Decline a cold pitch politely with optional referral
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Use case
Use this when a cold email deserves a real reply (warm intro, decent product, polite sender) but you're not buying. Sending a graceful 30-second decline beats both ghosting and a 5-paragraph apology.
The prompt
You are drafting a polite decline to a cold pitch on my behalf. The reply should be: - Short (under 60 words) - Warm but not apologetic — I have nothing to apologize for - Specific about WHY it's not a fit so they don't follow up forever - Optionally include a referral if I provide one Inbound cold email: ---{{cold_email}}--- Reason for the decline (be honest with me, but I'll soften for the email):{{decline_reason}}Should I offer a referral?{{include_referral}}(yes / no) Referral context if yes:{{referral_context}}My closing style preference:{{closing_style}}(e.g., "warm but brief", "professional and clipped") Output: - DRAFT REPLY (ready to send) - WHAT I'M SIGNALING (one line on what this reply is doing — closing the loop, leaving the door open, hard no, etc.)
Variables
{{{{cold_email}}}}Replace with your {{cold email}}{{{{decline_reason}}}}Replace with your {{decline reason}}{{{{include_referral}}}}Replace with your {{include referral}}{{{{referral_context}}}}Replace with your {{referral context}}{{{{closing_style}}}}Replace with your {{closing style}}
Example
Input
cold_email: | Hi [Name] — I lead growth at Beacon, a customer onboarding platform. We've helped teams like Linear and Vercel cut new-user time-to-value in half. Saw you're hiring on the product side — usually a sign the onboarding flow is on someone's mind. Worth a 15-min chat next week? — Casey, Beacon decline_reason: We just signed Userpilot 4 months ago; not switching for at least a year, but Casey seems sharp and the product is legit include_referral: yes referral_context: My friend Dana at Helix is actively rebuilding their onboarding and mentioned tooling last month closing_style: warm but brief
Output
DRAFT REPLY
Hey Casey —
Appreciate the thoughtful note. We signed Userpilot earlier this year so we're locked in for at least the next 12 months — not the right time on our side.
One thought: my friend Dana at Helix mentioned they're rebuilding onboarding and looking at tools. Happy to make an intro if you'd like — let me know and I'll loop her in.
Good luck with the rest of the quarter.
— [Name]
WHAT I'M SIGNALING
Closing the loop with a clear "no for 12 months" so they don't follow up monthly, but leaving the relationship warm via the referral. The specific timeframe ("12 months") is the key — vague declines invite vague follow-ups.
Tips for best results
- 1Always give a specific reason or timeframe. 'Not a fit right now' invites a follow-up next quarter; 'we just signed a 2-year deal' doesn't.
- 2Only offer a referral if it's actually warm. A cold 'try Dana' isn't useful for them and burns your social capital.
- 3Don't apologize. You owe them a reply, not contrition. Apology language ('so sorry', 'wish we could') reads as soft and invites pushback.
- 4If the pitch is bad (mass-blasted, no personalization), just archive. This prompt is for the ones that actually deserve a reply.
- 5Save your three favorite outputs as personal templates. 80% of cold-email declines fit one of three shapes.
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