Networking Outreach

Networking Outreach

Workspace Context

Read bootstrap context before asking questions: strategy/brand.md for brand, audience, offer, channels, tools, constraints, and metrics; about/me.md for personal voice; content/ideas.md and content/calendar.md for content planning. Use legacy product-marketing context files only as fallback. Save generated drafts to content/<platform>/drafts/YYYY-MM-DD_short-topic-slug.md, and route durable learnings back to strategy/brand.md, about/me.md, or content/ideas.md.

Operating Contract

This skill is self-contained for its frontmatter scope: use its local instructions, references, scripts, and assets as the playbook; ask only for missing task-specific inputs; hand off to adjacent skills instead of expanding scope; and return an actionable artifact, decision, plan, draft, or diagnostic.

Relationship-first outreach built on research and value. The goal is to start a conversation by giving something, not asking for something.

Quick Start

Mode 1 — Identify targets:

1. Tell me your networking purpose (e.g. "break into AI safety", "find hiring managers at fintech startups")
2. I'll build a target persona matrix and suggest 5–10 specific people to reach

Mode 2 — Draft outreach for a specific person (cold networking):

1. Share their LinkedIn URL (or screenshot if profile is private)
2. I'll research them + their company via the web
3. We'll pick the best value-add angle together
4. I'll draft: email (≤200 words) + LinkedIn connection request (≤300 chars)

Mode 3 — Hiring manager follow-up:

1. Share their LinkedIn URL + the role you applied for
2. Tell me any referral context and your core proof points
3. I'll draft a personal follow-up email that leads with a specific reference to their work, states your value clearly, and ends with a soft CTA

Mode 1: Identify Targets

Intake Questions

Before generating targets, establish:

Target Persona Matrix

Target Prioritization

Rank targets by:

1. Warm path — mutual connection, shared community, same alumni network
2. Content match — they've written or spoken about your exact interest
3. Accessibility — they respond publicly, actively post, have open DMs
4. Seniority fit — close enough to relate, senior enough to open doors

Output Format

For each target:

• Name + LinkedIn URL
• Why they're relevant
• Best angle to approach
• LinkedIn search query to find similar people

Mode 2: Research & Draft Cold Outreach

Step 1: Pull Their LinkedIn Profile

Use whatever browsing or screenshot tools are available in the host environment to read the full profile. If direct LinkedIn access is unavailable, ask the user for profile text or screenshots instead of inventing details.

Extraction steps:

1. Navigate to the LinkedIn URL
2. Screenshot or get_page_text the full profile
3. Note: headline, current role, recent posts, skills, education, shared connections

Step 2: Web Research

Search for additional context beyond LinkedIn:

• [Name] [Company] interview OR podcast OR talk
• [Company] goals challenges [current year]
• [Name] article OR newsletter OR writing
• [Company] funding hiring news

Capture:

• What they've said publicly (opinions, priorities)
• Their company's current focus (fundraise, launch, hiring push)
• Anything they're building or working toward

Step 3: Brainstorm Value-Add Angles

Generate 5–10 ideas. Every angle must answer: "What's in it for them?"

Step 4: Draft Two Formats

Cold Email (max 200 words)

Structure:

Subject: [2–4 words, lowercase, looks internal — not a pitch]

[Specific hook — one observation about them, their work, or their company]

[One sentence connecting it to why you're reaching out]

[Your value offer — what you're giving, not asking for]

[Soft CTA — "Worth a look?" / "Thought you'd find this useful" / "Happy to share more if helpful"]

[Name]

Rules:

• No "hope this finds you well"
• No "I'm reaching out because"
• "You/your" outnumbers "I/me" 2:1
• One ask max — low-friction (share, reply, yes/no)
• Never ask for a referral or coffee chat in the first message