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Value First Cold Email

This Skill generates personalized B2B cold emails based on real-time signals for your prospect list.

Maja Voje
Maja Voje

Founder at Growth Lab

About this Skill

When to use it

Use this Skill when you need to write effective cold emails that stand out. If your outreach lacks personalization or fails to engage prospects, this tool can help. It leverages real signals like new roles or company news to craft compelling first lines. Avoid using it for sourcing prospect lists or sending emails directly.

What it delivers

The Skill produces a Prospect ledger, a Touch 1 draft, a Follow-up stack, and a Run summary. It unlocks the decision to engage prospects with tailored messaging based on verified signals. The boundaries include ensuring that all signals are checked and relevant to the campaign brief.

SKILL.md preview

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How someone would prompt this

Write cold emails for these 126 leads. We sell a sales-enablement platform; personas are

Inputs & outputs

What someone provides before the Skill runs, and the reviewable artifacts it returns.

Inputs

  • 01Prospect list
    • Provide a CSV, table, or pasted list with first name, job title, company domain
    • missing this means no drafts can be created.
  • 02Campaign brief
    • Answer five specific questions about persona, problem, value to give, proof point, and why-now triggers
    • if incomplete, the process stops.
  • 03Relationship
    • Specify if the relationship is cold, warm, or referred
    • if not provided, the Skill will ask for clarification.
  • 04Signal checks
    • Indicate which checks to run: new in role, hiring, funding, or company news
    • if not specified, the process cannot proceed.
  • 05Signal window
    • Define how many days old a signal can be
    • if not set, the default is 30 days.
  • 06No-signal rule
    • Specify what to do if no signals pass
    • if not provided, the Skill will ask for this information.
  • 07Credit cap
    • Set a limit on how many credits can be spent during the run
    • if not specified, the process will stop.
  • 08Sender and voice
    • Provide details on who sends the emails and the desired tone
    • if missing, defaults will be used.
  • 09Sequence shape
    • Indicate the number of touches and their timing
    • if not specified, the default of 4 touches will be used.
  • 10First-touch length
    • Specify a word range for the first touch
    • if not provided, the default of 50 to 90 words will apply.
  • 11Drafts file
    • Provide a folder and file name for drafts
    • if not specified, drafts will be delivered in the conversation only.

Outputs

  • 01Prospect ledgerContains a detailed table of prospects, including verdicts and signals for review.
  • 02Touch 1 draftIncludes the first email draft tailored for each prospect based on their signals.
  • 03Follow-up stack: product marketing, hiring signalA structured table of follow-up emails designed for different personas and signals.
  • 04Run summaryProvides a summary of the run, including counts and outcomes for the prospects checked.

Representative output

Prospect ledger

ProspectCompanyPersonaVerdictSignalEvidenceSignal dateCredits
Dana Reyesnorthwind.exampleEnablement leadsignal-verifiednew in rolestarted as Head of Sales Enablement at Northwind2026-08-251
Omar Haddadcontoso.exampleProduct marketingsignal-verifiedhiring: sales3 account executive postings for a new EMEA team2026-08-283.5
Priya Nairfabrikam.exampleL&D directoridentity-mismatch-funding result was for fabrikam-homes.example, a different company-9.9
Leo Brandttailspin.exampleEnablement leadno-signal (cold, held)-no role change, sales hiring or round inside 30 days-9.9

Touch 1 draft

To
Omar Haddad, Contoso ·
Subject
new emea reps · (variants: emea ramp · three new aes)
Omar, saw Contoso is hiring three AEs for a new EMEA team. New reps in a new region tend to learn the pitch from whatever deck they find first, and the positioning drifts inside a quarter. A pattern we see in teams at this stage: the ones who hold the line hand new reps a one-page message map with three buyer quotes per region, and cut the rest. Want me to send over the template? Sam

*Signal: 3 EMEA AE postings, checked, 2026-08-28. Pain: messaging drift, brief block 3. Value: insight from brief block 4. Ask: offer to send a resource.*

Follow-up stack: product marketing, hiring signal

TouchDayAngleValueAsk
24proofhow a comparable team cut new-rep ramp from 9 weeks to 5, from the brief"Is ramp time on your list this half?"
38a different pain: win-loss driftthe message-map template, attached as plain text"Want me to send the filled example too?"
413break-upthe one question new EMEA reps get wrong most"Wrong person for this?"

Run summary

120 prospects · 14 off-brief · 61 signal-verified · 5 warm drafted without a why-now · 31 cold held for no signal · 6 identity-mismatch · 3 not-checked (no company domain) · 356.9 credits declared against a 600 cap · balance moved 362.3, and other people may have spent in this workspace.

How the Skill runs

Follow the steps in order. Each row includes the full instruction.

01
Check Clay works, and say where the work runs

This step checks that Clay is functioning and informs where the work will run, ensuring clarity on costs.

Step
02
Collect the brief and the list (interview; do not guess)

Collect the campaign brief and prospect list through an interview process, ensuring all necessary details are captured.

Step
03
Map the stack before writing any copy

Map the email sequence before writing, ensuring coherence in the cadence and value offered in each touch.

Step
04
Free checks before anything paid

Run free checks to normalize and deduplicate the prospect list before any paid checks are executed.

Step
05
One gate: the batch, the ceiling, the cap, the ask

Present the batch details, including what was removed and the cost estimates, before proceeding with the run. The run stops and waits for spend approval before continuing.

Step
06
Look up signals, cheapest first, and stop at the first one that passes

Look up signals for each prospect, starting with the cheapest checks and stopping at the first valid signal.

Agent
07
Write touch 1 for the batch, and show it

Write the first touch email drafts for the batch, ensuring they align with the collected brief and signals. The run stops for sample review before continuing.

Action
08
Run the rest, write the stacks, deliver

Finalize the run by applying corrections, writing follow-ups, and delivering all outputs while clarifying that nothing was sent.

Action

Connections required

Clay CLI / agent pluginRequired connection

Install Clay and run it

Sign in once, install the Skill, then run the prompt.

  1. 1Install ClayUse the connector or official plugin in your coding-agent environment.
  2. 2Sign up or log inAuthorize Clay access and return when the connection is ready.
  3. 3Install the SkillRun the one-line install command from the Add this Skill card.
  4. 4Run the SkillPaste the example prompt and review the result.

Version history

Version 2From submitted SKILL.mdCurrent

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