Openers that get replies

The opener is the first message a prospect reads from you: the first LinkedIn message after they accept, or the first email. Two structures work best for us. Both are short, both are about the prospect, and both end with one small call to action.

The "I help X do Y by Z" opener

Say who you help, what you help them do and how, in one sentence. Then ask one short question.

Hey {first_name}, I help [X: a specific kind of company or person] [Y: solve a specific, niche problem or reach a specific goal] by [Z: a very short differentiator].

[One short CTA. If you can give instead of ask, even better.]

• X is specific. "Growing SaaS founders" beats "businesses". The prospect should recognise themselves.
• Y is niche. One problem or one goal, in their words, not a list of what your product does.
• Z is a few words. Just enough to show you do it differently, not a feature tour.

An example from our own outreach:

Hey Avery, I help growing SaaS founders grow their social media audiences by connecting them with podcast hosts in their niche.

Mind if I make a quick intro with an interested host?

The CTA gives instead of asks. Saying yes costs the prospect nothing and gets them something they want.

The question opener

Open with something specific and true about them, then ask one question about it.

Hey {first_name}, [one specific, true observation about them].

[One question about it.]

An example from our own outreach:

Hey Avery, loved your podcast episode with [guest].

Are you scheduled for any more appearances this month?

The observation has to be real. In Victoria AI, it usually comes from an AI Personalization field, such as one that finds a recent episode, post or launch, with a fallback that still reads naturally. See Personalization that works.

Give value first, then follow up and work the deal

Both openers lead to the same strategy: give something of value first, then follow up, then work the deal however it makes sense for your company.

In the podcast example, a yes to "Mind if I make a quick intro?" means you make the intro. That's the give. Once they've seen it work, you follow up and talk about doing more of it, as a paid service or whatever your offer is.

This works because the first thing the prospect gets from you is help, not a request. See Give before you ask.

Fill-in opener templates

Copy one of these into the first step and fill in the brackets:

Hey {first_name}, I help [kind of company or role] [do or fix one specific thing] by [a few words on how].

Mind if I [send / make / share] [the give: an intro, a sample, a short audit]?

Hey {first_name}, [one specific, true thing about them or {company}].

[Are you / Is your team] [doing the thing your offer helps with] [this month / this quarter]?

Keep the opener to two or three short lines. If it doesn't fit on a phone screen without scrolling, cut it.

Opener mistakes to avoid

• Introducing yourself before saying who you help: "My name is…, I'm the founder of…".
• A generic X: "I help businesses grow."
• A long Z: a paragraph of features where a few words would do.
• Two questions, or a question plus a meeting ask.
• A compliment that isn't specific or isn't true. "Loved your post" with no detail reads as a template.
• Played-out lines such as "I came across your profile". See Slop.