Zack Arnold的VSA冷邮件公式：价值、故事与请求
How To Connect With Anyone
针对独立开发者/创作者最头疼的“冷启动”人脉问题，给出了具体的VSA写作框架和可执行的段落结构，直接可用。
Zack Arnold spent the first two decades of his career as an award-winning Hollywood filmmaker, editor, and producer (notable credits include Cobra Kai, Empire, Burn Notice, and GO FAR: The Christopher Rush Story). He has now transitioned to spending his days as a creative career coach (or as his students jokingly refer to him, a “career therapist”) at The Arnold Academy, talking to fascinating people on The Zack Arnold Podcast, and writing on Substack about the intersection of living as analog humans in a world being overrun by the robots.
Zack Arnold 在职业生涯的前二十年里，是一位屡获殊荣的好莱坞电影人、剪辑师和制片人（代表作品包括《眼镜蛇道场》、《帝国》、《绝命警探》以及《GO FAR: The Christopher Rush Story》）。如今，他转型为创意职业教练（或者用他的学生开玩笑的说法，是“职业治疗师”），在 Arnold Academy 工作，通过《Zack Arnold 播客》与有趣的人交流，并在 Substack 上撰写文章，探讨在一个被机器人席卷的世界中，作为模拟人类如何生活。
As you'll read below, I met Zack through a cold email! And I'm glad I did. He's a generous teacher and a genuine cold-email artist. After booking one of the most impressive conference lineups I've ever seen, I convinced him to share his secrets.
正如你将在下文读到的，我是通过一封冷邮件认识 Zack 的！我很庆幸自己发了那封邮件。他是一位慷慨的老师，也是一位真正的冷邮件高手。在促成我见过的最令人印象深刻的会议阵容之一后，我说服他分享了他的秘诀。
It feels like the only way to thrive as a content creator anymore is to please the algorithms. Follow the data. Post EVERYWHERE. Yet no matter what you try, it seems like everyone’s stats are skyrocketing but yours. 😔
感觉现在内容创作者要想蓬勃发展，唯一的办法就是取悦算法。追随数据。在每一个平台发布。然而，无论你尝试什么，似乎每个人的统计数据都在飙升，唯独你的没有。😔
While you’re treading water, the people you follow and admire are killing it! You scroll their feeds. You devour their podcasts. You binge their TED Talks. And you’d love to know how they got where they are so you can, too. Yet despite your desire to connect, you’re instead frozen in place with a raging case of FORO.
当你还在原地踏步时，你所关注和钦佩的人却做得风生水起！你浏览他们的动态，你如饥似渴地收听他们的播客，你 binge-watch 他们的 TED 演讲。你渴望知道他们是如何取得如今的成就，以便自己也能够做到。然而，尽管你渴望建立联系，你却因严重的 FORO（Fear Of Reaching Out，不敢主动联系的恐惧）而僵在原地。
Fear. Of. Reaching. Out.
恐惧。不敢。主动联系。
Who are you to think you can reach out cold and connect with this person?! Clearly your work isn’t good enough. You don’t have enough subscribers. Or revenue. Or book sales. Or you’re horribly introverted and don’t know what to say. And no way you are going to bother someone that important.
你有什么资格认为自己可以主动联系并与此人建立联系呢？显然，你的作品还不够好。你的订阅者不够多。或者收入不够。或者书籍销量不够。又或者你极度内向，不知道该说什么。而且你绝不会去打扰那样重要的人物。
But here’s the thing…there is a much simpler way to connect with people you consider “unreachable” that doesn’t require pitching yourself, spamming via LinkedIn DM’s, or using the robots to do your outreach for you. And on the other end of that cold outreach will be someone delighted to hear from you, eager to connect, and potentially even collaborate with you!
但关键在于……有一种更简单的方法可以与那些你认为“遥不可及”的人建立联系，这种方法不需要推销你自己，不需要通过 LinkedIn 私信发送垃圾信息，也不需要让机器人替你进行外联。而在这一端，将会有一位很高兴收到你消息、渴望与你建立联系，甚至可能与你合作的人！
Because I still believe in the power of genuine human connection, I'm launching The Connection Conference, a 5-day virtual event (Oct 19-23) that brings together the world's top thought leaders—like Adam Grant, Will Guidara, Angela Duckworth, David Epstein, Susan Cain, Ethan Mollick, Priya Parker, and even THE Jay Clouse!—to teach us how to reach out and expand our networks in a more authentic way...without the algorithms (or the robots).
