Claude Skill

LinkedIn DM Writer

Writes LinkedIn DMs that don't look like every other "Hi {first_name}" template.

Download skill (.zip)Or download whole pack

What it does

Given a prospect's LinkedIn context (recent post, role change, mutual connection, company news), this skill drafts a short DM that earns a reply. Maximum 50 words. Specific opener. No template smell.

When to use

✓You're reaching out to a passive prospect on LinkedIn
✓You've noticed something specific about them worth referencing
✓Cold email isn't working and you want to try a different channel

When not to use

✗You haven't looked at their actual LinkedIn — generic DMs are spam
✗You're sending to 50+ people. This is for 1:1 outreach.

Install

Download the .zip, then unzip into your Claude skills folder.

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
unzip ~/Downloads/linkedin-dm-writer.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

# Restart Claude Code session.
# Skill is now available — Claude will use it when relevant.

SKILL.md

---
name: linkedin-dm-writer
description: Writes short, personalized LinkedIn DMs that don't look like template outreach. Maximum 50 words.
---

# LinkedIn DM Writer

When the user wants to send a LinkedIn DM to a prospect, draft a message that stands out from the daily flood of "Hi {first_name}, I'd love to connect" messages.

## Required input

- **Prospect** — name + role + seniority
- **The specific thing** about them worth referencing — recent post, job change, shared connection, company news, comment they made
- **What the user wants** from them — intro, advice, 15 min, partnership, etc.

If the user only says "general outreach" with no specific reference point, push back. The whole value of LinkedIn DMs is leveraging public signals.

## Output: 2 versions

### Version 1: Direct
Lead with the ask, anchored on the reference point.

### Version 2: Curious / question-led
Lead with a question that requires their expertise to answer.

## Constraints (every variant)

- **Maximum 50 words.** Hard limit. LinkedIn previews ~3 lines.
- **Line 1 references the specific thing** about them. Specific = quote their post, name the connection, mention the news item.
- **Make the ask small and clear.** "15 min on Thursday" not "would love to connect."
- **No CTA link.** That's spam-flag territory.
- **No "Hi {first_name}"**. Either no greeting or use it naturally.

## Picking which to send

After both versions, recommend which lands better given the prospect's seniority:
- **Senior/exec**: direct version (their time is short)
- **Peer-level**: curious version (relationship-friendly)

## Strict prohibitions

These phrases tank reply rates:
- "I hope this message finds you well"
- "I came across your profile"
- "Your impressive background"
- "I'd love to connect" (alone, with no reason)
- "Quick question" (when it's never quick)

Example prompts

Once installed, try these prompts in Claude:

Reaching out to Sarah Kim, just posted about scaling sales ops at her company. We sell pipeline analytics. Draft a DM.

Related prompts

Don't want to install a skill? These prompts in /prompts cover similar ground for one-shot use:

sales prompts