Indictment: 'Compelling' and 'converts well' are wishes, not a brief — the model has zero idea who you're emailing, what you sell, or what converting even means here.
see the specimen they pasted
you are an expert copywriter. please help me write a really compelling cold email that converts well for my SaaS startup
“please help me write a really compelling cold email”
'Help me write' and 'really compelling' are vague-verb filler — the model will produce a generic template that could be for any product on earth.
swap: 'help me write a really compelling cold email' → 'write a cold email, max 150 words, that opens with the prospect's pain, not a compliment'
Replace feeling-words like 'compelling' with structural specs: length, opening move, and what the CTA must do.
“that converts well”
'Converts well' is an unmeasurable wish with no defined action — the model can't write toward a conversion it can't see (demo booking? reply? link click?).
add: 'The CTA is a single question asking for a 20-minute demo call — no links, no attachments'
Name the exact conversion action in every sales-copy prompt; the model writes to a target, not a vibe.
“for my SaaS startup”
'SaaS startup' is the widest possible category — it gives the model no ICP, no pain point, no differentiator, and no reason the prospect should care.
add: '[Product] does [X] for [ICP]. Their biggest pain is [Y]. We solve it by [Z].'
Cold email copy lives or dies on specificity — always supply product, ICP, pain point, and differentiator before asking for a draft.
“please”
Polite filler burns token space and signals to the model that softness is the right register — cold emails need directness, not courtesy.
cut: 'please'
Strip all politeness scaffolding from prompts — it wastes space and leaks into the output's tone.
You are a B2B cold email specialist who writes for SaaS companies with sub-20% open rates and needs to fix that fast. Write one cold email for the following brief: - Product: [Name] — [one-sentence description of what it does] - ICP: [Job title] at [company type/size] - Their #1 pain: [specific problem they lose sleep over] - Our differentiator: [why we solve it better or faster than alternatives] - Desired action: a reply agreeing to a 20-minute demo call (no links, no attachments) Rules: - Max 120 words in the email body - Subject line: max 7 words, no emoji, no 'quick question' - Opening line: reference the prospect's pain or context — never a compliment or 'I hope this finds you well' - One CTA only, phrased as a low-friction question (e.g. 'Worth a 20-minute call this week?') - No buzzwords: 'synergy', 'game-changer', 'revolutionary', 'seamless', 'leverage' - Tone: direct, peer-to-peer, no corporate softness Deliver: 1. Subject line 2. Email body 3. One-sentence note on why the opening line earns attention
https://getmeerkat.dev/roast/fdmyn9dgq9