Claude and Claude Code load it as a skill; the other assistants follow it as instructions.
Claude Code
- Run the command below. It saves the skill to your personal skills folder, available in every project. For one project only, use .claude/skills in the project instead.
- Start a new Claude Code session. Claude uses the skill when your request matches its description, or when you name it.
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/cold-email-opener-writer
curl -fsSL https://outreach2day.com/skills/cold-email-opener-writer/SKILL.md -o ~/.claude/skills/cold-email-opener-writer/SKILL.mdClaude (web and desktop)
- Download the ZIP file.
- In Claude, open Settings, find Skills under Capabilities and upload the ZIP. Skills need code execution to be turned on for your account.
- Ask for the task in any chat. Claude loads the skill when the request matches.
ChatGPT
- Download SKILL.md.
- Paste its text into a Project's instructions or a custom GPT's instructions. For a single chat, attach the file and write: follow the instructions in this file.
Gemini
- Download SKILL.md.
- Create a Gem and paste the file's text into its instructions, or attach the file to a chat and ask Gemini to follow it.
Grok
- Download SKILL.md.
- Paste its text into a Project's instructions, or attach the file to a chat and ask Grok to follow it.
Cursor and other coding agents
- Save the file as a project rule with the command below. Cursor reads the description to decide when to apply it.
- Agents that read AGENTS.md (Codex and others): paste the text into AGENTS.md or reference the file from it.
mkdir -p .cursor/rules
curl -fsSL https://outreach2day.com/skills/cold-email-opener-writer/SKILL.md -o .cursor/rules/cold-email-opener-writer.mdcSource
The full SKILL.md
Read it before you install it. Change the rules to match your own setup.
---
name: cold-email-opener-writer
description: Writes the first email of a cold sequence in an ask-fit (reverse-qualify) shape - instead of pitching, the sender asks whether the recipient's company is the right fit for a concrete offer. Uses literal numbers written as text, a soft yes/no call to action, a signature with the sender's title and company, and a plain-text P.S. opt-out in the first email only. Leaves offer mechanics for step 2. Use when the user asks for a cold email opener, a first email, email 1 of a sequence, or wants to replace a pitch-style first email.
---
# Cold email opener writer
You write the first email of a cold sequence. It does not sell. It states one concrete offer and asks whether the recipient is the right fit for it, so replying is easy and costs the reader nothing.
## Step 1. Brief
Ask for:
- The offer in one sentence, with at least one concrete number (a result, a size, a time frame, a price range).
- Who receives it: role and company type.
- Who sends it: name, title, company.
- Merge fields available in the lead file, exact names.
- Anything the sender must not claim.
If there is no concrete number, ask for one. Without it the email falls back to vague claims.
## Step 2. Use the ask-fit shape
Structure, 3 parts, 35 to 70 words in the body:
1. **Condition with a concrete number.** "If we could take over first-line support for a 50-person office within two weeks, ..."
2. **Fit question as the call to action.** "... would {{companyName}} be the right fit to talk about it?" The reader answers yes or no; either answer is useful.
3. **Signature with title and company.** "Anna Berg, Head of Partnerships, Northwind IT". The title carries weight: it tells the reader who is asking.
Then one line of P.S. as a soft opt-out, in the first email only: "P.S. If this isn't relevant, reply 'no' and I won't follow up."
## Step 3. Apply the rules
1. Numbers and amounts are literal text, not merge fields. A merge field that is empty for some leads breaks the sentence.
2. One question only. No calendar link, no "book a demo".
3. No product features, pricing mechanics, onboarding process or case study in email 1. Those go to step 2 ("here is how it works") and step 3 ("here is what it did for a similar company").
4. No links, domains, images or attachments.
5. Do not open by disqualifying the reader ("You're probably not a fit, but...") and do not explain their business to them.
6. No filler opener, no "My name is", no em dashes, no exclamation marks, no hype words.
7. If you add spintax, vary whole phrases, keep options strip-proof (no spaces at option edges), and keep every render grammatical.
## Step 4. Deliver
Write 3 variants that differ in structure, not in synonyms: one with the condition first, one with the fit question first, one that names a trigger (hiring, new office, a funding round the company announced publicly). For each give subject, body, signature, P.S. and word count. Then write a one-paragraph plan for what step 2 will add.
## Output format
```
Variant A (condition first) - 52 words
Subject: ...
Body: ...
Signature: ...
P.S. ...
```
## Rules
- Do not invent client names, results or numbers. Use placeholders like `[number]` if the user has not given them.
- Keep the offer honest. The fit question only works if the sender can deliver what the condition says.
- The P.S. opt-out appears in email 1 only; later steps do not repeat it.
## Example
Input: design agency, B2B website redesigns in 6 weeks for 20 to 200 person firms, sender Tom Reyes, Partner at Brightline Design, fields `firstName`, `companyName`.
Output (variant A, 41 words):
Subject: {{firstName}}, quick question
"Hi {{firstName}}, if we could rebuild your company site in six weeks, with your team spending under five hours on it, would {{companyName}} be the right fit to talk about it this quarter?
Tom Reyes, Partner, Brightline Design
P.S. If this isn't relevant, reply 'no' and I won't follow up."
FAQ
Questions
What should the first cold email say?
One concrete offer and one question. Instead of listing what you do, ask whether the recipient's company is the right fit for a specific result, so a yes or a no is easy to send.
What is a reverse-qualify or ask-fit cold email?
An email where the sender asks if the reader qualifies for the offer instead of asking for a meeting. It puts a concrete condition first, for example a result and a time frame, and ends with "would you be the right fit?".
Should the first cold email include an opt-out?
A single plain-text line in the P.S. works well: "If this isn't relevant, reply 'no' and I won't follow up." It gives uninterested readers a way out that is not the spam button. Keep it in the first email only.
How do I check the email before sending?
Run it through the free cold email copy checker on this site for length, links and spam-trigger words.
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