cold-email-kickoff

Cold Email Kickoff

The single entry point for a fresh user. Replaces "stare at 29 skills and guess which to run first."

When to use

• First-time cold email operator on this repo
• New client/business being onboarded (fresh profiles/<slug>/ directory)
• Experienced operator starting a new campaign for a new business
• Anyone who asks "where do I start?"

What this skill produces

• A populated profiles/<business-slug>/client-profile.yaml (from /icp-onboarding)
• A profiles/<business-slug>/lead-magnets.md with the chosen free offer
• A profiles/<business-slug>/campaign-strategy.md with 15-25 campaign ideas
• A consolidated profiles/<business-slug>/campaign-plan.md — a single-page summary you can show stakeholders
• An interactive menu pointing at the right next skill based on your infrastructure status

Flow

Step 1 (asked FIRST): Infrastructure status

Before touching any business context, ask:

1. "Do you already have sending domains + inboxes set up on Smartlead?" (yes / no / not sure)
2. "At least 20 inboxes that have been warming for 2+ weeks?" (yes / no)
3. "Do you have API keys for Smartlead + Prospeo + MillionVerifier in your .env?" (yes / partial / no)

These answers determine the next-step menu at Step 6. Save them as infrastructure_status in the profile.

Step 2: Load or create the business profile

Check for profiles/<business-slug>/client-profile.yaml:

• Exists → load it. Ask: "Use this existing profile (answer: use) or start fresh (answer: new)?"
• Doesn't exist → invoke /icp-onboarding. This scrapes the user's website first, then interviews them. Produces the profile.

Step 3: Ensure lead magnet is chosen

Check the loaded/created profile for a lead_magnet field:

• Empty → invoke /lead-magnet-brainstorm. It asks 4 intake questions, scores 10 magnet archetypes, picks a top 2-3, updates the profile.
• Already set → confirm with the user: "Using <chosen magnet> as your free offer. OK?" — if they want to change it, re-invoke /lead-magnet-brainstorm.

Step 4: Generate campaign strategy

Invoke /campaign-strategy. It takes the profile + website + any case studies it can scrape and produces 15-25 campaign ideas ranging from broad to niche, with AI personalization + value-prop + campaign-overview per idea.

Saved to profiles/<slug>/campaign-strategy.md.

Step 5: Synthesize campaign-plan.md

Pull from all three artifacts above. Write profiles/<slug>/campaign-plan.md:

# Campaign Plan — <business name>
Generated: YYYY-MM-DD

## Business
<one-liner from profile>
Website: <url>

## ICP
- Titles: <titles>
- Industries: <industries>
- Headcount: X-Y
- Geography: <countries/states>
- Hard filters: <list>
- Excluded industries: <list>

## Offer & Lead Magnet
- Primary CTA: <cta>
- Free hook: <lead magnet name>
- Delivery: <how you deliver it>

## Top 3 Recommended Campaigns (from /campaign-strategy)
1. **<name>** — <one-line why + value prop>
2. **<name>** — <one-line why + value prop>
3. **<name>** — <one-line why + value prop>

Full strategy in: profiles/<slug>/campaign-strategy.md

## Infrastructure Readiness
Based on your Step 1 answers:
- [ ] SMARTLEAD_API_KEY in .env: <yes/no>
- [ ] PROSPEO_API_KEY in .env: <yes/no>
- [ ] MILLIONVERIFIER_API_KEY in .env: <yes/no>
- [ ] Domains purchased: <yes/no>
- [ ] Inboxes warmed 2+ weeks: <yes/no>

## Next Steps
<branched — see Step 6 below>

Step 6: Interactive next-skill menu

Branch on Step 1 answers.

If NO infrastructure (or "not sure"):

Your next step is provisioning domains + inboxes. This takes ~2 weeks (because inboxes need
to warm). Menu:

[A] Start the domain + inbox setup NOW  → /zapmail-domain-setup-public then /smartlead-inbox-manager
[B] Save the plan and come back after I have infra
[C] I want to build my list FIRST (warning: risky — without warmed inboxes, you can't send safely)

Pick A / B / C:

If A: orient the user, then invoke /zapmail-domain-setup-public. After that skill completes, invoke /smartlead-inbox-manager for config. Remind the user to wait 2 weeks for warmup before launching.

If INFRASTRUCTURE READY (warmed inboxes + API keys present):

Look at the ICP type in the profile and recommend a list-building skill:

Your infra is ready. Time to build your list. Based on your ICP (<summary>), the best fit is:

[A] /prospeo-full-export       → title-first search (best for: VP/Director/Head roles in specific industries)
[B] /disco-like                → lookalike discovery (best for: "more companies like <seed domains>")
[C] /google-maps-list-builder  → local SMBs (best for: restaurants, clinics, contractors, etc.)
[D] /blitz-list-builder        → domain-first (best for: named-account ABM, specific company list)
[E] /competitor-engagers       → LinkedIn engagement (best for: people actively engaged with competitors)

Recommendation: <one of A-E based on ICP>. Pick A / B / C / D / E:

Invoke the picked skill. After it completes, remind user: /icp-prompt-builder runs inside that skill (required step), then /list-quality-scorecard, then /campaign-copywriting, then /smartlead-campaign-upload-public.

Step 7: Offer to open the plan

Print the campaign-plan.md path. Offer open <path> if macOS.

Safeguards

• Don't re-run /icp-onboarding blindly. If a profile exists, ASK before overwriting.
• Don't auto-invoke /zapmail-domain-setup-public. It spends real money. Always confirm first.
• Don't skip the 2-week warmup warning. Make it loud if the user picks option [C] of the no-infra menu.

Why this skill exists

Without kickoff, a new user opens the repo, sees 29 skills, and has no idea which to run first. Every single new operator asks the same question ("where do I start?") and the answer is identical. This skill is that answer, codified.

Also: putting the infrastructure question FIRST prevents the most common failure mode — someone writes beautiful copy, builds a great list, then realizes they can't send because they have no warmed inboxes.

What to do next

Follow whichever branch your Step 6 menu selected. The skill hands you off cleanly to the right next step.

Or wait: if you picked [B] from the no-infra menu (save plan, come back later), return to this skill after your domains have warmed for 2 weeks. Load the existing profile and skip to Step 6.

Related skills

• /icp-onboarding — invoked in step 2 (scrapes website + interviews)
• /lead-magnet-brainstorm — invoked in step 3 (picks free offer)
• /campaign-strategy — invoked in step 4 (15-25 campaign ideas)
• /zapmail-domain-setup-public — offered in step 6 if no infra
• /smartlead-inbox-manager — offered in step 6 after domain setup
• /prospeo-full-export, /disco-like, /google-maps-list-builder, /blitz-list-builder, /competitor-engagers — offered in step 6 if infra ready

References

• references/example-campaign-plans/b2b-saas.md — sample campaign plan for a B2B SaaS client
• references/example-campaign-plans/smb-restaurant.md — sample for a local restaurant chain
• references/example-campaign-plans/agency.md — sample for a marketing agency