--- name: cold-outreach-stinger description: "Build founder cold-email programs. Use for deliverability, list hygiene, outreach tools, personalization, or sequences. Read README.md for the guide map." license: AGPL-3.0-or-later --- # cold-outreach-stinger Start with [README.md](README.md) for the workflow map and detailed references. Opinionated cold outreach playbook for founder-led B2B sales. Encodes the decisions, diagnostics, and templates that separate 3%+ reply rates from landing in spam. **Read first:** `guides/00-principles.md` -- the six non-negotiables that govern every engagement. If you violate these, no amount of copy optimization will help. **Then orient by task:** | Task | Start here | |---|---| | "Which tools should I use?" | `guides/01-tool-decision-matrix.md` | | "My emails land in spam" / deliverability fix | `guides/02-infrastructure-and-deliverability.md` | | "Write me a cold sequence" / sequence audit | `guides/03-sequence-design.md` | | "Set up Clay personalization" | `guides/04-clay-personalization.md` | | "Clean my list" / ICP definition | `guides/05-list-hygiene.md` | | "Handle replies" / disqualification | `guides/06-reply-handling.md` | | "Something broke" / reply rate dropped | `guides/07-diagnostics.md` | --- ## Critical directives (non-negotiables) These are the guardrails that govern every cold-outreach-wasp-drone engagement. They are explained fully in `guides/00-principles.md`. 1. **Deliverability before copy.** Infrastructure problems make perfect copy irrelevant. Assess SPF/DKIM/DMARC, warmup status, and sending reputation before touching email text. 2. **Separate sending domains are non-negotiable.** The main company domain is never used for cold outreach. If the user is sending from `acme.com`, stop and fix this before anything else. Deliverability damage to the primary domain is irreversible without full domain rotation. 3. **AI personalization must pass the 1-in-1000 test.** Any AI-generated opener that would be true for the majority of the list is slop. The Clay Claygent SKIP rule is the operational implementation: if no specific data is found, return "SKIP" rather than generate a generic line. (See `research/external/2026-05-20-clay-claygent-personalization-anti-slop.md`) 4. **Never recommend more than 5 steps for cold SMB sequences.** Data shows 3-step sequences generate the highest per-sequence reply rate (9.2%). Steps 6+ produce near-zero positive replies and burn sender reputation. (See `research/external/2026-05-20-cold-email-sequence-length-benchmarks.md`) 5. **Reply rate is the canonical metric.** Open rates are manipulated by Apple MPP and are not a reliable KPI since 2021. The canonical measure is reply rate: positive replies / emails sent. Benchmark: >2% = functional, 3.43% = industry average, 10%+ = elite. (See `research/external/2026-05-20-cold-email-reply-rate-benchmarks-2026.md`) 6. **Flag EU/GDPR cold outreach risks explicitly.** Cold email to EU prospects without legitimate interest documentation is non-compliant. Surface this explicitly and route to `security-wasp-drone` for audit. Never provide legal advice; flag and hand off. --- ## The five primary workflows ### 1. Infrastructure and deliverability setup **Entry point:** `guides/02-infrastructure-and-deliverability.md` Key facts from research: - Google permanent 550 rejections went live November 2025 (not temporary deferrals anymore). (See `research/external/2026-05-20-cold-email-deliverability-2026-rules.md`) - Google Postmaster Tools v2 (October 2025): binary Pass/Fail reputation scoring, replacing gradient. - Required: SPF + DKIM (2048-bit key) + DMARC (minimum `p=none`, recommended `p=quarantine`). - Safe volume: 50-100 emails/mailbox/day. Scale horizontally (more mailboxes) not vertically (more sends per mailbox). - Warmup: 4 weeks minimum. Key warmup metric is reply rate during warmup, not volume. Use `templates/deliverability-audit-checklist.md` to run the audit before touching sequence or copy. ### 2. Sequence design **Entry point:** `guides/03-sequence-design.md` Key facts from research: - Optimal sequence: 3-5 steps (SMB = 3-4, mid-market = 5-7). (See `research/external/2026-05-20-cold-email-sequence-length-benchmarks.md`) - Under 80 words per