--- slug: "coldoutboundskills" source_type: "readme" source_url: "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/growthenginenowoslawski/coldoutboundskills@main/README.md" repo: "https://github.com/growthenginenowoslawski/coldoutboundskills" source_file: "README.md" branch: "main" --- # Cold Outbound Skills Open-source [Claude Code skills](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills) for cold email infrastructure, lead sourcing, copywriting, and operations. Built by [GrowthEngineX](https://growthengine-x.com) from patterns across 1,000+ real B2B campaigns. 28 skills that work together. Clone the repo, bring your API keys, point Claude Code at it, go from zero to a running campaign. **New here?** Invoke `/cold-email-kickoff` — it's the guided entry point that orchestrates ICP + lead magnet + strategy + plan in one flow. ## What's in here 29 skills organized in 5 tracks. **New to cold email? Start with `/cold-email-kickoff`.** It orchestrates ICP → lead magnet → campaign strategy → plan in one guided flow. ### Track 1 — Strategy (before you send anything) - **`cold-email-kickoff`** — single "start here" orchestrator (recommended entry point) - **`icp-onboarding`** — conversational intake that produces a `client-profile.yaml` (scrapes website first) - **`lead-magnet-brainstorm`** — figure out what to offer for free in your cold emails - **`campaign-strategy`** — generates 15-25 campaign ideas with AI strategies + value props - **`campaign-copywriting`** — stepwise copy writer (direction → subject → body → final YAML) ### Track 2 — Infrastructure - **`zapmail-domain-setup-public`** — buy `.com`/`.co` domains on Dynadot, provision inboxes on Zapmail - **`smartlead-inbox-manager`** — warmup settings, signatures (name/title/company/address), active/insurance tagging - **`email-deliverability-audit`** — diagnostic tool (SPF/DKIM/DMARC, spam placement, 1% rule) - **`deliverability-incident-response`** — triage playbook for spam, bounces, blacklists, warmup blocks ### Track 3 — List Building - **`prospeo-full-export`** — title-first lead search (paginated, 25K+) - **`prospeo-search-api`** — Prospeo filter reference - **`blitz-list-builder`** — domain-first contact discovery - **`google-maps-list-builder`** — scrape Google Maps for local SMB lists - **`disco-like`** — lookalike company discovery (seed domains or NL ICP text) - **`competitor-engagers`** — find people engaging with competitor LinkedIn posts - **`icp-prompt-builder`** — required qualification step invoked by every list-building skill - **`list-quality-scorecard`** — grade a lead CSV across 8 dimensions before uploading ### Track 4 — Copy & Send - **`cold-email-starter-kit`** — the 14-step end-to-end tutorial (alternative to `/cold-email-kickoff`) - **`spam-word-checker`** — scan copy for deliverability-killing phrases - **`smartlead-spintax`** — add spintax variations to emails - **`smartlead-api`** — Smartlead API reference - **`smartlead-campaign-upload-public`** — DRAFT-upload leads.csv + variants.yaml to Smartlead (always DRAFT, you hit Start manually) ### Track 5 — Iterate & Automate - **`positive-reply-scoring`** — the metric that matters (positive replies / total sent) - **`experiment-design`** — single-variable experiment framework - **`auto-research-public`** — autonomous campaign launcher (scrape → ICP → leads → personalize → upload) - **`personalization-subagent-pattern`** — reusable pattern for per-lead Claude sub-agent personalization - **`deliverability-test-public`** — compare reply/bounce by inbox type - **`cold-email-weekly-rhythm`** — Monday/Wednesday/Friday operational playbook — what separates hobbyist from top-1% ## Getting started ### 1. Install Claude Code This repo is designed for Claude Code. Install from https://claude.com/claude-code. ### 2. Clone and configure ```bash git clone ~/cold-email-ai-skills cd ~/cold-email-ai-skills cp .env.example .env # Edit .env with your API keys (you don't need all of them — only the skills you'll use) ``` ### 3. Install dependencies ```bash npm install -g tsx cd skills/cold-email-starter-kit npm install ``` ### 4. Verify credentials ```bash npx tsx skills/cold-email-starter-kit/scripts/verify-credentials.ts ``` ### 5. Start with the kickoff orchestrator If you've never run cold email before, invoke the kickoff skill from Claude Code: ``` /cold-email-kickoff ``` It asks whether you have infrastructure already, then orchestrates ICP + lead magnet + campaign strategy + plan in a single guided flow. Produces a `campaign-plan.md` and hands you off to the right next skill based on your current state. Alternative: `/cold-email-starter-kit` — the longer manual 14-step tutorial. Use this if you want to learn each piece deeply rather than move fast. ## API keys required (bring your own) | Service | Env var | What it's for | Skills that use it | |---|---|---|---| | Smartlead | `SMARTLEAD_API_KEY` | Send emails, manage inboxes | inbox-manager, starter-kit, auto-research, audit, scoring | | Prospeo | `PROSPEO_API_KEY` | List building (title-first) | prospeo-*, auto-research | | Dynadot | `DYNADOT_API_KEY` | Buy domains | zapmail-setup | | Zapmail | `ZAPMAIL_API_KEY` | Create inboxes | zapmail-setup | | MillionVerifier | `MILLIONVERIFIER_API_KEY` | Validate emails before sending | waterfall, auto-research | | Blitz | `BLITZ_API_KEY` | Domain-to-contacts lookup | blitz-list-builder | | RapidAPI | `RAPIDAPI_KEY` | Google Maps scraping, LinkedIn data | google-maps-*, competitor-engagers | | Instantly | `INSTANTLY_API_KEY` | Alternative sending platform | starter-kit (09) | | OpenWebNinja | `OPENWEBNINJA_KEY` | Company news enrichment | starter-kit (07) | | OpenRouter | `OPENROUTER_API_KEY` | AI company analysis enrichment | starter-kit (07), competitor-engagers | The minimum viable setup for your first campaign is: **Dynadot + Zapmail + Prospeo + Smartlead**. Start there, add more as you need them. ## Recommended path **If you've never run cold email:** 1. `/cold-email-kickoff` — one guided flow: ICP → lead magnet → strategy → plan → next-skill menu 2. Follow the menu's recommended next skill (infra setup OR list building, depending on your current state) 3. After campaign launch, wait 21 days, then `/positive-reply-scoring` 4. Add `/cold-email-weekly-rhythm` to your calendar for ongoing ops **If you have experience but no automation:** 1. `/icp-onboarding` — lock down your ICP 2. `/smartlead-inbox-manager` — configure your existing inboxes properly 3. `/email-deliverability-audit` — fix any domain/inbox issues before scaling 4. `/auto-research-public` — daily automated campaign launches **If you're debugging a broken campaign:** 1. `/email-deliverability-audit` — find the infrastructure issue 2. `/positive-reply-scoring` — see if replies are positive or hostile 3. `/deliverability-test-public` — compare across inbox types 4. `/spam-word-checker` — scan copy for banned phrases ## Directory layout ``` cold-email-ai-skills/ README.md # this file .env.example # template for your API keys skills/ / SKILL.md # the skill definition (required) scripts/ # runnable code references/ # deeper docs profiles/ # YOUR client profiles + experiment logs (gitignored) / client-profile.yaml experiments/ scores/ ``` ## Cost expectations First campaign (2,000 leads, 20 domains, 40 inboxes): - Domains: ~$240 one-time (20 × ~$12 .com). Fall back to .co (~$8-30) if .com is taken. - Zapmail: ~$60/mo for 40 inboxes - Prospeo: ~$20 for 2,000-lead export - Smartlead: ~$39/mo starter plan - MillionVerifier: ~$5 for 2,000 validations - **Month 1 total: ~$360. Recurring: ~$130/mo.** See `skills/cold-email-starter-kit/references/00-getting-started.md` for full breakdown. ## A note on ethics Cold email is legal when done right, but it's a privilege. Don't spam. Don't email consumers. Honor unsubscribes instantly. Include a real physical address. Be the kind of sender you'd want to receive email from. The best cold emails are the ones the recipient is glad they got. ## Contributing This repo is a collection of patterns refined over thousands of real campaigns. Improvements welcome — PRs should include: - Real-world test results (not theoretical changes) - Generalizable insight (not hyper-specific to one industry) - Keep beginner-friendliness as the north star ## License MIT — use it, fork it, profit from it. Attribution appreciated but not required.