# Sdr Email Sms Playbook > 5-touch email/SMS cadence for Epiphan BDR outreach. Full templates for Higher Ed, Courts, Gov, Healthcare by touch. Companion to epiphan-call-playbook (phone). Writing rules, subject line patterns, and SMS guidelines. Use when: email playbook, email template, outreach email, sdr email, cold email template, sms outreach, follow up email, 5 touch cadence. - Skill: `scientiacapital/sdr-email-sms-playbook` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add scientiacapital/sdr-email-sms-playbook` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/scientiacapital/sdr-email-sms-playbook/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Productivity - Author: scientiacapital (https://skillmd.com/u/scientiacapital) - Updated: 2026-09-09 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/scientiacapital/sdr-email-sms-playbook --- Give Epiphan BDRs a ready-to-send email/SMS cadence that earns replies without burning the lead. This is the WRITTEN sibling of epiphan-call-playbook (phone). Every touch leads with the buyer's problem, asks exactly one question, and holds back the product name until the prospect has engaged. Core rule (from epiphan-call-playbook): never just send info. Earn one qualifying answer first, then send the info email using the matching template. 1. Identify the vertical (Higher Ed, Courts/Legal, Government, Healthcare, Corporate AV, Houses of Worship, K-12) and the personalization hook (org name + a known trigger: budget cycle, new building, accreditation, Extron SMP EOL, a failed recording). 2. Pull the Touch 1 template for that vertical. Fill the [brackets]. 3. Enroll into the 5-touch cadence (Nooks handles enrollment; this skill is the CONTENT for each step). Send-from is always tkipper@epiphan.com. 4. Create Gmail drafts for review before send (Tim's workflow: draft → review/edit → send). 5. When a prospect replies with a qualifying answer, STOP the cadence and send the tailored info email — or hand to epiphan-call-playbook for the call. - Touch 1 subject line names the buyer's problem, NOT a product. - Exactly one question per email. Zero emails with two asks. - SMS is max 2 sentences and always opens with the first name. - Every email signs: Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com - Closes are soft and permission-based — drawn from the Soft Close Phrases bank. No hard "book a call" CTAs on cold touches. - Personalization hook present in Touch 1 and Touch 2 (org name + trigger). - Cadence stops the moment a reply lands. No touch fires after engagement. ## 5-Touch Cadence Overview | Touch | Day | Channel | Job | Question | |-------|-----|---------|-----|----------| | 1 | 1 | Email | Challenger insight + diagnostic | One diagnostic Q, no product | | 2 | 3 | Email | Add vertical stat/case, re-ask | Re-ask, reframed | | 3 | 5 | SMS or short email | Pattern interrupt, ask permission | "Worth a look, or wrong time?" | | 4 | 8 | Email | Value-add (spec compare, doc) | Soft CTA, low-commitment | | 5 | 12 | Email | Break-up | "Say the word and I'll close this out" | Methodology: Challenger (Teach → Tailor → Take Control) applied to writing. Touch 1 TEACHES a reframe. Touch 2 TAILORS with a vertical proof point. Touches 3-5 TAKE CONTROL by making the next step obvious and easy. Discovery through the whole cadence, borrow Tim's proven line where natural: "Where do you tend to lose the most time — capture, switching sources, or getting recordings out the door?" --- ## Touch 1: Cold Email (Day 1) Teach a reframe. One diagnostic question. No product name. No product name in the subject line either. ### Higher Ed template > **Subject:** Lecture capture that survives finals week > > Hi [First Name], > > Most [University Name] teams I talk to don't lose lecture capture to budget — > they lose it to reliability. A software encoder on a classroom PC works great > until the one week enrollment doubles and it drops a recording nobody can get > back. > > The programs that stopped firefighting moved capture off the PC entirely, so > an unattended room records the same way every time. > > Where do you tend to lose the most time right now — capture, switching > sources, or getting recordings out the door? > > Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com ### Courts template > **Subject:** When the record fails, who owns it? > > Hi [First Name], > > For a court, a dropped recording isn't an inconvenience — it's a gap in the > official record. Most [Court/County Name] setups I see still run on software > that was never built to record unattended for eight hours straight. > > The clerks who sleep at night moved to dedicated hardware that records the > same way every session, with no PC in the loop to crash mid-hearing. > > How are you handling it today when a recording drops in the middle of a > proceeding? > > Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com ### Government template > **Subject:** [Meeting] recordings without the AV headcount > > Hi [First Name], > > [Agency/City Name] meetings have to be captured and posted whether or not an > AV person is in the room that day. Most teams I talk to are one sick day away > from a missed council recording. > > The move that fixes it: capture that runs unattended