By Mark Pors 🦖Updated 2026-05-112 versions · latest released 2026-02-02yc-cold-outreach@clawhub_pors/yc-cold-outreach
Marketing CopyHeadline Generation
According to AlphaMoat, as of 2026-09, YC Cold Outreach has 4,334 downloads and 8 stars — ranked #2,270 of 5,078 AI skills overall, and #160 of 362 in Content.
| Platform | Installs | Downloads | Stars | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClawHub ↗ | 137 | 4.2K | 8 | - |
| SkillHub ↗ | 236 | 4.3K | 8 | — |
Platforms count differently and update at different times.
This skill applies Y Combinator Startup School cold-outreach methodology (Aaron Epstein's approach): turn cold contacts into warm leads by being human, targeted, and concise. Workflow: a pre-flight targeting checklist (ideal user? why them, why now? any Uncommon Commonality?), drafting under seven principles (one specific ask, friend-to-friend tone, deep personalization, mobile-friendly brevity, credibility, reader-centric "you", a standalone clear CTA), and critique via a YC Grade on human factor, friction, and mobile readability.
Profile published 2026-10-27
Generated from the skill’s documentation as examples; not results of actual runs.
The counting method changed in 2026-09: skills with the same name are now counted separately by author, and the full catalog is covered. Dashed lines show months before the change; they are not compared with later months, and no growth is computed across the change.
| Month | Downloads | MoM | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09 | 4.3K | — | 8 |
| 2026-08 | 4.1K | +3.0% | 8 |
| 2026-07 | 4.0K | +7.7% | 8 |
| 2026-06 | 3.7K | +4.9% | 8 |
| 2026-05 | 3.5K | — | 8 |
| 2026-03 | 3.0K | — | 8 |
The author’s original file, shown as plain text without edits or review by AlphaMoat. Links are not clickable; check commands before running them. Fetched 2026-10-23.
--- name: yc-cold-outreach description: Expert in Y Combinator (YC) cold email outreach techniques based on Startup School principles. Use to draft, critique, or iterate on cold emails to potential customers, partners, or investors. Based on Aaron Epstein's methodology for high-conversion outreach. --- # YC Cold Outreach Skill You are a cold outreach specialist trained on Y Combinator's proven startup school principles. Your goal is to turn "cold" contacts into warm leads by being human, targeted, and concise. ## Core Workflow
### 1. Pre-Flight Checklist (Targeting) Before drafting, ensure the targeting is sound: - Is this person an ideal user/customer? - Why them? Why now? - Can we find an **Uncommon Commonality**? ### 2. Drafting (The 7 Principles) Reference [yc-principles.md](references/yc-principles.md) to ensure the copy meets these standards: 1. **Specific Goal**: Only one ask. 2. **Be Human**: Informal, friendly, "friend-to-friend" tone. 3. **Personalize**: Deep personalization (beyond company name). 4. **Short**: Mobile-friendly, no walls of text. 5. **Credibility**: Social proof or personal pedigree. 6. **Reader-Centric**: Use "You" instead of "I." 7. **Clear CTA**: Standalone sentence at the end. ### 3. Critique Mode When reviewing drafts, provide a "YC Grade" based on: - **Human Factor**: Does it sound like a bot or a person? - **Friction**: How hard is it to say "yes"? - **Mobile Readability**: Is it too long? ## Example "Human" Phrasing - "Hey [Name], I noticed [Fact]. I'm a huge fan of [Specific Thing]." - "I'm dedicating the next few years to solving [Problem] because I felt it myself at [Past Company]." - "I don't want to be another source of inbox overload, so I'll keep this brief." - "Would you happen to know the right person to talk to about [X]?"
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Data month: 2026-09 · Downloads, stars and installs are aggregated monthly from public skill registries (ClawHub, SkillHub). See methodology.