Cold Email Swipe File

30 templates, organized by scenario, each with subject-line variants. Replace every [bracket] before sending — nothing in brackets should survive to send.

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Personalization Bracket Guide

• [First Name], [Company] — obvious, never skip
• [Trigger] — a real, specific, recent event: funding round, job change, product launch, hiring post, LinkedIn post they wrote
• [Peer Company] — a named, comparable company (with permission if using them as a reference)
• [Specific Metric/Result] — a real number, never “significant results”
• [Mutual Connection] — a real named person, only if genuinely mutual

Rule: an email with more than one unfilled bracket does not go out.

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SECTION A — Cold Outreach (12 templates, 6 angles × 2 each)

A1. Trigger-Event (i)

Subject A: noticed [Trigger] / Subject B: congrats on [Trigger]

"Hi [First Name] — saw [Trigger] and figured [logical consequence of trigger, e.g. 'your team's probably scaling fast right now']. That's usually when [Problem] starts showing up. Worth a quick chat, or not a priority right now?"

A2. Trigger-Event (ii)

Subject A: question re: [Trigger] / Subject B: [Company] + [Trigger]

"[First Name] — congrats on [Trigger]. Companies at that stage usually run into [Problem] around month 3–6. If that's not you yet, no worries — if it is, happy to share what's worked for similar teams."

A3. Problem-First (i)

Subject A: [Problem], solved differently / Subject B: how [Peer Company] handles [Problem]

"Hi [First Name] — most [Role]s I talk to are dealing with [Problem], usually because [root cause]. We built a way to fix that without [common unwanted tradeoff]. Is this on your radar at all right now?"

A4. Problem-First (ii)

Subject A: the [Problem] tax / Subject B: quick one on [Problem]

"[First Name] — quick question: how much time does your team lose to [Problem] in a typical month? Most people underestimate it until they measure it. Happy to share how we measure it if useful."

A5. Curiosity (i)

Subject A: unusual question / Subject B: is this still true?

"[First Name] — unusual question: is [specific process/assumption] still handled manually at [Company]? Most teams your size have automated it by now, so genuinely curious either way."

A6. Curiosity (ii)

Subject A: 12% / Subject B: the 12% number

"[First Name] — companies like [Company] typically lose about [Specific Metric] to [Problem] before fixing it. Not sure if that's true for you — worth 10 minutes to find out?"

A7. Social-Proof (i)

Subject A: what [Peer Company] did about [Problem] / Subject B: [Peer Company] case

"Hi [First Name] — [Peer Company] had the same [Problem] you're likely dealing with at [Company]'s stage. They fixed it and saw [Specific Metric/Result]. Want the two-minute version of how?"

A8. Social-Proof (ii)

Subject A: why [Peer Company] switched / Subject B: re: [Category] at [Company]

"[First Name] — a handful of [Industry] companies your size (including [Peer Company]) have moved off [old approach] recently. The reason, consistently, is [Problem]. Curious if you're seeing the same thing."

A9. Pattern-Interrupt (i)

Subject A: not a pitch / Subject B: genuinely just a question

"[First Name] — not trying to sell you anything in this email, just want to ask: is [Problem] actually a priority for [Company] this quarter, or lower on the list? Either answer is useful for me to know."

A10. Pattern-Interrupt (ii)

Subject A: wrong person? / Subject B: am I off base

"[First Name] — might be totally off base here, but is [Problem] something you own, or should I be talking to someone else on your team?"

A11. Peer-Comparison (i)

Subject A: how you compare / Subject B: benchmarking [Category]

"[First Name] — we've been tracking how companies like [Company] handle [Problem] compared to peers. Happy to send over where you'd likely land, no strings — useful either way?"

A12. Peer-Comparison (ii)

Subject A: you vs. the field / Subject B: quick benchmark

"Hi [First Name] — most [Role]s at companies your size are around [Specific Metric] on [Problem]. Curious where [Company] sits — want me to send the quick comparison?"

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SECTION B — Referral-Based (4 templates)

B1. Warm Intro Ask

Subject A: [Mutual Connection] suggested I reach out / Subject B: intro via [Mutual Connection]

"Hi [First Name] — [Mutual Connection] mentioned you might be dealing with [Problem] and thought it'd be worth connecting. No pressure either way — happy to share what we worked on together if it's relevant."

B2. Customer Referral

Subject A: [Customer] recommended I reach out / Subject B: from [Customer]'s team

"[First Name] — I work with [Customer], and your name came up as someone who might be dealing with the same [Problem] they had before we fixed it. Want the quick version of what changed for them?"