and hands you the file > automatically, so coverage doesn't depend on who's on shift. > > What's your fallback today when nobody's available to run the recording? > > Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com ### Healthcare template > **Subject:** Capturing the OR without adding IT load > > Hi [First Name], > > In medical education the hard part isn't recording the procedure — it's doing > it reliably without pulling clinical IT into every session. Most [Hospital/ > System Name] teams I speak with are stitching together software that needs a > babysitter. > > The programs that scaled moved to dedicated capture that runs itself, so > med-ed doesn't compete with clinical systems for attention. > > Where's the friction today — capturing the procedure, switching between > sources, or getting the recording to the learners? > > Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com ### Generic / Corporate AV pattern Fill-in-the-blank: > **Subject:** [Buyer problem, 4-7 words, no product] > > Hi [First Name], > > Most [Company Name] teams I talk to don't lose [outcome] to [obvious > suspect] — they lose it to [real root cause]. [One concrete failure scenario > the buyer will recognize.] > > The teams that stopped [firefighting behavior] moved to [reframed approach, > still no product name]. > > [One diagnostic question — where do they lose the most time?] > > Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com --- ## Touch 2: Follow-Up (Day 3) Add a vertical-specific proof point or stat, then re-ask the Touch 1 question reframed. Reference the original thread lightly; don't apologize for following up. Pattern: > **Subject:** Re: [Touch 1 subject] *(or a fresh 4-7 word problem line)* > > Hi [First Name], > > Quick follow-up with something concrete: [vertical stat or one-line case > reference — e.g. "a [peer org type] moved 40 rooms off classroom PCs and > hasn't lost a recording in two semesters"]. > > Curious how that maps to [Org Name] — [re-ask the diagnostic, reframed: > "is reliability actually the pain, or is it more about getting recordings > distributed after the fact?"]. > > Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com Proof-point bank (swap by vertical): - **Higher Ed:** peer institution moved N rooms off classroom PCs, zero lost recordings across two semesters. - **Courts:** county replaced software recording with dedicated hardware after a dropped-record incident; clean record every session since. - **Government:** city automated council capture; coverage no longer depends on who's on shift. - **Healthcare:** med-ed program scaled OR capture without adding clinical IT tickets. - **Extron SMP angle (any vertical):** "Extron discontinued the SMP line — a lot of teams are quietly asking what happens when support ends. Worth getting ahead of it." --- ## Touch 3: SMS / Short Email (Day 5) Pattern interrupt. Acknowledge the silence, ask permission to continue. If SMS: max 2 sentences, open with the first name. **SMS option:** > [First Name] — Tim from Epiphan here, I sent a couple notes on making [capture/ > recording] bulletproof. Worth a quick look, or is this just the wrong time? **Short-email option:** > **Subject:** Wrong time, or worth a look? > > Hi [First Name], > > No worries if this isn't a priority right now — just want to make sure I'm not > chasing a dead end. > > Is [reliable capture / the recording gap] something on your radar this > quarter, or should I circle back later? > > Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com --- ## Touch 4: Value-Add (Day 8) Give something useful with no strings — a spec comparison, a relevant doc, a one-line differentiator. Soft, low-commitment CTA. > **Subject:** Hardware vs software capture — the short version > > Hi [First Name], > > Regardless of where [Org Name] lands, this is the comparison that usually > settles the debate: > > - **Software (vMix/OBS on a PC):** cheap, flexible, but it's sharing a > machine and an OS that can crash mid-record. Fine when someone's watching > it; risky unattended. > - **Dedicated hardware:** one job, records the same way every time, runs > unattended for hours. Higher up-front cost, far lower "lost recording" cost. > > If it's useful I can send a one-page spec breakdown for your exact room setup — > want me to? > > Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com Value-add bank: spec comparison sheet, Extron SMP EOL migration note, a 90-second reliability explainer, a peer-vertical case one-pager, an Epiphan Connect remote- management overview (only if fleet/multi-room came up). --- ## Touch 5: Break-Up (Day 12) Last reach out. Make it easy to say "not now" — the negative-reply close often gets the response the other four didn't. > **Subject:** Closing the loop > > Hi [First Name], > > I'll stop reaching out after this — the last thing I want to do is clutter > your inbox. > > If reliable capture isn't a priority right now, just say the word and I'll > close this out. And if timing's the only issue, tell me when to check back > and I'll make a note. > > Either way, thanks for the read. > > Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com --- ## Subject Line Patterns Rules: 4-7 words. No ALL CAPS. No "Just checking in." No product