DM Writer — one real message to one real person
A good DM is not a broadcast. It's a message to this person, referencing this relationship, with one clear reason for reaching out. This skill takes the context you give it and writes a short message that sounds like you texting someone you respect — not a funnel.
Use it for a single person. If you want a whole ranked list of who to contact first, run warm-outreach first, then bring individuals here.
Personalization
This skill works in your brand voice. Before running, load the brand profile at ~/.claude/brand-profile.md.
- If it doesn't exist, run the personalize skill first (or just tell me your name, niche, offer, and audience — I'll create it).
- If a field this skill needs is blank, I'll ask one or two quick questions and save the answers back to the profile so you only answer once.
- Never invent facts or results about the user — use only what's in the profile, or ask.
Steps
1. Get the three things a good DM needs
Ask the user for these (accept short answers; infer the rest from the profile):
- Who — the recipient: name, what they do, and any detail that makes them them (their work, a recent post, how you met).
- Relationship — how well you know them and when you last spoke (close, warm-but-quiet, barely know them, cold-but-mutual-connection).
- Goal — pick one: start a conversation (no ask yet) · share the offer (they've shown a fit) · follow up (you already messaged and want to nudge or re-open).
If the user only gives a name, ask the one or two questions that actually change the message — usually relationship and goal.
2. Match the message to the relationship
The register shifts with warmth, not with the goal:
- Close / warm: casual, lowercase-fine, get to the point, a real question at the end.
- Warm-but-quiet: reconnect first. Acknowledge the gap honestly ("been a minute"), lead with genuine interest in them, earn the right to mention what you're building.
- Barely know / mutual connection: name the connection or the specific reason they came to mind up front, keep it very short, make the ask tiny.
3. Write the message — the non-pushy rules
- Lead with them. First line is about the recipient or the shared context, never "So I have this offer."
- One reason, one ask. No stacked links, no multi-paragraph pitch, no life story.
- End on an easy question. The goal is a reply, not a yes. A question they can answer in one line beats a call-to-action.
- Only name the offer if the goal is "share the offer" — and even then, frame it as "this might be relevant to you because [specific reason]," not a feature dump.
- Honor the profile's words-to-avoid and tone. No fake urgency, no "quick question" bait, no flattery the user doesn't mean.
- Keep it to 2–5 sentences. If it's longer than a text you'd actually send, cut it.
4. Add a one-line follow-up
Always include a single follow-up line the user can send if there's no reply after a few days. It should add value or lightness, never guilt ("just bumping this" / "did you see my message?"). Good follow-ups reference something new, or gracefully let it go ("no worries if the timing's off — door's open"). One follow-up only, then stop.
5. Save it
Append the message + follow-up to ~/dm-drafts.md under a heading with the recipient's name and date, so the user builds a personal swipe file of what they've sent. Confirm the path and remind them to swap in the one personal detail before sending.
Input → output example
Input: "Message Sam — we did a bootcamp together last year, haven't talked in months. He runs a small Shopify agency. Goal: share my offer (I build automated post-purchase email flows)."
Output (warm-but-quiet + share offer):
hey Sam! been way too long — how'd the agency end up going after the bootcamp? i actually thought of you because i've been building automated post-purchase email flows for Shopify stores lately, and i remember you had a bunch of clients who'd probably want that. worth a quick chat, or not really your thing right now?
Follow-up (if no reply in ~4 days):
no pressure either way Sam — if post-purchase flows aren't a priority right now, all good. would still love to catch up sometime.
Saved to ~/dm-drafts.md.
Notes / edge cases
- If the goal is "share the offer" but the relationship is cold and there's no real fit signal, say so — recommend the "start a conversation" version instead. Pitching a stranger is exactly the move that makes selling feel gross and doesn't work.
- Never fabricate a shared memory or a result. If the personal detail slot can't be filled truthfully, the message drops to a lighter register.
- One message, one follow-up. If they want a whole sequence or a list of people, that's the warm-outreach skill — not more follow-ups to one person.
