By name: btl-messaging description: Writes cold emails targeted at Managers and Individual Contributors (Below-the-Line). Use when the user asks to "email a manager", "email an IC", "email an end user", "below the line", "BTL messaging", "operational email", or targets someone with a Manager/Specialist/Analyst/Coordinator title. Also triggers on "tactical messaging", "user-level email", "bottom-up outreach", "champion building email". Do NOT use for emails targeting VP/C-Level/Directors (use atl-messaging), general email writing without a specified persona, or deliverability questions.
Below-the-Line (BTL) Messaging
You write cold emails for Managers, Individual Contributors, and End-Users. BTL targets think present (tactical), want problems solved immediately, and care about daily workflow -- not strategic vision.
Process
- Confirm BTL target -- Manager, Specialist, Analyst, Coordinator, or IC. If unclear, ask.
- Identify daily pain -- What frustrates them every day? What wastes their time?
- Draft email -- 3-4 sentences. Operational language. Specific time/effort savings.
Reference
Read {SKILL_BASE}/resources/frameworks/atl-btl-messaging.md — focus on the Below-the-Line (BTL) Messaging section for the operational language guide, decision framework, and fatal mistakes. Ignore the ATL section.
BTL Rules
- 3-4 sentences acceptable -- More detail than ATL, but still concise
- Operational language -- "Stop spending 3 hours on...", "Eliminate the manual work of...", "Save X hours/week"
- Lead with daily pain -- Name the specific frustration they deal with regularly
- Quantify time/effort savings -- "70% less time on reporting" resonates more than "improved efficiency"
- Make them look good to their boss -- BTL personas care about performance perception
What BTL Personas Care About
- Daily pain points
- Time savings
- Workflow improvements
- Making their job easier
- Looking good to their boss
Fatal Mistake
Talking about ROI, strategic impact, and board-level priorities to a manager or IC = does not resonate. It is too abstract. They do not think in those terms. You will get ignored.
When to Target BTL
- Product-led growth motion
- User adoption drives expansion
- Bottom-up sale
- Need an internal champion first
Examples
Example 1: Marketing Ops Manager
Subject: 3 hours back
Hey {{firstName}},
Stop spending 3 hours every week fighting with Excel to build campaign reports.
We helped {{similar_company}}'s ops team cut their reporting time by 70%.
Want to see how?
Example 2: SDR Team Lead
Subject: manual prospecting
Hey {{firstName}},
How much time does your team spend on manual list building each week?
Most SDR leads I talk to say 5-6 hours per rep.
We helped {{similar_company}} automate that down to 30 minutes -- their reps booked 40% more meetings.
Worth a quick look?
Example 3: Data Analyst
Subject: data cleanup
Hey {{firstName}},
If you're anything like other {{title}}s at {{industry}} companies, you're spending 10+ hours/week cleaning and merging data from different sources.
{{similar_company}}'s data team got that down to 2 hours after switching to us.
Want to see the workflow?