angle-framework.md

Angle Framework

How to find the angles a campaign will run on — before writing any copy. An angle is the pain, trigger or tension a message leans on. Generate exactly 3 distinct angles, each targeting a different reason the prospect would stop and read.

Skipping this step is the most common reason a campaign feels generic: the copy is fine, but it leans on a weak or obvious angle.

Step 1 — Gather context

Check what is already known. Ask only for what's missing, in a single message.

Required:

Target persona — the role being targeted (title, seniority). If the user gives a raw title, work with it directly.
Target company context — type, size, industry, stage.
What the user sells — in one sentence, and the specific problem it solves for this persona.
Triggers / signals available — is there a known buying signal? (LinkedIn post, hire, funding, tool change, new role, post engagement, event.)

Optional but useful:

Competitors this persona typically uses
Angles already tested (do not repeat them)
Real customer stories available (real only — never fabricate)

Step 2 — Deconstruct the persona

Before generating angles, internalize who you're writing to:

Mindset — how does this persona think? What excites them? How do they talk about their job?
Difficulties & unmet needs — their documented pain points.
Pressures — what are they accountable for?
- Technical / operational buyers (RevOps, ops, engineers): pressure on stack, integration, adoption, proving impact, not being technically limited.
- Executive / leadership buyers (Heads of, VPs): pressure on pipeline, ROI, team adoption, clean reporting, accountability to the C-suite.
Trigger mapping — if a trigger is given, use it as the first-rank angle. If not, identify 2–3 plausible triggers in the context (timing, growth, internal pressure, tool switch).
Emotional drivers — beyond the functional: overwhelmed, ambitious, skeptical, cautious, curious? This guides each angle's tone.

Step 3 — Generate 3 angles

Each angle must be:

Distinct — a different pain, trigger or emotional driver. Never two angles on the same core pain.
Specific — no generic "we help you grow".
Tension-driven — built around a moment of pressure or a cost of inaction.
Rooted in their world — their language, their metrics, their reality.

Rules: no fabricated outcome, metric or customer story. No forbidden phrases (see base-copywriting-rules.md). If a signal-based trigger exists, angle 1 must be signal-based.

For each angle, produce this block:

ANGLE [N] — [Name]

Core tension:
The specific pressure or pain this angle targets. One sentence, visceral and
specific. This is the angle's "why now".

Why it works for this persona:
2–3 sentences. Why does this resonate with this exact persona? What
observation makes it non-generic?

Pain focus:
The single problem this angle diagnoses. Their symptom, in their language —
not your solution.

Campaign hook (opening line):
The first 10–20 words of an email or DM using this angle.
- Never start with a question
- Never mention your product or company
- Must sound peer-to-peer
- Must create a tension they recognize immediately

Email subject (3–5 words):
Lowercase, internal-email feel.

Preferred CTA type:
Insight / Benchmark / Resource / Trigger-Based / Diagnostic Question
(see cta-framework.md).

Best used when:
The context or signal that makes this angle most relevant.

Avoid:
The specific traps to avoid with this angle.

Step 4 — Recommendation & A/B logic

After the 3 angles:

Which to start with — recommend the first-wave angle, with 2–3 sentences of reasoning. If a trigger exists, always start with the signal-based angle.
A/B split — how to split the 3 angles across segments or sequence waves.
What to measure — reply rate per angle (not open rate); reply sentiment (positive / neutral / OOO / negative); decision threshold: after 50+ sends per angle, kill the weakest.

Step 5 — Output format

PERSONA TARGETED: [role, seniority]
COMPANY CONTEXT: [size, industry, stage]
TRIGGER / SIGNAL: [if any]

---

ANGLE 1 — [Name]
[full block]

ANGLE 2 — [Name]
[full block]

ANGLE 3 — [Name]
[full block]

---

RECOMMENDATION
Which to start with: [angle + reasoning]
A/B split: [how to split across segments]
What to measure: [primary + secondary signals + threshold]

Angles across a follow-up sequence

The 3 angles above seed the campaign. But a multi-step sequence needs a fresh angle at every follow-up — repeating the angle of a previous message confirms the delete. Each follow-up must earn its place with something new.

Before writing any follow-up, confirm the angle is genuinely different from every previous message. Pull from the Angle Bank:

Pain angles — the root cause of the problem named earlier; a second-order consequence; another co-occurring pain; the hidden cost of the current workaround.
Stakeholder angles — what their board / leadership sees vs. their team's reality; what their team lives that leadership ignores; the cross-functional dependency that worsens it.
Timing angles — end-of-quarter or planning-cycle pressure; a recent company signal (hire, funding, expansion, launch); market or competitive pressure; a looming deadline.
Risk angles — what happens if the status quo lasts another quarter; the moment the workaround visibly breaks; the personal credibility risk for the prospect.
Resource angles — give something genuinely useful with no ask attached: a framework, template, checklist, or a non-obvious insight.

Rule: if a follow-up's angle overlaps with any previous message — same pain, same lens, same framing — pick another.

Anti-patterns

Generating more or fewer than 3 angles (always exactly 3)
Two angles on the same core pain
Hooks that start with a question
Hooks with fabricated metrics
Hooks that mention your product
Recommending a non-signal-based angle when a signal exists
Ignoring the real persona in favor of a generality

Angle framework