name in Touch 1. Lead with the buyer's problem or a question they'd ask themselves. Good: - "Lecture capture that survives finals week" - "When the record fails, who owns it?" - "Recordings without the AV headcount" - "Wrong time, or worth a look?" - "Hardware vs software capture — the short version" - "Closing the loop" Avoid: - "Just checking in" / "Following up" / "Touching base" - "EPIPHAN PEARL MINI — 4K CAPTURE" (caps, product-led) - "Quick question" (empty, overused) - Anything with the product name in Touch 1 --- ## Soft Close Phrases Tentative, permission-based lines for asking to reconnect — open-ended, low-pressure, no pitch. Use one at the end of any touch instead of a hard CTA. Pick the one that fits the tone; don't stack them. - If it's alright with you, I'd love to hear your take on this — maybe we could connect sometime this week. - I don't want to intrude, but if you're open to it, I'd like to swap thoughts on this before too long. - Whenever it's convenient for you, I'd be curious to know how you're thinking about this. - If you're up for it, I'd appreciate the chance to pick your brain on this at some point. - No pressure at all, but I'd value hearing where your head's at on this whenever you have a moment. - If you don't mind me asking, I'd like to understand how you're approaching this — maybe we could find some time soon. - I'd be grateful for your thoughts here, whenever works for you. - If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to learn more about how you see this playing out. - Would you be open to sharing your view sometime? I'd like to follow up when it's convenient. - If you have a few minutes at some point, I'd genuinely like to hear your perspective. - I'm curious how you'd approach this — maybe we could chat whenever your schedule allows. - If you're comfortable with it, I'd like to get a better sense of your thinking, perhaps later this week. - Whenever suits you, I'd welcome the opportunity to hear more about your perspective. - If it works on your end, I'd like to circle back and learn more about how you're seeing things. - I'd love to know your thoughts on this, if you're willing to share — happy to follow up whenever's good for you. --- ## Writing Rules 1. **No product name in Touch 1 subject or body.** Lead with the problem. The product enters only once the prospect has engaged (Touch 4 at the earliest, or a reply). 2. **One question per email. Never two.** If you have two, cut to the sharper one. 3. **Use soft closes, not hard CTAs.** End emails with a phrase from the Soft Close Phrases bank above — tentative, permission-based, no pitch. Never "Book a 30-minute call here" as a first touch. 4. **SMS: max 2 sentences, always start with the first name.** 5. **Subject lines: 4-7 words, no ALL CAPS, no "Just checking in."** 6. **Personalization hook required in Touch 1 and Touch 2** — org name plus a known trigger (budget cycle, new building, accreditation, Extron SMP EOL, a failed recording, a job posting for AV staff). 7. **Every email signs:** `Tim Kipper | Sr. BDR, Epiphan Video | tkipper@epiphan.com` 8. **Send-from is always tkipper@epiphan.com.** Never any other sender. 9. **Teach → Tailor → Take Control.** Touch 1 teaches, Touch 2 tailors, 3-5 take control. 10. **Stop on reply.** The moment a qualifying answer lands, kill the cadence and send the tailored info email or route to the call playbook. 11. **Never just send info.** Earn one qualifying answer first, then the info email. Competitive hooks to weave in (never as the lead): - **Extron SMP is EOL** — "What's your plan when support ends?" - **Matrox exited the encoder market** — abandoned-platform angle. - **vMix/OBS are software** — unreliable for mission-critical unattended recording; Pearl is dedicated hardware built for one job. --- ## When to Use vs Call Playbook Use THIS (email/SMS) when: - No phone number, or dials aren't connecting. - The prospect prefers written contact, or replied by email. - You're running the async legs of a Nooks sequence. - You need to send info AFTER earning a qualifying answer. Use epiphan-call-playbook (phone) when: - You have a good number and a live-dial window. - A prospect replied and is ready to talk — book or run the call. - You need real-time discovery instead of a one-question-per-touch drip. Hand-off: when email earns a reply, pass the context to epiphan-call-playbook so the call opens where the thread left off — never restart discovery from zero. ## Emit Outcome Sidecar After generating a cadence or set of drafts, write an outcome sidecar so the self-improvement framework can track this skill. Write to `~/.claude/skill-analytics/last-outcome-sdr-email-sms-playbook.json` (outside the repo — the PreToolUse observer hook bypasses external paths): ```json { "ts": "", "skill": "sdr-email-sms-playbook", "version": "1.0.0", "variant": "control", "status": "success", "runtime_ms": , "metrics": { "vertical": "", "touches_generated": , "drafts_created": , "channel_mix": "" }, "error": null, "session_id": "" } ``` Set `status` to `"error"` with a short `error` string if the cadence couldn't be built (missing vertical, no personalization hook, etc.). The PostToolUse sweep hook ingests this into `outcomes.jsonl` at next session start.