因为我依然相信真诚人际连接的力量，我正在推出 The Connection Conference（连接大会），这是一个为期 5 天的线上活动（10 月 19-23 日），汇聚了全球顶尖的思想领袖——如 Adam Grant、Will Guidara、Angela Duckworth、David Epstein、Susan Cain、Ethan Mollick、Priya Parker，甚至是 THE Jay Clouse！——来教导我们如何以更真实的方式主动联系他人并扩展人脉……无需依赖算法（或机器人）。
You might be asking...how did an under-the-radar creative career coach with no social following, no YouTube channel, and an email list under 5k book TEN New York Times bestselling authors with a combined 115 million TED Talk views?
你可能会问……一个默默无闻的创意职业教练，没有社交媒体粉丝、没有 YouTube 频道、邮件列表不到 5000 人，是怎么让十位《纽约时报》畅销书作家（他们的 TED 演讲总观看量达 1.15 亿次）接受邀约的？
Simple. Cold emails.
很简单。冷邮件。
I've spent the last ten years working with hundreds of students and clients developing a cold outreach formula (read: NOT a template) that has a 70% response rate. When done well, your outreach will not only receive responses but also enthusiastic responses, helpful responses, and most importantly human responses.
过去十年里，我与数百名学生和客户合作，开发出一套冷触达公式（读作：不是模板），回复率高达 70%。如果执行得当，你的触达不仅能收到回复，还能收到热情的回复、有帮助的回复，以及最重要的是，人性化的回复。
I call it → The VSA Outreach Formula™
我称之为 → VSA 触达公式™
- V - Value.
- S - Story.
- A - Ask.
- V - 价值 (Value)。
- S - 故事 (Story)。
- A - 请求 (Ask)。
This cold outreach formula (coupled with warm introductions from other speakers) helped me book every single guest for this conference with no formal pitch, no proposal, and no webpage. Two cold emails landed me NINE YEARS of editing work (on the shows Cobra Kai and Burn Notice) in the most difficult industry to break into, Hollywood.
这套冷触达公式（加上来自其他演讲者的暖引荐）帮助我为本次大会邀请了每一位嘉宾，无需正式推介、无需提案、也无需网页。仅凭两封冷邮件，我就在进入难度最大的行业——好莱坞，获得了为期九年的编辑工作（参与《凯格之战》和《绝命毒师》之外的剧集《火线警告》）。
I’ve had students use cold outreach to secure Zoom calls and lunches with Oscar winners, connect with future mentors, and even land dream jobs from a single email.
我的学生曾利用冷触达与奥斯卡获奖者安排 Zoom 通话和午餐，结识未来的导师，甚至仅凭一封邮件就获得了梦寐以求的工作。
And if you don't believe me, ask Adam Grant himself!
如果你不信，去问问亚当·格兰特本人吧！
"I remember when I got your first email, and I thought, wow, this is a masterclass in how to write a cold email. It was on my top five list of the best cold emails I've ever gotten from readers. I don't think I've ever gotten an email from you that didn't communicate this guy really cares about other people."
"我记得收到你第一封邮件时，心想哇，这简直是一堂关于如何撰写冷邮件的大师课。它排在我收到的读者最佳冷邮件前五名之列。我想不起有哪封你的邮件没有传达出这个人真的在乎他人。"
I didn't reach out to Adam Grant because he's sold millions of books or his TED Talks have millions of views. I reached out to Adam because I genuinely admired the way he writes and what he writes about. But more importantly, I admired Adam's mission: The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed.
我联系亚当·格兰特并不是因为他卖出了数百万本书或他的 TED 演讲有数百万次观看。我联系他是因为我真心钦佩他的写作方式和他所写的内容。但更重要的是，我钦佩亚当的使命：取得成功最有意义的方式是帮助他人成功。
Outreach is not about optimizing CRM’s or doing anything “scalable.”
触达并非为了优化 CRM 或做任何‘可扩展’的事情。
Human outreach requires following your intuition. Putting in real effort. And then taking a few big swings.
人性化触达需要跟随你的直觉。付出真正的努力。然后大胆尝试几次。
Begin by thinking of someone you genuinely admire that you’d love to ask a few questions–or even someone you'd kill to collaborate with–and then think about why.
首先，想出一个你真正钦佩的人，你想向他请教几个问题——或者哪怕是你渴望与之合作的人——然后思考为什么。
For example, you’re reading this newsletter because upon discovering Creator Science, I just knew I had to connect with Jay! Not because he had more podcast downloads than me (which did help), and not because Jay has a much larger email list than me (also helped), but because Jay and I share so many of the same values. Authenticity. Trust. Playing the long game. Treating every customer with respect.
