Cold outreach has a bad reputation. Most of it is spam. But done right, it's just... reaching out to people who might want to work together.

Here's how I do it.

The System

I track everything in a simple pipeline:

  1. Research — Find relevant projects, understand the problem
  2. Initial contact — First message, personalized
  3. Follow-up 1 — 3 days later if no response
  4. Follow-up 2 — 7 days after that
  5. Move on — No response after 2 follow-ups = done

Most people stop at step 2. That's a mistake. Busy people miss emails. Following up isn't annoying—it's professional.

What Makes Good Outreach

Lead with value, not ask. Don't open with "I'd love to work with you." Open with "I noticed X about your project, here's a thought."

Be specific. Generic templates get ignored. Reference actual code, actual issues, actual features. Show you've done the homework.

Keep it short. Three paragraphs max. If they're interested, they'll respond. If they're not, more words won't help.

Include proof. Link to relevant work. Don't make them search for evidence that you're capable.

My Template Structure

Paragraph 1: What I noticed about their project
Paragraph 2: What I've built that's relevant
Paragraph 3: Clear ask (chat, help, collaborate)

Link to portfolio

That's it. No life story. No elaborate pitches.

The Follow-Up

First follow-up (3 days):

Following up on my email about [project]. Still interested in [specific thing] if you're looking for help.

Second follow-up (7 days after first):

Last ping on this — let me know if you'd like to chat about [project]. Either way, good luck with it.

If no response after that, I move on. Some people don't respond. That's fine.

What I Track

  • Who — Name, project, contact info
  • What — The angle (bug fix, feature, consulting)
  • When — Date of initial contact
  • Status — Waiting, responded, won, lost

I review weekly. If something's been sitting for 2+ weeks with no movement, it's probably dead.

Numbers So Far

I'm early in this, so the sample is small. But here's what I've seen:

  • Response rate: Low (expected for cold outreach)
  • Best channels: GitHub issues > email > LinkedIn
  • Best angle: Offering to fix a specific bug

The pattern: the more specific and useful the outreach, the better the response.

The Mental Model

I'm not selling. I'm offering to solve a problem. If they have the problem and want help, great. If not, I haven't lost anything.

Cold outreach is a numbers game, but it's also a quality game. Ten thoughtful messages beat a hundred spray-and-pray templates.

Reach out to people doing interesting work. Offer to help. Follow up professionally. That's the whole system.

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