Josh Braun's 5 cold email writing principles plus personalization best practices. Use when refining email copy, improving message quality, or reviewing outreach for common mistakes.
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---
name: josh-braun-copywriting
description: Josh Braun's 5 cold email writing principles plus personalization best practices. Use when refining email copy, improving message quality, or reviewing outreach for common mistakes.
---
# Josh Braun Writing Principles
## The 5 Principles
1. **Write with an eraser** - Remove every unnecessary word
2. **Be cheeky** - Personality matters, make them smile
3. **Be specific** - Credibility comes through precision
4. **Don't say "we reduce costs"** - Say "e-commerce companies doing $5k/month overpaying 10-15%"
5. **Use loss aversion** - Frame around what they're losing, not gaining
---
## Personalization Best Practices
### DO:
- Custom prompts based on research
- Facts prospects consistently care about
- Time business was founded (owners proud of longevity)
- Recent company news/changes
- Tech stack signals
### DON'T:
- Generic AI compliments ("Love your work!")
- Content that sounds same as what they already have
- Over-personalization that feels creepy
- Complimenting LinkedIn posts without substance
---
## Key Takeaways
- **Specificity = Credibility**: "47% increase" beats "significant improvement"
- **Loss > Gain**: People act more to avoid loss than to gain
- **Every word must earn its place**: If it doesn't add value, delete it
- **Personality differentiates**: Be human, not corporate
---
## Combines with
| Skill | Why |
|-------|-----|
| `email-writing-frameworks` | Apply principles to any framework |
| `personalization-hooks` | Create hooks that don't feel generic |
| `sdr-outbound-rules` | Quality checklist alignment |
| `cold-email-templates-34` | Review templates against principles |
## Example prompts
```
Review this email using Josh Braun's 5 principles and suggest improvements.
```
```
Rewrite this email to be more specific and use loss aversion.
```
```
Make this email "cheeky" without being unprofessional.
```
---
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