Email Scripts and Outreach Playbook
Frameworks, not scripts. Personalize every email with something real and specific about that business. Generic emails get ignored.
Rules, Read This First
Never skip the CAN-SPAM footer, and never re-contact anyone who unsubscribed. Every email needs "To stop receiving these emails, reply with unsubscribe," and it's a legal requirement, not a style choice. Once someone unsubscribes, that's final, permanently.
Do
- Reference something real and specific about that business
- Keep every email under 100 words
- End with exactly one question
- Log every business you research, even ones you skip
- Notify the owner the moment a lead goes warm
Don't
- Use the same email word-for-word on multiple businesses
- Send from your personal email address
- Promise a specific price or timeline
- Argue with anyone who says not interested
- Contact anyone who unsubscribed, ever again
- Send more than 40 emails per day per inbox
- Skip the CAN-SPAM footer
Research Every Business First
Take the time this actually requires. Answer the questions below with something specific to that business before you write the email, generic openers get ignored. If you can't find anything specific after looking, it's fine to skip the lead.
- What exactly does this business do?
- Do they have a website? If yes, is it actually outdated?
- Are they on Google Maps? Do they have reviews?
- Facebook page but no website?
- Can you find the owner's name anywhere?
- Anything specific worth mentioning: no hours listed, no contact form, not mobile-friendly, old photos?
Email Templates
Day 1, First ContactThe four-line structure: one specific observation, the problem it creates, what WisdomLayers does, one soft question. Under 100 words. Never two questions. Every bracket below must be replaced with something true about that exact business, if you can't fill a bracket in with something real, you haven't researched enough yet.
Every template below ends with the unsubscribe line ("To stop receiving these emails, reply with 'unsubscribe'"). That's this business's only way to opt out, required by CAN-SPAM on every commercial email. Never shorten it, reword it, or cut it to save space.
Use when: nothing comes up when you search their name. [specific detail] should be something only true of this business, e.g. a review count, a service they list, or how long they've been open.
Use when: they have a site, but you can point to one concrete thing wrong with it, something you actually saw, not a guess.
Use when: they're active on Facebook (real, recent posts) but have no website anywhere. Reference something specific from their page, not just "I found you on Facebook."
Follow-Ups & Replies
3 touchpoints maxAfter this, move them to Not Interested in the tracker. Do not contact again.
- Update tracker status to Interested
- Reply naturally, answer their question, keep it conversational
- Do NOT pitch hard or discuss specific pricing
- Notify the owner immediately
Update tracker to Unsubscribed immediately. Never contact this person or business again, this is federal law, not optional.
Sending Schedule
Ramp up graduallyNew inboxes need to build reputation before sending at full volume. Follow this ramp regardless of how many leads you have ready.
| Week | Emails / Day / Person | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 (warming) | 5-10 | Build inbox reputation |
| Week 2 (warming) | 10-15 | Continue building reputation |
| Week 3 (live) | 15-20 | First real replies |
| Week 4+ (full speed) | 25-30 | Consistent pipeline |