Cold Outreach Module

OPENCLAW
COLD OUTREACH

How to set up AI-powered cold email outreach using OpenClaw. The same system that generated 32 booked meetings in 72 hours — and closed 1 client from just 10 emails.

Meetings Booked

in 72 hours

Client Closed

from 10 emails

~$64

Total Cost

for 5-day operation

01 — Prerequisites

WHAT YOU NEED

Before running the cold outreach workflow, you need four core components installed and configured in OpenClaw.

ClawHub Skill

API Gateway Skill

The ClawHub skill that allows OpenClaw to make outbound API calls. Required for connecting to email validation, search, and sending tools.

API Key Required

Brave Search API Key

Used by the agent to research prospects in real time — finding company info, recent news, and personalization hooks before writing each email.

Integration

Email Validation Tool

Validates prospect email addresses before sending to protect your sender reputation and maintain high deliverability rates.

AI Model

Minimax M2.5 Model

The recommended AI model for this workflow. Provides the right balance of writing quality, instruction-following, and cost efficiency for cold email generation.

02 — Setup

STEP-BY-STEP SETUP

Follow these 7 steps to get your cold outreach workflow running. Assumes OpenClaw is already installed and your Gateway is running.

Install the API Gateway Skill from ClawHub

Visit clawhub.ai and find the API Gateway skill. Follow the installation instructions — this is typically a command you run in your connected chat interface. This skill is the foundation that allows all external API integrations to function.

Obtain and Configure a Brave Search API Key

Sign up at brave.com/search/api to get your API key. Add it to your OpenClaw configuration as an environment variable or through the web UI's secrets manager. This enables your agent to research prospects in real time before drafting each email.

Connect an Email Validation Service

Integrate an email validation tool (such as NeverBounce, ZeroBounce, or Hunter.io) via the API Gateway skill. Configure the API key in your OpenClaw secrets. Email validation runs before every send to protect your sender reputation and ensure deliverability.

Set the Minimax M2.5 Model as Active

In your connected chat interface, switch to the Minimax model:

bash

/model minimax/minimax-m2.5

This model is specifically recommended for cold email generation due to its writing quality and cost efficiency.

Connect Your Sending Email (Gmail)

Connect your Gmail account through the OpenClaw web UI under Channels → Email. For high-volume sending (more than 50 emails/day), add a dedicated cold email sending tool such as Instantly.ai or Smartlead and connect it via the API Gateway skill instead of sending directly through Gmail.

Build Your Prospect List

Prepare a CSV or structured list of prospects with the following fields: First Name, Company, Website URL, LinkedIn URL. The agent will use Brave Search to enrich each prospect with recent news, company context, and personalization hooks at runtime.

Run the Outreach Workflow

Trigger the workflow from your connected chat interface by providing your prospect list and outreach goal. The agent will research each prospect, apply the "3 Specifics" framework (see below), validate the email, and send. Monitor results in real time through the chat.

03 — The Framework

THE "3 SPECIFICS" FRAMEWORK

This is the research and copywriting method that makes AI cold emails actually work. The agent uses Brave Search to find three specific, verifiable facts about each prospect before writing a single word.

Specific Observation

A verifiable, specific fact about the prospect's business — a recent funding round, a new product launch, a job posting, a press mention, or a recent LinkedIn post. Not generic praise.

"I saw you just launched your new SEO audit service last month..."

Specific Pain or Goal

Connect the observation to a specific pain point or growth goal that your service solves. This must be logical and direct — not a stretch.

"...which means you're probably trying to scale client acquisition without adding headcount..."

Specific Offer

A concrete, specific offer — not 'let's hop on a call.' State exactly what you'll deliver, for whom, and what outcome they can expect.

"...I help agencies like yours book 10–15 qualified discovery calls per month using AI outreach. Want me to show you how?"

Example Output Email

Subject: Quick question about your SEO audit launch

Hey [First Name],

Saw you launched your new SEO audit service last month — congrats on the expansion.

I'm guessing the challenge now is filling the pipeline for it without burning your team on manual outreach.

I help digital agencies book 10–15 qualified discovery calls per month using AI-powered cold email. One of our clients closed their first retainer from this system within 10 days of going live.

Worth a 15-minute call to see if it makes sense for you?

[Your Name]

04 — Cost

WHAT DOES IT COST?

A full 5-day cold outreach operation runs at approximately $64 total. Here's the breakdown.

Component	Type	Est. Cost
Minimax M2.5 Model	AI Model (per-token)	~$20–30
Brave Search API	Search (per query)	~$5–10
Email Validation	Per-email validation	~$5–10
OpenClaw Hosting (VPS)	Monthly (prorated)	~$10–15
Email Sending Tool	Monthly (if using Instantly)	~$0–10
Total (5-day operation)		~$64

Costs vary based on list size, search volume, and model usage. The figures above are based on a typical 5-day outreach campaign targeting 200–500 prospects.

05 — FAQ

COMMON QUESTIONS

OPENCLAW NOT SET UP YET?

Before running cold outreach, you need OpenClaw installed and your Gateway running. Start with the setup guide.

Back to Setup Guide

OPENCLAWCOLD OUTREACH