Systems Lab

Agent skill

atl-btl-messaging

Above-the-Line (ATL) and Below-the-Line (BTL) messaging framework for targeting executives vs end-users.

slowingReaches the webInstructions only449 words

Filed under Positioning and messaging.

From Frontal-so/outbound-skills · 73 skills · 4 · pushed 2026-07-14

What it does when it runs

Above-the-Line (ATL) and Below-the-Line (BTL) messaging framework for targeting executives vs end-users. Use when crafting messages for different seniority levels, deciding message length and tone, or adapting outreach to VPs/C-Level vs Managers/ICs.

Read from the skill and the 0 files bundled beside it. A skill’s own description is written to be selected by an agent, so it describes the job and not the dependencies.

Keys and connectors you must supply
None found.
Hosts it reaches
  • frontal.so
Tool permissions it declares
No allowed-tools in the frontmatter. It only issues instructions, so there is nothing to bound.
Actions present in the files
None. Instructions only.

Ask about atl-btl-messaging

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Is this safe to install?ClaudeChatGPT
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Install it

View source on GitHub ↗
git clone --depth 1 --filter=blob:none --sparse https://github.com/Frontal-so/outbound-skills.git /tmp/outbound-skills
git -C /tmp/outbound-skills sparse-checkout set "skills/atl-btl-messaging"
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/atl-btl-messaging
cp -R "/tmp/outbound-skills/skills/atl-btl-messaging/." ~/.claude/skills/atl-btl-messaging/

Picked up without a restart. A project skill of the same name is shadowed by your personal one. For one repository only, swap ~/.claude/skills for .claude/skills. Claude Code docs ↗

The folder is the same in every client that implements the format — 46 of them — so if yours is not above, only the destination changes.

The skill

Source on GitHub ↗

Reproduced in full from Frontal-so/outbound-skills/blob/27cd847be5ce7e9b749b1d672cbfb29935d911db/skills/atl-btl-messaging/SKILL.md, which is licensed MIT (repository). 449 words, 6 headings.

ATL vs BTL Messaging Framework

Above-the-Line (ATL) - VPs, C-Level, Directors

Mindset:

  • Think past and future (strategic)
  • Want validation, not problems solved
  • Care about big picture, not daily operations

What They Care About:

  • Revenue impact
  • Risk reduction
  • Strategic initiatives
  • Competitive positioning
  • Board/investor optics

Message Length: 2-3 sentences only

Language to Use:

  • "Strategic initiative"
  • "Revenue impact"
  • "Competitive advantage"
  • "Board-level priority"
  • "Risk mitigation"

Example ATL Email:

Subject: Q1 revenue efficiency

{{firstName}},

If you could identify revenue leakage 3 months faster, what would that mean for next year's targets?

We helped {{similar_company}}'s CEO do exactly that.

15 minutes to explore?

Fatal ATL Mistake: Talking about operational problems = immediate delegation to subordinate

Below-the-Line (BTL) - Managers, ICs, End-Users

Mindset:

  • Think present (tactical)
  • Want problems solved immediately
  • Care about daily workflow

What They Care About:

  • Daily pain points
  • Time savings
  • Workflow improvements
  • Making their job easier
  • Looking good to their boss

Message Length: 3-4 sentences acceptable

Language to Use:

  • "Stop spending 3 hours every week on..."
  • "Eliminate the manual work of..."
  • "Never deal with {{pain}} again"
  • "Save {{X}} hours per week"

Example BTL Email:

Subject: 3 hours back

Hey {{firstName}},

Stop spending 3 hours every week fighting with Excel.

We helped {{similar_company}}'s ops team cut their reporting time by 70%.

Want to see how?

Fatal BTL Mistake: Talking about ROI and strategic impact = doesn't resonate, too abstract

Decision Framework: Who to Target

Target ATL (Executives) When:

  • Deal size > $50K ACV
  • Strategic/transformation purchase
  • Requires budget approval from top
  • Long sales cycle acceptable

Target BTL (End-Users) When:

  • Product-led growth motion
  • User adoption drives expansion
  • Bottom-up sale
  • Need internal champion first

Multi-Thread (Both) When:

  • Complex enterprise sale
  • Multiple stakeholders
  • Both budget holder and user buy-in needed

Combines with

SkillWhy
cold-email-4-sequenceAdjust sequence length for ATL vs BTL
sdr-outbound-rulesApply word count rules by seniority
outbound-triggers-6CXO Passdown for ATL targeting
personalization-6-bucketsChoose bucket by seniority level

Example prompts

Rewrite this email for a CFO (ATL) instead of a Finance Manager (BTL).

Create an ATL email about cost reduction for a VP Operations at a logistics company.

I have a BTL champion - write a BTL email I can ask them to forward to their VP.

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Other skills for the same job

Different authors, same problem. Matched on the words in the skill name, across every library in the catalogue except this one.

Need help setting it up?

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