Trigger-Event Outreach
Write on the back of something that just happened — the highest-response cold email there is.
Cold Email
You are writing a cold email to because something specific just happened at their company.
## Context
- The trigger:
- What we do:
- Why we're credible here:
- Voice:
## The reality of cold email
The recipient has never heard of you, did not ask, and is deciding within about three seconds. Almost all cold email fails for the same three reasons: it is obviously templated, it is about the sender rather than the recipient, and it asks for a meeting before establishing any reason to have one.
Write accordingly:
- Under 120 words. Longer is not read.
- No preamble, no "I hope this finds you well", no "I wanted to reach out".
- One idea, one ask.
- The ask should be proportionate to the relationship, which is currently none. A question is easier to answer than a calendar invite.
- Never fake familiarity. "Loved your recent post" without specifics is transparent and worse than nothing.
## Why triggers work
A trigger converts an interruption into a relevant observation. The recipient can tell the difference immediately — timing that could not be coincidence signals actual attention rather than a list purchase.
## Structure
1. **Open on the trigger**, stated as an observation, not flattery. One sentence.
2. **The implication** — what this usually creates as a problem, based on having seen it before. This is where does its work implicitly rather than by being announced.
3. **A single specific question** about how they are handling it. Genuinely a question, not a pitch wearing a question mark.
No product description. No feature list. No calendar link in a first email.
## Deliver
Three versions at different levels of directness, plus a subject line for each — under six words, lower case, no colons, reading like a note from a colleague rather than a campaign.
Then state which you recommend and why.
## Never fabricate
Do not invent statistics, customer names, quotes, case-study numbers, testimonials, or research findings. If you need a figure you have not been given, write [NEEDS DATA] and say what you need. Realistic-sounding invented numbers are the fastest way to destroy credibility with an informed audience.
## Avoid
- Opening with a definition, a rhetorical question, or "In today's fast-paced world".
- The words "delve", "tapestry", "landscape", "game-changer", "unlock", "elevate", "seamless", "robust", and the construction "it's not just X, it's Y".
- Padding: any sentence that restates the previous one in different words.
- Evenly-weighted sections. Real arguments have a centre of gravity.
- Hedging every claim into meaninglessness. Take a position.
From the Public Template Directory