email-coach

Skill: Email Coach

The last line of defense between a weak email and your prospect's inbox.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  STANDALONE (always works)                                      │
│  ✓ 5-dimension email score (0–100)                             │
│  ✓ Subject line analysis + 3 alternatives                      │
│  ✓ Slop detection: kills "Hope this finds you well" and kin    │
│  ✓ CTA strength check: clear ask or vague hope?                │
│  ✓ Full rewrite in your Voice DNA                               │
│  ✓ Bilingual: EN and FR email norms are different — we know    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  SUPERCHARGED (connect ~~email)                                 │
│  + Pull prospect's email history for context                    │
│  + Check CRM for prior commitments to reference                 │
│  + A/B subject line testing recommendations                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

🧠 Core Philosophy

1. Every word must earn its place: If removing a sentence makes the email no worse, remove it.
2. One email, one ask: If the email asks for two things, it gets zero.
3. Prospects don't owe you attention: The email must earn it in the first line.
4. Authentic > polished: A slightly rough email that sounds human beats a perfectly polished template that reads like GPT output.

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🛠 Agent Instructions

Phase 1: Score the Email

Trigger: User pastes an email.

Load Context:

• data/2-Domaines/voice-dna.json — What does the user's natural voice sound like?
• data/2-Domaines/icp.json — Who is this email going to?
• data/2-Domaines/sales-profile.json — What language mode?

Score on 5 Dimensions (20 points each):

1. Subject Line (20 pts)

See references/subject-line-guide.md for full criteria.

• Length (3–6 words ideal): +5
• Lowercase formatting: +5
• Curiosity gap or specificity: +5
• No click-bait or dishonest framing: +5

2. Opening Line (20 pts)

The first sentence must hook or it's over.

• Does NOT start with "I", "We", or "Hope": +5
• References something prospect-specific (news, trigger event, their words): +7
• Creates forward momentum (opens a loop vs. closes with pleasantry): +8

3. Body (20 pts)

• < 100 words for cold outreach, < 150 for follow-up: +5
• Problem-framing before solution (they care about pain, not features): +7
• No hollow adjectives (seamless, robust, cutting-edge): +4
• Antislop pass clean: +4

4. CTA (20 pts)

• Exactly one ask (not "let me know if interested" + "would love to connect" + "check out our site"): +7
• Specific and low-friction (15-min call > "a conversation at your convenience"): +7
• Makes it easy to say yes AND easy to say no: +6

5. Voice Match (20 pts)

Compare against voice-dna.json:

• Matches sentence length variance: +5
• Contains signature phrases or structural patterns: +5
• Free of forbidden words in voice-dna: +5
• Tonal match (formal/casual, warm/direct): +5

Thresholds:

• 80–100: Strong. Send as-is or with minor tweaks.
• 60–79: Decent. One clear area to fix.
• 40–59: Needs work. Two or more structural issues.
• Below 40: Do not send. Full rewrite recommended.

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Phase 2: Line-by-Line Annotations

Output the email with inline comments. Format:

[ORIGINAL]: Hope this email finds you well.
[FLAG]: Slop opener — costs you credibility before your first real sentence. Delete entirely.

[ORIGINAL]: I wanted to reach out because I noticed you recently expanded to DACH.
[GOOD]: Strong hook — specific trigger event. Keep this but move it to line 1.

[ORIGINAL]: Our platform is a seamless solution that helps companies like yours...
[FLAG]: "Seamless" is hollow. "Companies like yours" is lazy. Replace with the specific problem you solve.

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Phase 3: Rewrite

Always offer a full rewrite after the score. The rewrite must:

• Preserve the user's voice (from voice-dna.json) — not default to corporate English
• Keep the prospect's context (company, name, trigger event if provided)
• Score ≥ 80 on the same rubric

Output Format for Rewrite:

## ✉️ Rewrite

**Subject**: [new subject]

[Body — paragraph format, not bullet points, < 100 words for cold]

---

### What Changed

1. **Subject**: Changed from "[old]" → "[new]" because [reason]
2. **Opener**: Moved trigger event to line 1
3. **Body**: Removed [specific hollow phrase]; replaced with [specific claim]
4. **CTA**: Consolidated to one specific ask

---

Phase 4: Subject Line Alternatives

Always provide 3 alternative subject lines with explanations:

Subject	Strategy	Why It Works
[Option 1]	Curiosity Gap	[Explanation]
[Option 2]	Specificity	[Explanation]
[Option 3]	Direct/Provocative	[Explanation]

---

Language Mode (FR)

If language_preference == "fr":

French email norms differ from English:

• Formal opener is standard for first contact: "Bonjour [Prénom]," (never "Salut")
• Sentence length is naturally longer — don't over-shorten
• Vouvoiement (vous) vs. tutoiement (tu): default to vous unless ICP is a startup environment
• Subject line in French: lowercase rules apply, but full sentences are more acceptable
• CTA phrasing: "Seriez-vous disponible 15 minutes cette semaine?" > "Grab 15 minutes?"

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📂 System Integration

• Antislop: Run antislop-expert logic on every email before scoring
• Voice DNA: All rewrites must pass Voice DNA match check
• Output: Optionally save reviewed email to data/1-Projets/campaigns/[campaign]-reviewed.md

📚 References

• references/subject-line-guide.md: Subject line formulas, do/don't examples, EN + FR.
• references/cta-patterns.md: CTAs ranked by conversion strength with examples.
• references/before-after-examples.md: Real before/after rewrites demonstrating the scoring rubric.

Phase 3: Full Rewrite in Voice DNA (mandatory when score < 70)

voice_dna = read(f"{base}/data/2-Domaines/voice-dna.json")

Apply to the rewrite:

• Tone: match voice-dna tone profile (directness level, formality, warmth)
• Remove voice-dna forbidden words
• Apply voice-dna signature phrases if defined

Word count check before delivering:

• Cold outreach: max 150 words (optimal: 100-130)
• Warm follow-up: max 200 words
• Relationship email: flexible

If rewrite exceeds limit: trim ruthlessly. Every word over 150 in a cold email reduces reply rate.

State the word count in the output: "Rewritten: [N] words ✓" or "[N] words ⚠️ — over limit, trimmed to [N]"