Skill: Signal to Sequence
Duration: 2–4 hours per campaign
Output: outputs/campaigns/[date]-[campaign-name]/
Quick Start
Read skills/signal-to-sequence/SKILL.md.
Build a Tier 2 campaign for accounts triggering the [signal name] signal.
Target the [persona title] persona.
For a complete example of what this produces, see:
examples/sample-company/outputs/campaigns/2024-03-01-series-b-revops-tier2/
Purpose
Turn a signal — or a set of accounts sharing a signal — into a live outreach campaign. This skill connects the signal library to actual sequences. It answers the question: "We know who to target and why. Now what do we actually say?"
The output of this skill is not a rough draft. It is a sequence ready to load into your outbound tool.
When to Run This Skill
- A new signal fires across multiple accounts simultaneously (e.g., batch of Series B announcements)
- You're launching a new campaign segment
- An existing campaign is underperforming and needs a full rebuild
- A new ICP tier needs to be activated for the first time
Inputs
- Target signal(s) from
context/signal-library.md - ICP tier for this campaign from
context/icp-definition.md - Persona(s) being targeted from
context/personas/ - Competitive context from
context/competitor-radar.md(if relevant) - Company profile from
context/profile.md
Step 1: Define the Trigger Logic (20 min)
Before writing a word, be precise about what fires this campaign.
Single-signal trigger: One signal alone justifies outreach.
- Which signal? [From signal library]
- Minimum score threshold to activate?
- Recency window: signal must have fired in last [X] days?
Multi-signal trigger: Two or more signals in combination.
- Signal A + Signal B = activate
- What does the combination tell you that neither signal alone tells you?
Suppression conditions: Accounts that match the signal but should NOT receive this campaign.
- Active opportunity in CRM
- Existing customer
- Contacted in last [X] days
- [Any other suppression rules from signal library]
Document the trigger logic in plain language before moving to Step 2. Ambiguous triggers produce wasted outreach.
Step 2: Segment the Target List (20 min)
Pull all accounts matching the trigger logic. Segment by:
- ICP tier (Tier 1 vs. Tier 2 vs. Tier 3 gets different sequence intensity)
- Persona (different message for each role)
- Account status (cold prospect vs. previously contacted vs. dark opportunity)
Output: a clean list per segment with contact information and signal data attached.
Step 3: Design the Sequence (45 min)
Build the sequence structure before writing copy. Define:
| Touch | Day | Channel | Goal | Personalization level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | First impression + signal hook | High — signal-specific | |
| 2 | 3 | Connect + brief context | Medium | |
| 3 | 6 | Value prop + proof | Medium | |
| 4 | 10 | Different angle or asset | Low | |
| 5 | 14 | Phone/VM | Direct ask | Medium |
| 6 | 21 | Break-up + pivot | Low |
Tier guidance:
- Tier 1: 6–8 touches, all channels, manual personalization on touches 1–3
- Tier 2: 5–7 touches, email + LinkedIn, semi-automated
- Tier 3: 4–5 touches, email-first, templated with signal variable
Step 4: Write the Copy (60–90 min)
Write each touch. Apply the PVP standard to Tier 1 and Tier 2 email 1.
The PVP Standard (Permissionless Value Prop)
A message passes PVP if the prospect would find it valuable even if they never buy from you. It delivers market intelligence, not a sales pitch.
Test: Remove your CTA. If the message still has value, it passes. If it's pointless without the CTA, it's a pitch — rewrite it.
Four questions every Tier 1 first touch must answer yes to:
- Does this contain an insight the prospect doesn't already have?
- Would they forward this to a colleague?
- Would they find this useful even if they never buy?
- Is this market intelligence, not just personalization?
Touch 1 — Email (Signal Hook)
Subject line options (write 3, A/B test 2):
- [Option A — curiosity-based]
- [Option B — direct/insight-based]
- [Option C — question-based]
Body structure:
[Signal hook — one specific, datable observation]
[Insight — what that signal means in context, something they may not know]
[Connection — how that maps to what you do, in one sentence]
[CTA — one ask, frictionless]
[Signature]
Example:
Subject: [Company]'s RevOps hire
[First name],
[Company] just posted for a Senior RevOps Manager — third ops hire in 90 days.
Teams at that growth rate typically hit the same wall: the tooling that worked at
50 people breaks at 150.
We've helped [anonymized: a developer platform at similar scale] cut their
pipeline-to-close variance in half by rebuilding the ops layer before it became
a bottleneck.
Worth 20 minutes to compare notes?
[Name]
Touch 2 — LinkedIn Connection Request
[First name] — sent you an email [X] days ago about [one-sentence context]. Would be good to connect here too.
The connection note should be 1–2 sentences max. Reference something specific: the email you already sent, a recent post they published, or their new role. "Following your work" and "building something adjacent" read as spray-and-pray. LinkedIn accepts correlate with personalization quality — use the signal context you already have.
Touch 3 — Email (Value Prop + Proof)
Shift the angle. Don't repeat touch 1. Lead with a different dimension of value or a proof point.
[First name],
Following up from last week. Wanted to share something relevant.
[Specific outcome or data point from a reference customer in a similar situation]
[One sentence connecting that to their current situation]
Happy to walk through how we approach it — [CTA].
[Name]
Touch 4 — Email (Asset or Different Angle)
Offer something concrete: a framework, a benchmark, a piece of content, a question worth thinking about.
Touch 5 — Phone / Voicemail
Talk track:
"[Name], [Your name] from [Company]. Reached out a couple times over email — not trying to be persistent,
just think the timing might be right given [specific signal/context]. If I'm wrong, happy to hear it.
Call me back at [number] or reply to my email — either works."
Touch 6 — Break-up Email
Subject: Closing the loop
[First name],
I've reached out a few times — not going to keep at it.
If the timing isn't right or this isn't relevant, totally understood.
If something changes — [specific trigger that would make this relevant again] — feel free to reach out.
[Name]
Step 5: Measurement Plan (15 min)
Define success before launch. Set targets by tier:
| Metric | Tier 1 target | Tier 2 target | Tier 3 target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reply rate | ≥ 8% | ≥ 4% | ≥ 2% |
| Meeting rate | ≥ 5% | ≥ 2% | ≥ 1% |
| Pipeline per 100 accounts | $[X] | $[Y] | $[Z] |
What to track:
- Reply rate by touch number (where are people responding?)
- Meeting rate by signal type (which signals convert best?)
- Signal-triggered vs. generic performance lift
Review cadence: First review at 2 weeks (enough volume to see patterns). Full review at 6 weeks.
Output Structure
outputs/campaigns/[date]-[campaign-name]/
├── brief.md ← Trigger logic, segments, objectives
├── sequences/
│ ├── tier1.md ← Full sequence copy, Tier 1
│ ├── tier2.md ← Full sequence copy, Tier 2
│ └── tier3.md ← Full sequence copy, Tier 3
├── metrics.md ← Targets and measurement plan
└── results.md ← Updated as campaign runs