Expert outreach

name: expert-outreach description: Craft personalized cold messages that get busy experts, founders, and professionals to reply and share valuable advice or book short calls. Expert Outreach This skill teaches a complete, low-friction system for identifying the right humans, researching them deeply, finding their contact info safely, and sending outreach messages that cut through noise to get responses from busy experts. It matters because talking directly to humans gives you nuanced, up-to-date insights, opportunities, and relationships that public data and AI can't match. When to Use Validating a new business idea or market Researching a topic where you need real-world experience Finding mentors, advisors, or potential collaborators Exploring career moves or job opportunities Sourcing hard-to-find information or introductions Instructions Step 1: Choose High-Value Targets Identify 10-20 specific people who are 1-2 steps ahead of you in the area you care about (founders, operators, specialists). Use LinkedIn, X/Twitter, personal websites, or podcasts. Agent action: Search for relevant people using specific criteria (e.g., "founder of [similar company]" or "ex-[role] at [company]"). Save their name, current role, recent activity, and any publicly visible contact info in a spreadsheet or notes file. Step 2: Deep Research (The Personalization Layer) Spend 5-10 minutes per person reading their recent posts, interviews, or about page. Find 1-2 specific things they care about or have recently done. Agent action: Browse their LinkedIn profile, recent posts, or personal site. Extract 2-3 unique details (recent achievement, opinion they expressed, project they launched). Stop if the profile is private or lacks recent public activity. Step 3: Find Contact Info (with if-then logic) Locate a way to reach them without guessing or scraping. Agent action: First check their personal website / "Contact" page or LinkedIn "Contact Info" section for a public email. If email is found: Use it (preferred for higher response rates). If no email is found: Send via LinkedIn message (if they accept connection requests from people with shared connections or a personalized note). If LinkedIn profile is locked or no connection possible: Use X/Twitter DM only if their account allows messages from non-followers and they have posted publicly about the topic in the last 30 days. If none of the above work: Skip the person and move to the next target. Never use paid tools, guess emails, or third-party email finders. Step 4: Write the Outreach Message Use this proven 4-part structure: Specific hook (reference something unique about them) Brief context about you (1 sentence) Clear, low-friction ask (15-min call or quick reply) Thank you + P.S. with extra personalization Template (email version): Subject: Quick question about [specific thing they did/said] Hi [First Name], I saw your [specific detail - post / launch / comment] about [topic] — really resonated because [1 sentence why it matters to you]. I'm [your quick context - e.g. "building in the same space" or "exploring career transition into X"]. Would you be open to a 15-minute call next week or just replying with your quick take? Totally understand if you're swamped. Thanks, [Your Name] Template (LinkedIn version): Hi [First Name], I saw your [specific detail] about [topic] — really resonated because [why it matters to you]. I'm [your quick context]. Would you be open to a quick 15-min call or reply? Totally understand if busy. Thanks! Agent action: Generate 3 versions of the message (one for each available channel) using the template + research from Step 2. Pick the best one for the channel found in Step 3. Step 5: Send + Follow Up Send only through the channel confirmed in Step 3. Follow up once after 5-7 days if no reply with a gentle nudge referencing the original. Agent action: Track all outreach in a simple table (Name | Channel | Date Sent | Status | Reply?). If no reply after follow-up, mark as "closed" and move on. Rules This skill provides general guidance only and is not legal advice. Always comply with all applicable laws, platform terms of service, and data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA). Never send generic copy-paste messages or more than one follow-up. Do not attempt to bypass privacy settings, scrape emails, or use any automated sending tools. Respect "no" or silence gracefully — do not add people to lists or contact them again. Limit volume to 10-20 messages per week to avoid any appearance of spam. If a platform blocks or warns you, stop immediately and do not retry. Tips Best time to send: Tuesday or Wednesday morning in the recipient’s time zone Messages that reference something very recent (last 1-2 weeks) have much higher response rates Offering to share something useful back (your research, an introduction) dramatically increases replies Track your response rate — aim to improve it over time rather than sending more volume The goal is quality conversations, not quantity of replies If you get a reply, reply within 24 hours and keep the first conversation short and valuable for them