B3. Community/Group Referral

Subject A: fellow member of [Group] / Subject B: saw you in [Group]

"Hi [First Name] — noticed we're both in [Group]. A few members have mentioned [Problem] recently — is that something you're dealing with too, or not really?"

B4. Second-Degree Ask

Subject A: [Mutual Connection]'s colleague / Subject B: reaching out via [Mutual Connection]

"[First Name] — I know [Mutual Connection] from [context], and they mentioned you lead [function] at [Company]. Given what I do around [Problem], thought it was worth a quick note — useful, or not the right time?"

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SECTION C — Breakup / Last Attempt (6 templates)

C1. Straightforward Close-Out

Subject A: closing the loop / Subject B: should I stop reaching out?

"[First Name] — haven't heard back, so I'll assume the timing's off or this isn't a priority. I'll close this out on my end — if that changes, just reply and I'll pick it back up."

C2. Permission-Based

Subject A: ok to check back later? / Subject B: one last thing

"Hi [First Name] — I don't want to keep filling your inbox. Is it fair to say now's not the time, and ok if I check back in [timeframe] instead?"

C3. Value-Add Final

Subject A: last note, useful either way / Subject B: one resource before I go

"[First Name] — last email from me on this. Whether or not we ever work together, thought this [resource/insight related to Problem] might be useful. Good luck with [relevant priority]."

C4. Direct Ask

Subject A: yes, no, or not yet? / Subject B: quick one before I stop

"[First Name] — totally fine either way, but which of these is true: (a) not relevant, (b) relevant but bad timing, (c) worth a quick call? A one-word reply is all I need."

C5. Humor/Light Touch

Subject A: taking the hint / Subject B: I'll stop now

"[First Name] — I've emailed enough times that I'm now the annoying part of your inbox, so I'll stop here. If [Problem] ever becomes urgent, my door's open — no hard feelings either way."

C6. Reassign/Redirect

Subject A: wrong contact? / Subject B: before I close this out

"[First Name] — before I stop reaching out, is there someone else at [Company] who owns [Problem] that I should be speaking to instead?"

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SECTION D — Re-Engagement / Gone Quiet (8 templates)

D1. Time-Based Check-In

Subject A: it's been a while / Subject B: checking back in

"[First Name] — it's been [timeframe] since we last spoke about [Problem]. Has anything changed on your end, or still not the right time?"

D2. New Trigger Event

Subject A: saw [New Trigger] / Subject B: timing might be different now

"Hi [First Name] — saw [New Trigger] and thought the timing on [Problem] might have changed since we last spoke. Worth revisiting, or still not a priority?"

D3. New Proof Point

Subject A: update since we last spoke / Subject B: new result worth sharing

"[First Name] — since we last talked, we helped [Peer Company] achieve [New Result]. Given where you left things, thought it was worth flagging. Interested in a quick update call?"

D4. Product/Feature Update

Subject A: we built the thing you asked about / Subject B: this didn't exist last time we spoke

"Hi [First Name] — last time we spoke, [specific gap/objection] was the blocker. That's changed — we now [new capability]. Worth another look?"

D5. Direct Status Check

Subject A: still relevant? / Subject B: where did this land?

"[First Name] — following up from [timeframe] ago on [Problem]. Did you end up solving this a different way, or is it still open?"

D6. Internal Champion Check

Subject A: did priorities shift? / Subject B: checking if this is still yours

"Hi [First Name] — wanted to check whether [Problem] is still something you're focused on, or if priorities have shifted since we last spoke."

D7. Seasonal/Budget-Cycle

Subject A: planning season / Subject B: budget timing

"[First Name] — given it's [budget cycle/quarter], thought I'd check whether [Problem] has moved back onto the list for planning purposes."

D8. Soft Re-Open

Subject A: no agenda, just checking in / Subject B: hope things are going well

"Hi [First Name] — no agenda here, just wanted to check in since it's been a while. If [Problem] is still around, happy to pick the conversation back up whenever suits."

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Send-Sequence Guidance

A standard cold cadence: A-template (day 1) → A or B variant (day 4) → D-style value-add (day 9) → C-template breakup (day 16). Never send two Cold Outreach templates back-to-back without a value-add or breakup in between — repetition without new information reads as spam.

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Rules — What Not To Do

• No subject line in ALL CAPS or with more than one exclamation mark
• No “just following up” as a standalone subject line — always pair with a reason
• No email over 90 words — cold emails are read on a phone in 8 seconds
• Never send a Breakup template before at least 2 prior touches
• Never use a Peer Company reference without permission to name them