5.3b · Write the Outreach Message
Module 5 · Lesson 5.3b · [CORE] · From Idea to First Paying Customer
Input: a 50-name list sorted into 4 buckets from Lesson 5.3a
Output: 4 message templates (one per bucket) + one 90-second Loom recording
Progress: M5 · 3b of 7 · Results so far: must-have segment + channel + sorted list
The message most founders write first says “quick chat?” and gets zero replies. The message that works is 5-7 sentences with one specific reference, one line on the problem, and a Loom.
After this lesson you will be able to: write 4 outreach message variants (one per bucket) and record a 90-second Loom that gets replies.
Every message follows the same 4-part structure. What changes by bucket is the opening line:
| Bucket | Opener |
|---|---|
| Champions | “Hey [name], you mentioned [the exact thing they said] back in [month]. Still happening?” |
| Hot | “Hey [name], just saw [a specific thing they posted or shipped recently]. Have a question about [the problem].” |
| Warm | “Hey [name], have not caught up since [the last specific touchpoint]. Working on something I think you might have a take on.” |
| Cold | “Hey [name], a true one-line reference (‘we were both in the Acme batch’).” |
If no real reference exists for a cold-bucket name, move them to Ch 5.5 cold outbound instead.
Part 2: One line on the problem, in their language. Use the verbatim Q3 answers from your Chapter 5.1 survey. “I am building a tool that lets B2B marketers run an end-to-end attribution model without an analyst.”
Part 3: A Loom video, not a paragraph. Record one 90-second Loom. Free tier gives you 25 videos. Show your product in 60 seconds, you on camera for the other 30. The Loom script comes directly from your Ch 5.1 verbatims. Read the Q2-Q3 quotes aloud, then point at the product feature that addresses the pain they describe.
Part 4: A specific ask. “15 minutes to walk you through it and see if it solves [the problem]? Open to a paid pilot if it does. Calendly: [link].” The “paid pilot” teaser is load-bearing. Full mechanic lives in 5.4.
Total length: 5-7 sentences. Anything longer and the recipient skims and forgets.
Write:
- Open the Google Sheet from 5.3a. Write one opener for your #1 champion. Reference the exact thing they complained about.
- Copy the Part 2 line from your Ch 5.1 survey verbatims. Do not rewrite in your own voice.
- Record one 90-second Loom: 60 seconds product, 30 seconds you on camera. Use the Ch 5.1 verbatims as your script.
- Fill in Part 4 with your Calendly link.
- Repeat the opener for your hot, warm, and cold buckets. Parts 2-4 stay the same for all 50.
- ✅ Success check: read the champion message aloud. Does it sound like something you’d actually say to that person? If it sounds like a template, the opener isn’t specific enough.
If this fails: the message still reads generic after 2 rewrites. Why: you’re writing in your marketing voice, not your Ch 5.1 verbatim quotes. Fix: paste the exact Q3 answers from your survey into Part 2. If the words are not theirs, swap until they are.
If this fails: you can’t find a real reference for a cold-bucket name. Why: they should not be in your cold bucket. Fix: move them to Ch 5.5 cold outbound. The playbook there is designed for zero-context outreach.
Read your champion opener aloud to yourself. If you wouldn’t send it to that person right now, rewrite the opener until you would.
Done: 4 message templates written and one 90-second Loom recorded.
You have now: sorted 50-name list (5.3a) + 4 message templates + Loom (5.3b). Time to send.
Next: 5.3c · Send, Track, and Read the Replies - sends your messages in the right order and teaches you to read the replies.
If blocked: see “If this fails” above.
Built by JetThoughts as part of the From Idea to First Paying Customer free curriculum.