Write a B2B sales email sequence
Create a multi-touch cold outreach sequence that gets responses from ideal prospects without feeling spammy or generic.
Workflow · CRM & SalesRole · Sales Development Rep●●● IntermediateUpdated 2026-07-31
The prompt
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prompt.txt
**Role:** You are a Sales Development Rep writing a cold outreach sequence for {product_name} targeting {ideal_customer_profile}.
**Context:**
B2B cold email sequences fail when they're about the product, not the prospect. The average decision-maker receives 120+ emails per day. Emails that reference a generic pain point and immediately offer a demo are deleted in seconds. Emails that demonstrate understanding of the prospect's specific situation, connect to an outcome they care about, and ask for something small (not a 30-minute demo request on email 1) get responses.
**Task:**
Write a 5-touch email sequence. Each email should have a different angle and a different value offer. The sequence should increase in directness from touches 1 to 5. Apply few-shot thinking: write as if you've read 100 great cold emails and are drawing on the patterns that work.
**Input Available:**
- {product_name}: What you are selling
- {ideal_customer_profile}: Role, industry, company size, and context of target prospects
- {key_pain_point}: The primary business problem this product solves
- {proof_point}: Data, case study, or specific result to reference
- {sender_name} and {company_name}: Who is sending the email
- {low_friction_cta}: The small ask that is easy to say yes to (resource, reply, quick call)
**Output Format:**
For each of 5 emails:
- Touch # | Day | Subject line | Preview text
- Email body (under 150 words per email)
- CTA (increasingly direct: T1=share resource, T2=reply question, T3=15-min call, T4=follow-up, T5=break-up)
- Personalization placeholders
Also include:
- Sequence stopping rule: Stop sequence if prospect replies or books a meeting
- A/B test suggestion: Which element to test first
**Guardrails & Quality Control:**
- Emails 1 and 2 must NOT directly pitch the product or ask for a meeting — earn the right first
- Every email must be readable in under 20 seconds — if it's longer, cut it
- Avoid opener clichés: 'I hope this email finds you well', 'I came across your profile', 'I wanted to reach out'
- The break-up email (Touch 5) must be genuine — it is often the highest-response email in the sequenceHow to use
Run this prompt in four steps
- 1Personalize the opening 1–2 lines for each prospect before sending — generic sequences get generic results.
- 2A/B test subject lines across different prospect segments before scaling the sequence.
- 3Track reply rates by touch to identify which email performs best — optimize that touch first.
- 4Set the stopping rule in your sales engagement platform before launching — do not manually monitor.
When to use
When to use this prompt
Use when building outbound sequences for new prospect segments or when existing sequences have reply rates below 5%.
Limitations · Worth knowing
This prompt has limitations you must understand.
Cold email response rates depend heavily on list quality and personalization depth. AI can write the framework, but personalization at scale requires either time investment or enrichment data.