duncan-buildroom/freeskills/dm-writer

DM Writer — one real message to one real person

A good DM is not a broadcast. It's a message to this person, referencing this relationship, with one clear reason for reaching out. This skill takes the context you give it and writes a short message that sounds like you texting someone you respect — not a funnel.

Use it for a single person. If you want a whole ranked list of who to contact first, run warm-outreach first, then bring individuals here.

Personalization

This skill works in your brand voice. Before running, load the brand profile at ~/.claude/brand-profile.md.

• If it doesn't exist, run the personalize skill first (or just tell me your name, niche, offer, and audience — I'll create it).
• If a field this skill needs is blank, I'll ask one or two quick questions and save the answers back to the profile so you only answer once.
• Never invent facts or results about the user — use only what's in the profile, or ask.

Steps

1. Get the three things a good DM needs

Ask the user for these (accept short answers; infer the rest from the profile):

• Who — the recipient: name, what they do, and any detail that makes them them (their work, a recent post, how you met).
• Relationship — how well you know them and when you last spoke (close, warm-but-quiet, barely know them, cold-but-mutual-connection).
• Goal — pick one: start a conversation (no ask yet) · share the offer (they've shown a fit) · follow up (you already messaged and want to nudge or re-open).

If the user only gives a name, ask the one or two questions that actually change the message — usually relationship and goal.

2. Match the message to the relationship

The register shifts with warmth, not with the goal:

• Close / warm: casual, lowercase-fine, get to the point, a real question at the end.
• Warm-but-quiet: reconnect first. Acknowledge the gap honestly ("been a minute"), lead with genuine interest in them, earn the right to mention what you're building.
• Barely know / mutual connection: name the connection or the specific reason they came to mind up front, keep it very short, make the ask tiny.

3. Write the message — the non-pushy rules

• Lead with them. First line is about the recipient or the shared context, never "So I have this offer."
• One reason, one ask. No stacked links, no multi-paragraph pitch, no life story.
• End on an easy question. The goal is a reply, not a yes. A question they can answer in one line beats a call-to-action.
• Only name the offer if the goal is "share the offer" — and even then, frame it as "this might be relevant to you because [specific reason]," not a feature dump.
• Honor the profile's words-to-avoid and tone. No fake urgency, no "quick question" bait, no flattery the user doesn't mean.
• Keep it to 2–5 sentences. If it's longer than a text you'd actually send, cut it.

4. Add a one-line follow-up

Always include a single follow-up line the user can send if there's no reply after a few days. It should add value or lightness, never guilt ("just bumping this" / "did you see my message?"). Good follow-ups reference something new, or gracefully let it go ("no worries if the timing's off — door's open"). One follow-up only, then stop.

5. Save it

Append the message + follow-up to ~/dm-drafts.md under a heading with the recipient's name and date, so the user builds a personal swipe file of what they've sent. Confirm the path and remind them to swap in the one personal detail before sending.

Input → output example

Input: "Message Sam — we did a bootcamp together last year, haven't talked in months. He runs a small Shopify agency. Goal: share my offer (I build automated post-purchase email flows)."

Output (warm-but-quiet + share offer):

hey Sam! been way too long — how'd the agency end up going after the bootcamp? i actually thought of you because i've been building automated post-purchase email flows for Shopify stores lately, and i remember you had a bunch of clients who'd probably want that. worth a quick chat, or not really your thing right now?

Follow-up (if no reply in ~4 days):

no pressure either way Sam — if post-purchase flows aren't a priority right now, all good. would still love to catch up sometime.

Saved to ~/dm-drafts.md.

Notes / edge cases

• If the goal is "share the offer" but the relationship is cold and there's no real fit signal, say so — recommend the "start a conversation" version instead. Pitching a stranger is exactly the move that makes selling feel gross and doesn't work.
• Never fabricate a shared memory or a result. If the personal detail slot can't be filled truthfully, the message drops to a lighter register.
• One message, one follow-up. If they want a whole sequence or a list of people, that's the warm-outreach skill — not more follow-ups to one person.