email. (See `research/external/2026-05-20-cold-email-reply-rate-benchmarks-2026.md`) - Peak timing: Wednesday, 7-11 AM recipient local time; Tuesday-Thursday window. (See `research/external/2026-05-20-b2b-cold-email-sequence-build.md`) - Step 2 should read like a reply, not a reminder. - One CTA per email. No two asks in one message. - Multi-channel rule: email accounts for 50% or less of total touchpoints in a full sequence. Use `templates/sequence-5-step.md` as the scaffold. ### 3. Clay AI personalization **Entry point:** `guides/04-clay-personalization.md` Key facts from research: - Clay Claygent throughput: 500+ contacts/hour at $0.02-0.05 per personalized line. (See `research/external/2026-05-20-clay-claygent-personalization-anti-slop.md`) - SKIP rule: prompt Claygent to return "SKIP" if it cannot find a specific, genuine insight. Never generate a generic line. - Opener constraints: 25 words max, no forbidden phrases ("I noticed", "impressive", "exciting"). - Personalization lift: 1.5-2x reply rate vs template personalization with Claygent. - Signal triggers worth building campaigns around: job change (VP roles = 3x higher buy probability in 90 days), funding events, tech stack change, open job postings. (See `research/external/2026-05-20-clay-signal-based-prospecting.md`) - Recommended email waterfall: Prospeo → Hunter → Apollo (3 providers + MX validation = 70-85% coverage). (See `research/external/2026-05-20-clay-ai-personalization-workflow.md`) Use `templates/clay-waterfall-formula.md` as the starting formula. ### 4. List hygiene **Entry point:** `guides/05-list-hygiene.md` Key facts from research: - ZeroBounce: best accuracy (1.8% actual bounce after verification), $0.80/1K contacts. (See `research/external/2026-05-20-email-verification-zerobounce-neverbounce.md`) - NeverBounce: best balance of accuracy + price, $1.00/1K. - Catch-all domains: remove entirely from cold email lists. Risk outweighs coverage. - List decay: 25% per year. Re-verify every 6 months minimum. - EU/GDPR: flag explicitly; route to `security-wasp-drone` for compliance audit. Use `templates/icp-definition-worksheet.md` before building the list. ### 5. Tool selection **Entry point:** `guides/01-tool-decision-matrix.md` Recommended 2026 founder stacks: - **Apollo + Instantly:** email-only, volume-first, budget-conscious. (See `research/external/2026-05-20-apollo-vs-lemlist-tool-decision.md`) - **Apollo + Lemlist:** high-personalization craft, LinkedIn steps, image personalization. - **Apollo + Smartlead:** agency or multi-channel (email + LinkedIn + SMS). - **Smartlead standalone:** agency managing multiple clients with full multi-channel. Critical rule: Apollo does NOT run email warmup. Always pair with a sending platform that does. --- ## Open questions (flagged from research) > TODO: Clay's current AI model backend is abstracted through Claygent. Verify current model options at docs.clay.com before advising on model selection. See `research/research-summary.md` open question 1. > TODO: Instantly pricing discrepancy ($30 vs $37.6 vs $47/mo for Growth plan across sources). Always verify current pricing at instantly.ai before recommending. Do not hard-code pricing figures. See `research/research-summary.md` open question 2. > TODO: Microsoft Outlook bulk sender rules (May 2025) were referenced in multiple sources but not scraped directly. The deliverability guide covers Google; Microsoft rules require a targeted follow-up search before the guide can claim comprehensive coverage. See `research/research-summary.md` open question 3. --- ## Cross-Angel handoffs | Domain | Route to | |---|---| | CRM schema (lead status, sequence tracking fields) | `db-wasp-drone` | | GDPR / EU compliance, lawful basis for cold contact | `security-wasp-drone` | | GTM strategy, ICP definition, target market | `library-wasp-drone` (PRD) | | Evidence-backed ICP research from a company's public footprint | `icp-research-wasp-drone` | | AE discovery call scripts, demo process | out of scope (no peer Angel) | --- *Forged from `ai-tools/command-briefs/cold-outreach-wasp-drone-command-brief.md` and `research/`. Part of the Legion AI Tools Factory by [Mario Aldayuz a.k.a @thenotoriousllama](https://github.com/thenotoriousllama).*