1---2name: dm-writer3description: Write one short, human DM or message to a specific person for a specific goal (start a conversation, share your offer, or follow up) — in your voice, so it opens a dialogue instead of pitch-slapping them. Trigger whenever the user says "write a DM", "help me message this person", "what do I say to", "reach out to [name]", "draft a message", "follow up with", "how do I bring up my offer to", or "I don't know how to word this".4---56# DM Writer — one real message to one real person78A good DM is not a broadcast. It's a message to *this* person, referencing *this* relationship, with *one* clear reason for reaching out. This skill takes the context you give it and writes a short message that sounds like you texting someone you respect — not a funnel.910Use it for a single person. If you want a whole ranked list of who to contact first, run **warm-outreach** first, then bring individuals here.1112## Personalization13This skill works in *your* brand voice. Before running, load the brand profile at `~/.claude/brand-profile.md`.14- If it doesn't exist, run the **personalize** skill first (or just tell me your name, niche, offer, and audience — I'll create it).15- If a field this skill needs is blank, I'll ask one or two quick questions and save the answers back to the profile so you only answer once.16- Never invent facts or results about the user — use only what's in the profile, or ask.1718## Steps1920### 1. Get the three things a good DM needs21Ask the user for these (accept short answers; infer the rest from the profile):22- **Who** — the recipient: name, what they do, and any detail that makes them *them* (their work, a recent post, how you met).23- **Relationship** — how well you know them and when you last spoke (close, warm-but-quiet, barely know them, cold-but-mutual-connection).24- **Goal** — pick one: **start a conversation** (no ask yet) · **share the offer** (they've shown a fit) · **follow up** (you already messaged and want to nudge or re-open).2526If the user only gives a name, ask the one or two questions that actually change the message — usually relationship and goal.2728### 2. Match the message to the relationship29The register shifts with warmth, not with the goal:30- **Close / warm:** casual, lowercase-fine, get to the point, a real question at the end.31- **Warm-but-quiet:** reconnect first. Acknowledge the gap honestly ("been a minute"), lead with genuine interest in them, earn the right to mention what you're building.32- **Barely know / mutual connection:** name the connection or the specific reason they came to mind up front, keep it very short, make the ask tiny.3334### 3. Write the message — the non-pushy rules35- **Lead with them.** First line is about the recipient or the shared context, never "So I have this offer."36- **One reason, one ask.** No stacked links, no multi-paragraph pitch, no life story.37- **End on an easy question.** The goal is a reply, not a yes. A question they can answer in one line beats a call-to-action.38- **Only name the offer if the goal is "share the offer"** — and even then, frame it as "this might be relevant to you because [specific reason]," not a feature dump.39- Honor the profile's words-to-avoid and tone. No fake urgency, no "quick question" bait, no flattery the user doesn't mean.40- Keep it to 2–5 sentences. If it's longer than a text you'd actually send, cut it.4142### 4. Add a one-line follow-up43Always include a **single** follow-up line the user can send if there's no reply after a few days. It should add value or lightness, never guilt ("just bumping this" / "did you see my message?"). Good follow-ups reference something new, or gracefully let it go ("no worries if the timing's off — door's open"). One follow-up only, then stop.4445### 5. Save it46Append the message + follow-up to `~/dm-drafts.md` under a heading with the recipient's name and date, so the user builds a personal swipe file of what they've sent. Confirm the path and remind them to swap in the one personal detail before sending.4748## Input → output example49**Input:** "Message Sam — we did a bootcamp together last year, haven't talked in months. He runs a small Shopify agency. Goal: share my offer (I build automated post-purchase email flows)."5051**Output (warm-but-quiet + share offer):**52> hey Sam! been way too long — how'd the agency end up going after the bootcamp? i actually thought of you because i've been building automated post-purchase email flows for Shopify stores lately, and i remember you had a bunch of clients who'd probably want that. worth a quick chat, or not really your thing right now?5354**Follow-up (if no reply in ~4 days):**55> no pressure either way Sam — if post-purchase flows aren't a priority right now, all good. would still love to catch up sometime.5657Saved to `~/dm-drafts.md`.5859## Notes / edge cases60- If the goal is "share the offer" but the relationship is cold and there's no real fit signal, say so — recommend the "start a conversation" version instead. Pitching a stranger is exactly the move that makes selling feel gross and doesn't work.61- Never fabricate a shared memory or a result. If the personal detail slot can't be filled truthfully, the message drops to a lighter register.62- One message, one follow-up. If they want a whole sequence or a list of people, that's the **warm-outreach** skill — not more follow-ups to one person.
duncan-buildroom