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Global·16d ago
Startup Guides
Free
Cold DMs That Actually Work
What you'll learn The 4-line cold DM template with a 40% reply rate, and why 95% of founder cold DMs are ignored. Why it matters Cold outreach is the fastest way to your first 100 users if done right — most founders do it wrong. The playbook 1) Line 1: Specific hook — reference something from their profile within last 30 days ('saw your post on X yesterday'). 2) Line 2: Their pain — name a specific problem they have, don't guess ('noticed you're hiring 3 devs — hiring is brutal in Q1'). 3) Line 3: Your relevant solution — 1 sentence, no pitch ('we built a tool that shortlists devs from GitHub — 5x faster'). 4) Line 4: Low-friction ask — 'Worth 15 min next week? Even if not — happy to send our shortlist for your role for free.' 5) Channel priorities — LinkedIn DM > Twitter DM > Email. Instagram DM only for consumer. 6) Volume rule — Send 20 personalised/day. Don't automate. First 100 = your best users forever. Common mistakes Template blasts (everyone spots them). No name in first line. Long pitch before value. No specific ask. Next action Pick 20 ideal customers on LinkedIn today. Send 4-line DMs to each. Track reply rate for a week.