SecondPen.aiCold outreach (Problem–Agitate–Solve) template
Origin: PAS copywriting formula (Dan Kennedy and direct-response tradition); short-form cold email norms.
Start from this templateFree, no account needed. The blank is written with guidance in each section, ready to fill in.
Structure
- Personal hook
- Problem
- Agitate
- Solution/credibility
- One low-friction ask
How a tough reader scores it
When you score a draft against this format, the Critic evaluates this cold email. The weights add up to 100; the fixes for the weakest criteria arrive as cards in the editor.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Personalization is specific and couldn't be sent to anyone else | 25 |
| Problem is relevant to this reader | 20 |
| Credibility shown with one concrete proof point | 15 |
| Single, easy ask | 20 |
| Under 120 words, readable on a phone | 10 |
| Subject line earns the open without tricks | 10 |
How it works in SecondPen.ai
Open the template and the editor writes the blank once, with a line of guidance under each heading that you delete as you fill it in. Write your abstract and the editor names the format it reads like. Ask for a document with a slash command and it offers to start from the matching format. When the draft is ready, the Critic scores it against the criteria above, the way this format's toughest reader would, and the three highest-leverage fixes become Editor cards.
More in Email templates
- Double opt-in intro request & forwardable emailVenture-capital and startup networking norm: ask the connector first, and give them a short blurb they can forward unchanged
- Follow-up / gentle nudgeSales and professional-networking practice
- Networking coffee / advice requestInformational-interview practice (Richard Bolles, What Color Is Your Parachute?)
- Post-interview thank-youRecruiting norm; sent within 24 hours
- Saying no gracefully (Yes–No–Yes)William Ury, The Power of a Positive No (2007)
- Apology / service recovery emailService-recovery practice (e.g., Ritz-Carlton LEAP / HEARD models) and research on effective apologies
- Meeting request with agendaEffective-meetings practice (Amazon narrative pre-reads; Patrick Lencioni, Death by Meeting)
- Meeting recap / follow-upProject-management norm; sent within 24 hours