Email, LinkedIn & Breakup Frameworks
Channel mechanics for cold sequences. These govern only when no lifecycle scenario applies (parent skill, Step 2 — scenario always wins over channel).
Email frameworks
Pick one framework per email based on what hook you have. Don't mix structures. Don't write "I hope this finds you well." Keep total length 60–110 words; subject lines ≤ 50 chars; sign off with first name only.
Framework 1 — Signal-Proof-Ask (use when you have a fresh trigger)
Best when the "why now" is a specific event: funding, hiring, leadership change, product launch, website visit.
- Signal — one sentence naming the event (or, for silent signals like website visits, the context it implies — never the signal itself).
- Proof — one sentence connecting it to your product / customers like them.
- Ask — one sentence with a low-friction CTA.
Subject: New Series B + the hiring sprint ahead
Saw the Series B last week — congrats. Most of the post-Series-B teams we work with hit the same wall around month two: SDR ramp time blowing out the pipeline plan you built for the board.
Worth 15 minutes to walk you through how [customer] cut SDR ramp from 14 weeks to 6 after their B?
[First name]
Framework 2 — PAS (Problem / Agitate / Solution)
Best when you don't have a fresh signal but you know the persona's pain.
- Problem — one sentence naming a pain the persona feels weekly.
- Agitate — one sentence on the cost of leaving it unsolved.
- Solution — one sentence on what you do, sized for their context.
Subject: ICP scoring drift
When your ICP scoring drifts, your AEs spend their best hours on accounts that won't close — and you only find out at quarter-end.
Three RevOps teams we work with at companies your size cut their bad-fit pipeline by 35% in a quarter by rescoring weekly off intent signals instead of static firmographics.
Want me to show you what they did, 15 minutes?
[First name]
Framework 3 — BAB (Before / After / Bridge)
Best when the value is transformational and easy to visualize.
- Before — one sentence on the current state.
- After — one sentence on the desired state.
- Bridge — one sentence on the route between the two.
Subject: 6-week ramp instead of 14
Most VP sales teams onboarding 5+ SDRs are still seeing 12-16 weeks to full ramp.
We've helped [customer] and three other Series B teams cut that to 6 weeks — same quota, half the ramp.
15 minutes to walk through how their pod did it?
[First name]
Framework 4 — AIDA (Attention / Interest / Desire / Action)
Use sparingly. Best for higher-stakes accounts where personalization is deep and the proof is heavy.
- Attention — a research-driven opener that proves you've done your homework.
- Interest — a specific connection between their situation and what you've seen.
- Desire — a concrete outcome others got.
- Action — one CTA.
Length may creep to 130 words here, but no further.
Choosing fast
- Fresh signal → Signal-Proof-Ask
- Persona pain → PAS
- Dramatic transformation → BAB
- Bespoke account, deep research → AIDA
If you have no hook, no pain, no transformation, and no research depth — don't send. Find a hook first.
LinkedIn mechanics
Connection requests — no notes, by design
Send LinkedIn connection requests without notes. No-note requests accept at meaningfully higher rates than note-bearing ones in most segments. Don't override.
- The first-impression LinkedIn moment is the DM, not the request.
- If the contact is already connected, skip the connection-request step and go straight to the DM.
First DM (post-connection)
LinkedIn DMs are not email. Never paste an email body in.
Limits: stay under 600 chars on the first DM, under 400 on follow-ups. No attachments, no images, no subject line — plain text.
Structure:
- Acknowledge the connection in one short, specific sentence — not "thanks for connecting."
- Reason for reaching out, one sentence with the hook.
- One concrete ask — usually "worth 15 minutes?" or "open to a quick swap?"
Saw you joined [company] last month — the post-IPO comp prep ramp must be intense.
The other thing CMOs walking into post-IPO orgs hit at month 3 is ABM coverage on their top 100 accounts. We helped two CMOs in your spot tighten that in a quarter.
Worth 15 minutes to swap notes?
Subsequent DMs (touches 3, 4)
Same rules, tighter: 200–400 chars, and a different angle from the first DM — never "just checking in." Always a new reason.
- New-angle DM: "Saw your post on [topic] last week. Reminded me of the exact play [persona at company] ran when they hit the same wall. Want me to walk you through it?"
- Asset DM: "Quick one — we just published a one-pager on [topic]. Two minutes to read, might save you a few months. Send it your way?"
LinkedIn-only sequence shape
| Step | Day | Channel | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | Connection request | Open the channel — no note |
| 2 | 1 (after accept) | DM | Acknowledge connection + hook + ask |
| 3 | 5 | DM | New angle, different reason |
| 4 | 12 | DM | Soft close — leave door open |
If the request isn't accepted by day 7 and a work email is available, fall back to email. If not, the sequence ends.
Capacity planning
LinkedIn caps are tighter than email and platform-enforced. Plan against roughly: ~40 DMs per sender per day, ~25 connection requests per sender per day, ~120 connection requests per sender per week. For larger lists, pace across days or rotate senders — and surface the projected calendar to the user before staging.
What never works on LinkedIn
- "I hope this finds you well."
- "Just checking in on my note from last week."
- "Wanted to follow up." (Says nothing. Adds no reason.)
- Pasting a calendar link as the entire message.
- Asking for "10 minutes of your time" — still asking for time. Lead with the value, not the timer.
Breakup emails
The breakup email's job is two things only: (1) close the loop politely so you stop clogging their inbox, and (2) leave the door open if timing is wrong. It is not a place for a new pitch.
Length: 25–50 words. Subject line: blank — it threads as a reply.
Pick one of three patterns. Don't mix.
Pattern 1 — Permission-to-close
Best when there's been no reply and no signal of interest. Quiet, polite, no guilt.
Sounds like the timing isn't right — closing the loop on my end so I'm not in the way.
If anything changes on the [signal/pain] front, I'm here. Otherwise, all the best.
[First name]
Pattern 2 — One last asset
Best when you have something genuinely useful to leave behind. Don't use this without a genuinely relevant asset — it becomes spam dressed up.
Last note — we just published [thing] that covers [specific angle relevant to them]. Two-minute read. Linking it below in case it's useful, and I'll close the loop after this.
[link]
[First name]
Pattern 3 — The "right person" pivot
Best when the contact may not be the right buyer but their org is still a fit. Asks for a redirect rather than a meeting.
Closing the loop. If [pain / signal] is actually owned by someone else over there, happy to be pointed their way. Otherwise no follow-up from me — all the best.
[First name]
What never works for a breakup
- "Following up one more time." (You said that on touch 3 already.)
- A long recap of the previous emails. They didn't read them; a summary won't change that.
- A new pitch. You're closing, not opening.
- A guilt note ("haven't heard back…"). Damages the brand on the way out.
- "Let me know either way." They already let you know by not replying.
Why it matters
Done well, breakup emails are the highest-reply touch in a cold sequence — roughly 8–15% of cold sequences get their first reply on the breakup. Don't waste it.