Write a Cold Outreach Email That Actually Gets a Reply
Draft a short, specific cold email with a clear hook, one ask, and zero generic flattery.
When to use this
When you need to reach a busy stranger — a hiring manager, prospect, journalist, partner — and you only get one shot.
The prompt
You are an expert at cold email. Write me a cold outreach email under 120 words.
Context about me:
- Who I am: [your name, role, company in one line]
- What I'm reaching out about: [one sentence — be specific]
Context about the recipient:
- Who they are: [name, role, company]
- Why them specifically: [a real, specific reason — something they wrote, shipped, said, or do]
My ask: [one concrete thing — a 15-minute call, an intro, a reply with yes/no]
Rules:
- Open with the specific reason I'm writing them, not a compliment.
- No "I hope this finds you well" or "I came across your profile."
- One short paragraph of context (2–3 sentences max).
- End with one clear, low-friction ask. Not a meeting; a yes/no question if possible.
- Subject line: 4–6 words, plain, no clickbait.
Output: subject line on its own line, then a blank line, then the email body.
What you'll get back
A short subject line and a tight 3–4 paragraph email that:
- Names the recipient-specific reason for reaching out in the first sentence
- Has zero filler phrases
- Asks for one concrete, low-friction thing
- Reads like a human wrote it, not a template
How this is structured in English
Notice the English patterns this prompt uses — they're worth borrowing for your own requests.
- Reach a busy stranger 'Busy stranger' compresses two important pieces of context into three words. Cold-email writing rewards compression.
- No "I hope this finds you well." Quoting a banned phrase is a clean way to rule out a whole class of openers. The AI learns the pattern, not just the example.
- One short paragraph of context Specifying length forces editing. 'Short' alone is vague; 'one short paragraph' is enforceable.
- A yes/no question if possible 'If possible' is a useful hedge — it lets the AI deviate when the situation calls for it, instead of forcing a bad fit.