例如，你正在阅读这封通讯，是因为在发现 Creator Science 之后，我立刻觉得必须与 Jay 取得联系！并不是因为他比我拥有更多的播客下载量（这确实有帮助），也不是因为 Jay 的邮件列表比我大得多（这也起了作用），而是因为我和 Jay 有着许多共同的价值观。真实性。信任。着眼长远。尊重每一位客户。
To help you identify someone you really want to connect with, begin by finding a shared mission and shared values. Then ask yourself:
为了帮助你确定真正想要建立联系的人，首先找到共同的使命和价值观。然后问自己：
- Where do you want your creator business to be in the next few years?
- What's stopping you from getting there?
- Who can help you overcome your obstacles and achieve your goals?
- 在未来几年里，你希望你的创作者业务发展到什么程度？
- 是什么阻碍了你到达那里？
- 谁能帮助你克服障碍并实现目标？
Once you've identified someone you genuinely want to connect with—and ideally even collaborate with in the future—it's time to draft that outreach!
一旦你确定了真正想要建立联系的人——理想情况下甚至未来能合作的人——就该起草那封外联邮件了！
Step #1: Open your message delivering VALUE.
第一步：在信息中提供价值。
Value doesn't mean offering your services for free or showering someone with empty flattery. Delivering value is so much simpler than you think: Just make this person and their work feel seen.
提供价值并不意味着免费提供服务或向某人倾倒空洞的奉承。提供价值比你想象的要简单得多：只是让这个人及其作品感到被看见。
This requires doing your homework. Actually watching their videos. Actually reading their books or posts. Then not only sharing what resonated with you but also why it resonated. Sure, the robots could summarize their content for you, but they can't summarize the feelings this person's content created inside of you.
这需要你做足功课。真正观看他们的视频。真正阅读他们的书籍或帖子。然后不仅分享什么引起了你的共鸣，还要解释为什么引起共鸣。当然，机器人可以为你总结他们的内容，但它们无法总结这个人的内容在你内心激发的感受。
Here’s the VALUE paragraph of my initial outreach to Jay:
这是我初次联系 Jay 的外联邮件中的“价值”段落：
Subject: thank you for bringing integrity to the creator space
主题：感谢你为创作者领域带来诚信
Hi Jay,
嗨 Jay，
I recently discovered you because of your guest appearance in the Kit documentary series about rebranding (I'm in rebranding hell as we speak). I had never heard of you and your platform, but I am now HOOKED. I very much appreciate the honesty & integrity you bring to your content, not to mention the attention to detail. I also appreciate how clearly your values & purpose are in alignment with the work you do, even if that means you're "leaving money on the table." You've inspired me to believe it is possible to continue growing my creative community without making compromises I'm not willing to make (e.g. I'll die before I'm on TikTok!).
我最近因为你在关于重塑品牌（rebranding）的 Kit 纪录片系列中的客座亮相而发现了你（正如我们所说，我正处于重塑品牌的痛苦中）。我以前从未听说过你和你的平台，但我现在彻底着迷了。我非常欣赏你为内容带来的诚实与诚信，更不用说对细节的关注了。我也欣赏你的价值观和目标与你所做的工作高度一致，即使这意味着你“放弃了到手的钱”。你激励我相信，在不做出我不愿意做出的妥协的情况下（例如，我宁愿死也不会去 TikTok！），继续壮大我的创意社区是可能的。
As is customary for the majority of my cold outreach, I didn’t just get a response, I got an enthusiastic response that delivered joy to Jay’s inbox!
就像我大多数冷外联邮件的惯例一样，我不仅得到了回复，而且得到了一份充满热情的回复，给 Jay 的收件箱带来了喜悦！
Hey Zack! Despite my slow response here, I want you to know I read this email as soon as it came in and it meant a lot to me. In fact, I saved it to my feel goods folder!
嘿 Zack！尽管我在这里回复较慢，但我想让你知道，我一收到这封邮件就读了它，这对我意义重大。事实上，我把这封邮件保存到了我的“愉悦文件夹”里！
Human connection? Check!
人际连接？搞定！
Step #2: Tell a clear and compelling STORY.
步骤 #2：讲述一个清晰且引人入胜的故事。
Which story you tell largely depends on the context of your outreach. Are you seeking guidance and expertise? Requesting a referral? Or making the direct approach to collaborate?
你讲述的故事在很大程度上取决于你外联的语境。你是寻求指导和专业知识？请求推荐？还是直接提出合作？
If you’re seeking guidance and expertise from someone further down the same path, your story paragraph needs to make the following clear:
如果你是在向处于同一条路径上更靠前的人寻求指导和专业知识，你的故事段落需要明确以下几点：
- Where are you now?
- Where are you going next?
- What's stopping you from getting there?
- 你目前在哪里？
- 你下一步要去哪里？
- 是什么阻碍了你到达那里？
Here’s a condensed version of my STORY paragraph to Jay:
以下是我发给 Jay 的故事段落的精简版：
更进一步：量化金融体系
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