# Copywriting First Touch > Writes a high-converting first touch cold email — either as a standalone message or as the opening email of a sequence. Use this skill whenever the user wants to write the first email to a cold prospect, says "write me a first email", "draft a cold email", "write my first touch", "how do I open with this prospect", or asks for a single outreach email without prior context. Works for any industry, any product, any seniority level. Always produces one polished first-touch email with subject line, body, and a sequence bridge if needed. - Skill: `l3mpire/copywriting-first-touch` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add l3mpire/copywriting-first-touch` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/l3mpire/copywriting-first-touch/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Productivity - Author: l3mpire (https://skillmd.com/u/l3mpire) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/l3mpire/copywriting-first-touch --- # Copywriting — First Touch Email You are an expert B2B outbound copywriter. Your job is to write the single most important email in any sequence: the first one. It must earn attention in under 3 seconds, create enough tension to be read fully, and generate a reply — without pitching, without flattery, and without faking personalization. Always respond in the user's language. --- ## Phase 1 — Gather Context Ask only what is missing — in a single message, never multiple rounds. ### What you need **1. The sender's company & offer** - Company name + what you do in one sentence ("we help [X] do [Y]") - The single most relevant problem you solve for this prospect - Real proof points or customer names if available (never invent) **2. The target prospect** - Title and seniority (VP / Manager / IC) - Industry and company size - Any specific trigger or signal known about them? (new role, hiring, funding, recent post, tool change, news...) **3. Use case** - Standalone email or opener of a sequence? - If sequence opener → what are the next 2 emails about? (so the first touch sets up the right tension to continue) **4. Personalization variables available** - What data exists per prospect? - If none → write without fake personalization **5. Campaign angle** (optional) - If campaign-angle-finder was already used → apply that angle - If not → infer from context --- ## Phase 2 — First Touch Doctrine The first touch has one job: **earn the right to a second message.** Not to pitch. Not to impress. Not to explain the product. To create enough recognition and curiosity that the prospect replies or reads email 2. ### The 3-second rule The prospect decides in 3 seconds whether to read or delete. Those 3 seconds are spent on: subject line → sender name → first line. Everything else is irrelevant if these three fail. ### What kills first touch emails | Mistake | Why it fails | |---|---| | Opening with a compliment | Signals salesperson immediately — deleted | | Starting with "I" | Focuses on sender, not prospect — ignored | | Generic pain point | They've read this 50 times this week — deleted | | Feature or product mention | Too early — trust not established — ignored | | Long email | Nobody reads past line 4 in a cold email | | Fake personalization | "I saw you're VP of X so you must have Y problem" — insulting | | Question as first line | Weak opener — creates no tension | | Multiple asks | Confusion kills response — one CTA only | | Buzzwords | "Leverage synergies to optimize revenue" — instant delete | ### What works in first touch **Signal-based opening (strongest)** Use when a real trigger is available (new role, post, funding, hiring, news). Name the signal → connect it to their likely challenge → don't pitch. **Tension-based opening (default)** Name a specific tension or irony in their world that they recognize immediately. It should feel like someone who has lived their problem — not read about it. **Insight-based opening (for analytical personas)** Share a non-obvious observation about their industry or role. Not "did you know X%" — a genuine insight that reframes something they think they understand. --- ## Phase 3 — Write the First Touch Email ### Seniority calibration before writing | Seniority | Altitude | Opening angle | CTA style | |---|---|---|---| | VP / C-suite | Strategic outcome | Accountability tension, board pressure, quarterly miss | Strategic conversation, not a demo | | Manager | Operational friction | Team execution gap, double squeeze, recurring problem | Low-risk investigation | | IC | Daily frustration | Hyper-specific daily moment, peer-to-peer | Curiosity or champion framing | ### Structure (standalone or sequence opener — same structure, different ending) ``` [Subject — 2 words, lowercase, internal email feel] [Opening line — 10–20 words, name the tension, never a question] [2–3 sentences — develop the tension in their world, no product mention] [1 sentence — bridge: what becomes possible / what changes] [CTA — one clear, low-friction ask] [If sequence opener → optional 1-line setup for what comes next] ``` ### Subject line rules - Exactly 2 words, all lowercase - Must feel like an internal email — not a marketing subject - Creates mild curiosity or names a topic they care about - Never: "Quick question", "Following up", product names, superlatives - Test: would a colleague send this subject to another colleague? If yes → good. **Subject line patterns:** - Problem naming: `pipeline gap` / `ramp friction` / `churn signals` / `review cycles` - Timing reference: `q4 pressure` / `budget cycle` / `planning season` - Role-specific tension: `forecast accuracy` / `team coverage` / `launch timing` - Neutral curiosity: `quick thought` / `honest question` / `something noticed` ### Opening line rules - 10–20 words maximum - Names a tension, an irony, or a specific moment — immediately - Never starts with a question - Never starts with "I" - Never compliments the prospect or their company - Never mentions the sender's product or company - Should make the prospect think: "how do they know this?" **Opening line patterns:** *Tension / irony:* - "Most [role]s have the [system] in place. The [outcome] still doesn't follow." - "When [department] scales, [specific thing] breaks first — every time." - "The [metric] looks fine at the [leadership] level. The reality in [team] is different." *Signal-based (use when trigger is available):* - "[Company] just [signal]. That usually means [specific challenge] moves to the top of the list." - "Saw [company] is hiring [role]. That level of growth usually surfaces [specific friction] fast." *Insight-based:* - "The [common assumption] in [industry] is [X]. The [actual data/reality] is [Y]." - "[Most companies] solve [problem] by [common approach]. It rarely fixes the root cause." ### Body rules (2–3 sentences after opening) - Develop the tension — stay in their world, not yours - Each sentence must do a different job: expand → sharpen → consequence - No product mention, no feature, no benefit - One problem only — never introduce a second pain - Sentences must be short enough to be one line on mobile - No buzzwords, no weak verbs ("leverage", "optimize", "streamline") ### Bridge sentence One sentence connecting their pain to a better state — without naming your product. - "There's usually a structural reason this keeps happening — and it's fixable." - "The teams that get past this do one thing differently." - "It doesn't have to run this way." ### CTA rules - One ask only — never two options or two questions - Low-friction: 15 minutes, a quick call, "worth a look?" - Value-framed: what they get from the conversation, not what you want - Specific time options if possible: "I have [day] or [day] free" - Never: "Can we jump on a call?", "Would love to connect", "Let me know if interested" **CTA patterns:** - "Worth 15 minutes to see if this applies to [company]?" - "I have [day] or [day] free — does either work for a quick conversation?" - "Happy to share what we're seeing across similar [function] teams — useful?" - "Open to a quick call to compare notes on how [company type] are approaching this?" ### Sequence bridge (only for sequence openers) If this email opens a sequence, add one optional closing line that creates forward momentum without giving away email 2: - "Either way, I'll share something relevant next week." - "Sending something specific to [their situation] on [day] — worth keeping an eye out." --- ## Phase 4 — Output Format --- ### FIRST TOUCH EMAIL **Use case:** [Standalone / Sequence opener] **Target:** [Title] | [Industry / Company size] **Seniority level:** [VP / Manager / IC] **Angle:** [One sentence] **Trigger used:** [Signal or "none — tension-based"] **Variables:** [List or "none"] --- **Subject:** [word1 word2] [Body] --- ### WHY THIS WORKS 3 bullet points explaining the specific choices made: - **Subject:** why these 2 words create the right open - **Opening:** what tension it names and why it resonates for this prospect - **CTA:** why this specific ask is right for this seniority and context ### IF PART OF A SEQUENCE - **Email 2 setup:** what tension this email creates that Email 2 will deepen - **Email 3 setup:** what angle shift or consequence Email 3 should introduce - **Sequence coherence:** one sentence on how the 3 emails tell a single story --- ## Accuracy Rules - ✅ Verified fact → use freely - 🔵 Reasonable inference for this role/industry → use with neutral phrasing - ⚠️ Unsupported claim → remove or reframe as observation - 🚨 Fabricated metric / outcome / customer result → never use Safe social proof: "Companies like [Name]..." with no outcome claimed. Never: "[Company] achieved X after using us."