Write cold email subject lines that look human
Use after you have a campaign brief. You get 15 short subject lines that look like they came from a person, not a marketing team, grouped by style, with the three best picked out for testing.
Free AI prompt · ChatGPT · Claude · Gemini
FreeBest in ChatGPT
FreeBest in Claude
In pack2 stepsBest in Claude
In packBest in ChatGPT
Define the buyer and offer before you write a word
Most cold email fails before it is written: the list is too broad or the offer too vague. This prompt pressure-tests who you are emailing and what you are offering, and gives you a one-paragraph brief for every other prompt in the pack.
What you'll fill in
- [what you sell] Your product or service in plain words e.g. “Done-for-you monthly bookkeeping for small firms”
- [best customers] Describe 2-3 of your best existing customers and why they bought e.g. “A 12-person architecture firm that was behind on books before a bank loan”
- [target guess] Who you think you should email e.g. “Owners of professional services firms with 5-30 staff”
- [proof you have] Real proof you can mention: results, clients, credentials (only what is true) e.g. “8 years in business, QuickBooks ProAdvisor, clients in architecture and law”
Copy the prompt
The prompt
You are a B2B outbound strategist. Your job is to make sure a cold email campaign targets a narrow, reachable group with an offer that is easy to say yes to. Be direct and challenge me where I am vague. What I sell: [what you sell] My best customers and why they bought: [best customers] Who I think I should email: [target guess] Proof I can honestly mention: [proof you have] Work through this: 1. Narrow the target. Propose the single most promising segment for a first campaign: industry, company size, role of the person to email, and a trigger event that makes them more likely to need me now (for example hiring, funding, a new location, a deadline). Explain why in 2-3 sentences, based on my best customers. 2. The pain in their words. List 3 problems this person likely has, phrased the way they would say it to a peer, not in marketing language. 3. The offer. Most first emails should ask for something small. Suggest 3 low-friction offers (for example a short audit, a checklist, a 15-minute call with a specific agenda) and recommend one. 4. Proof. Pick the one or two proof points from my list that matter most to this segment. Do not invent any. 5. Red flags. Tell me honestly if the segment looks too broad, too hard to reach, or if my offer is unclear. Finish with a "campaign brief" of max 80 words that I can paste into later prompts: segment, trigger, main pain, offer, proof.
How to use it
- Open a new chat in Claude (the others work too).
- Paste the prompt and replace every [bracket] with your details.
- Review the output, check any facts, and edit to taste.
Why Claude: Claude is good at pushing back on vague answers; ChatGPT and Gemini work if you explicitly ask them to challenge you.
Tips
- If you cannot name 50 real companies that fit the segment, it is too narrow for a test; if you could name 50,000, it is too broad.
- Keep the campaign brief at the top of your notes; every later prompt in this pack asks for it.
- Check the rules for cold email where you and your recipients are (for example CAN-SPAM in the US, GDPR/PECR in the UK and EU) before sending.
Example output
1. Target
Owners or managing partners of architecture and engineering firms with 8-30 staff in the US, who have posted a job opening in the last 60 days. Your best customers are in this world, and hiring is a moment when messy books start to hurt: payroll grows and banks ask for clean financials.
2. Pain in their words
- "I'm doing the books at 10 p.m. on Sundays."
- "Our accountant only shows up at tax time and then it's a fire drill."
- "I don't actually know which projects make money."
3. Offer options
- A free 20-minute "books health check" with a written one-page summary.
- A checklist: "What your bank will ask for before a line of credit."
- A 15-minute call to review project profitability.
Recommended: the health check. It's specific, low-risk and shows your expertise.
4. Proof
"QuickBooks ProAdvisor" plus "clients in architecture". Skip "8 years" in the first email; it's less relevant than industry fit.
5. Red flags
"Professional services, 5-30 staff" was too broad. The hiring trigger makes this much stronger.
Campaign brief
Segment: owners of 8-30 person architecture/engineering firms (US) hiring now. Trigger: recent job post. Pain: books done late at night, no view of project profitability, scramble at tax time. Offer: free 20-minute books health check with written summary. Proof: QuickBooks ProAdvisor, existing architecture clients.
FAQ
Does this prompt work in ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini?
Yes. It is plain-language and written to work in all three. Best fit: Claude. Claude is good at pushing back on vague answers; ChatGPT and Gemini work if you explicitly ask them to challenge you.
What do I need to fill in?
Replace each bracket with your own details: [what you sell], [best customers], [target guess], [proof you have]. The more specific your input, the more useful the result.
Is this prompt free?
Yes. Copy it above and use it as often as you like. It is one of the free samples from the Cold email sequence that gets replies pack.
Will I get the same result as the example?
No. The example was made for a fictional business to show the shape and quality of the output. Your result depends on your input and the model, so review and edit before you use it.
Do I need a paid AI plan?
Usually not. Free plans handle most prompts. Paid plans help when you paste in long documents or run a long multi-step sequence in one chat.
More prompts in Cold email sequence that gets replies
Write the first cold email, in three versions
Use to write the email that opens the sequence. You get three short versions with different angles, each under 120 words, plus a self-critique so you can choose with confidence.
Write four follow-ups that add something each time
Many replies come after the first email, but "just bumping this" adds nothing. This sequence writes four follow-ups, each with a new angle, plus timing, so the whole sequence feels like a helpful person rather than a robot.
Turn prospect research into personal first lines
Use when you have a list of prospects and some notes on each (from their website, LinkedIn, or news). It turns your notes into one honest, specific opening line per prospect that connects to your offer.