What writing manual outreach taught me

‍

My wrists hurt, but I learned a lot! Here’s what really makes a message stand out:

‍

✅ Personalization isn’t just for the first sentence.

The whole message should flow naturally—tying the value prop, CTA, and even the case study to what matters most to them.

‍

✅ Sounding human means writing like you talk.

Abbreviations, hyphens, smiley faces, even an exclamation mark when it feels right – it all makes a difference! :)

‍

✅ More research doesn’t mean more words.

Knowing their title is useful, but saying, “Since you’re the VP of Sales at X…” is unnecessary. Let the message show you understand, rather than telling them you do.

‍

✅ Use data closest to the lead.

Name-dropping someone THEY know > listing random people at their org. Talking about the hires THEY’RE making > mentioning general company hiring trends.

‍

✅ Speak their language

‍If they call their team “BDRs,” I’m not calling them “SDRs.” It’s a small change that makes a huge difference.

‍

After 800+ messages, one thing is clear: personalized, natural-sounding outreach works.