cold-email-personalization
Installation
SKILL.md
Cold Email Personalization
Personalization is the difference between an email that earns a reply and one that gets deleted. But personalization doesn't mean "insert {first_name} and {company}." Merge tags are not personalization. Personalization is referencing something specific about the recipient that proves the email was written for them, not batch-sent to 500 people.
The principle: personalization should answer one question for the recipient: "Why me, why now?" If the personalized element doesn't answer that question, it's decoration, not personalization. A compliment about their LinkedIn banner photo is decoration. A reference to the RevOps hire they posted last week is personalization.
The Personalization Spectrum
| Level | What it is | Example | Reply rate impact | Time per email |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0. None | Same email to everyone. Name and company merge tags only | "Hi {first_name}, I work at..." | Baseline (3-5%) | < 1 min |
| 1. Segment | Same template per segment. One variable changes per batch | "Most Series B SaaS teams..." (all Series B prospects get this) | 1.2x baseline | < 1 min |
| 2. Token | Template + 1 prospect-specific data point inserted | "Saw you posted for a RevOps lead..." (hiring signal) | 1.5-2x baseline | 2-3 min |
| 3. Custom line | Template + 1-2 hand-written sentences specific to the prospect | "Your post about attribution was spot-on. The gap you described..." | 2-3x baseline | 5-8 min |
| 4. Fully custom | Entire email written for this one person | No template. Every sentence references their specific situation | 3-5x baseline | 10-15 min |