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SOP Messaging & Creative

Overview

This SOP covers the creation of outbound messaging for cold email and LinkedIn campaigns. It starts with a sales hypothesis and ends with channel-ready messaging assets. It also produces optional inputs for a separate call/voicemail script SOP. Personalization and enrichment (e.g., via Clay) are handled in a separate SOP.

Objective / Definition of Done

Objective:
To produce a concise, effective outbound messaging set aligned with a specific market hypothesis and ICP, written in a natural, non-marketing tone.

Definition of Done:

  • Messaging angle clearly defined
  • 2–3 email sequence written
  • LinkedIn messaging (if applicable) written
  • Subject lines drafted using approved framework
  • Optional call/voicemail inputs prepared (not full script)
  • Message set passes QA checklist
  • Output delivered in standard format, ready for enrichment or platform upload

Step-By-Step Process

1. Review Sales Hypothesis One-Pager

  • Understand the ICP: industry, role, company size, traits
  • Identify key pain points and how our solution fits
  • Note any competitive context or buying triggers
  • Ask questions if scope is unclear

2. Define Messaging Angle

  • Choose a core theme (e.g., pain relief, efficiency, FOMO, opportunity)
  • Summarize the angle in 1–2 lines to guide tone and direction
    • Example: “Outbound agencies are bleeding deliverability — we’ll fix it quietly in the background.”

How to Choose a Messaging Angle

The messaging angle is the core emotional or logical appeal of your outreach. It frames why this person should care and guides the tone, subject line, and structure of every message in the sequence.

Here are some common angle types and when to use them:

1. Pain-Driven

  • When to use: The target ICP is actively suffering from an inefficient, broken, or outdated process.
  • Emotional tone: Frustration, urgency, relief
  • Examples:
    • “Manually managing X sucks — here’s a better way.”
    • “Tired of {pain point}? We fixed it.”

2. ROI/Outcome-Focused

  • When to use: The target is measured by clear KPIs (revenue, conversions, pipeline, etc.)
  • Emotional tone: Rational, results-oriented
  • Examples:
    • “Capture more pipeline from the same activity.”
    • “Double lead flow without scaling headcount.”

3. Competitive/FOMO

  • When to use: The industry is fast-moving or the ICP is in a competitive role (e.g. marketing, growth, sales)
  • Emotional tone: Curiosity, status anxiety
  • Examples:
    • “Other {role}s in your space are doing this — figured I’d share.”
    • “Your competitors are automating this already…”

4. Opportunity-Based

  • When to use: You’re presenting a new idea or partnership that isn’t urgent but is attractive
  • Emotional tone: Helpful, friendly, exploratory
  • Examples:
    • “Wanted to share an idea — might be relevant.”
    • “Quick thought on something that might be worth exploring.”

5. Insight-Based / POV

  • When to use: You have a unique insight, contrarian take, or ‘we see something you don’t’ perspective
  • Emotional tone: Challenger, thought-leader
  • Examples:
    • “Most teams are solving this the wrong way.”
    • “Here’s what we’ve learned working with {similar companies}.”

How to Decide

  • Look at the ICP’s daily life. Are they frustrated, growth-hungry, overwhelmed, under pressure?
  • Decide: Are we relieving pain or unlocking potential?
  • Ask: What would you want to hear if you were in their role?

3. Draft Subject Lines (2–4 Options)

Framework: Internal-camo — looks like it came from a peer, not a marketer

  • Short & lowercase:
    • Use words related to the offer, e.g. if we're offering an outbound system solution:
    • outbound
    • question about outbound
    • quick one
  • Intro-style:
    • NeuralJets x {{company_name}} // intro
    • quick intro from NeuralJets
    • possible fit?
  • Other low-key styles:
    • follow-up
    • your thoughts?
    • heads up on something

Avoid:

  • ❌ Overly polished or “salesy” lines
  • ❌ Capitalized or clickbait language

4. Write 2–3 Step Cold Email Sequence

4.1 Generating Initial Drafts with AI (when available)

Once our internal AI model is ready, use it to generate the first draft of the campaign sequence.

Inputs to provide the model:

  • ICP description (role, industry, company size, etc.)
  • Primary pain point(s)
  • Messaging angle (from Step 2)
  • Value proposition of our offer
  • Any relevant differentiators or competitor context
  • Personalization tokens available for the campaign (e.g. {{first_name}}, {{custom_intro}}, {{company}})

Expected Output:

  • Subject lines (2–4 options using internal-camo framework)
  • 2–3 cold email steps with:
    • Intro lines
    • Core pitch per message
    • Call to action per message

Guidelines for using the output:

  • Don’t copy/paste blindly — edit to fit voice, tone, and context
  • Tweak variable placement to fit the actual enrichment flow
  • Verify tone is casual, non-marketing, and low-friction

⚠️ Until the AI model is ready, you can either:

  • Use GPT-4o or another model with a prompt structured similarly to the above
  • Or write the sequence manually using the guidance below

4.2 Manual Drafting Guidelines

If not using AI, follow this structure:

  • Email 1:
    • Start with {{custom_intro}} or generic conversational opener
    • Focus on one sharp pain point and how we solve it
    • Include one soft CTA (e.g., “worth a quick chat?”)
  • Email 2:
    • Reframe the same pain or touch a new angle (e.g., risk, ROI, competitor mention)
    • Optional social proof, niche relevance, or insight
    • CTA can be similar or slightly firmer
  • Email 3 (optional):
    • Simplified one-liner version of the pitch
    • Optionally ask if someone else is the right contact
    • Serve as bump/final nudge ("breakup email" - but don't go over the top here)

5. Write LinkedIn Messaging (If Applicable)

  • Connection Request:
    • No pitch, light context — e.g., “Hey {{first_name}}, thought I’d connect given your work at {{company}}.”
  • Follow-Up 1:
    • Relatable observation or insight relevant to their role/industry
  • Follow-Up 2:
    • One-line distillation of email messaging angle
    • Very casual CTA (“worth chatting?” / “want me to send more info?”)
  • Come up with 2-3 variants for each sequence step

6. Optional: Provide Inputs for Call Script SOP

If a phone or voicemail step will be added, include the following inputs:

  • ICP context (role, problem, goal)
  • Messaging angle in one sentence
  • One-liner pitch version
  • Soft call-to-action
    → These will feed into the Call/Voicemail Script SOP (handled separately)

7. QA Checklist

✅ Messaging addresses clear pain point
✅ Value prop is specific, not generic
✅ Tone matches audience (casual or formal as needed)
✅ Subject lines fit internal-camo rules
✅ 1 CTA per message
✅ Variables/tokens clearly marked: {{first_name}}, {{custom_intro}}, etc.

8. Final Output & Handoff

  • Save messaging package to shared folder
    • Refer to Asset Storage SOP (when available)
  • Include (all in a single doc):
    • Sales hypothesis summary
    • Messaging angle description
    • Final subject lines
    • Cold email sequence
    • LinkedIn messages
    • Call script inputs (if needed)
  • Mark campaign as ready for enrichment and setup
    • This will most likely be a Trello board, not yet implemented

Tools and Resources

  • Messaging Template Library – Link when available
  • ICP & Pain Point Reference Sheet – Link when available
  • Subject Line Swipe File – Link when available
  • Call/Voicemail Script SOP – Link when available

Last updated: 2025-03-25