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Apply the Hard Cold-Email Rules: 'You' Over 'I', Under 70 Words, No Formatting

Apply the Hard Cold-Email Rules: 'You' Over 'I', Under 70 Words, No Formatting is a cold outreach tactic for getting your first users: A checklist distilled from analyzing 64k+ cold emails: use 'you' about twice as often as 'I', keep it under 5 sentences and 70 words, strip all formatting, use an interest-based CTA instead of 'does Friday 10am work?', personalize with a detail a bot couldn't find, and plan roughly 8 touchpoints before giving up.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS teams, and works especially well for high-volume B2B outreach. As a cold outreach play, plan for medium effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Cold outreachMedium effortMedium

Why does cold outreach work for this?

Short, prospect-centered, unformatted emails feel human and get more replies than polished pitches.

The exact steps (6)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
B2B SaaS

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Apply the Hard Cold-Email Rules: 'You' Over 'I', Under 70 Words, No Formatting" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Apply the Hard Cold-Email Rules: 'You' Over 'I', Under 70 Words, No Formatting" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be medium.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

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