How to Send Outreach Emails
Send personalized outreach emails to hiring managers directly from Stori. Connect your Gmail or Outlook, use template variables and AI-assisted drafting, embed your video intro, and track engagement.
Overview
Stori's email outreach lets you contact hiring managers directly from your own email address. Emails are sent through your connected Gmail or Outlook account — not from a generic Stori address — so they land in the recipient's inbox naturally and you can continue the conversation from your own email.
The email system includes template variables for personalization, AI-assisted drafting, video intro embedding, and open/reply tracking. This feature is available on the Outreach plan ($34/mo).
Connecting Gmail or Outlook
Before sending emails through Stori, you need to connect your email account. Stori supports Gmail and Outlook via OAuth — a secure connection method that never requires you to share your password with Stori.
Go to Settings
Navigate to Settings from your dashboard.
Find the email integration section
Look for the Gmail / Outlook connection option under your account or integrations settings.
Click Connect
Choose Gmail or Outlook and follow the OAuth authorization flow. You will be redirected to Google or Microsoft to grant Stori permission to send emails on your behalf.
Authorize permissions
Review the permissions requested and click "Allow" or "Accept." Stori requests only the minimum permissions needed to send emails and track delivery.
Stori does not read your inbox or access existing emails. It only uses the connection to send outreach emails you compose within Stori and track whether those specific emails are opened or replied to.
Composing Emails
The Stori email composer provides several tools to help you write effective outreach:
Select a recipient
Choose an unlocked contact from your Shortlist, or enter an email address manually.
Write your subject line
Keep it short, specific, and relevant. Avoid generic subjects like "Job Inquiry" — instead, reference the specific role or something relevant to the company.
Compose the body
Write your message using the rich text editor. You can type from scratch, use a template, or let the AI assistant help you draft.
Use template variables (optional)
Insert dynamic placeholders that auto-fill with the correct information for each recipient. This makes it easy to personalize emails at scale.
Embed your video intro (optional)
Add your Personal Intro video as an embedded thumbnail. Recipients can click it to watch your video — making your outreach far more personal and memorable.
Preview and send
Preview how the email will look to the recipient, then click Send. The email is sent from your connected Gmail or Outlook account.
Template Variables
Template variables are placeholders that automatically populate with the correct information for each recipient. Use them by typing the variable name wrapped in double curly braces:
| Variable | What it inserts |
|---|---|
| {{contactName}} | The recipient's full name |
| {{firstName}} | The recipient's first name |
| {{candidateTitle}} | Your current job title from your profile |
| {{companyName}} | The recipient's company name |
| {{company}} | The recipient's company name (alias) |
| {{myName}} | Your full name from your profile |
| {{profileUrl}} | A link to your Stori profile |
Example: "Hi {{firstName}}, I saw the opening at {{companyName}} and wanted to share my background..."
Always preview your email before sending to verify that template variables are resolving correctly. If a variable does not have a value (e.g., the contact is missing a first name), the raw placeholder will appear — catch this in preview.
AI-Assisted Drafting
Stori's AI can help you draft outreach emails. It uses your profile, the recipient's information, and the role you are targeting to generate a personalized email draft.
- Generate a first draft — Click the AI assist button and the AI will create a complete email based on your profile and the recipient's details
- Refine existing text — Select text and ask the AI to make it more concise, more casual, or more professional
- Suggest subject lines — Get AI-generated subject line options
AI-generated emails are a starting point. Always review and personalize the draft before sending. Recipients can often detect fully automated messages, and a generic email undermines the credibility of your outreach.
Embedding Your Video Intro
One of the most powerful features of Stori outreach is the ability to embed your Personal Intro video directly in your email. When recipients receive your email, they see a clickable video thumbnail that plays your intro.
To embed your video:
- Record your Personal Intro video in the Interview section (if you have not already)
- When composing an email, click the "Embed Video Intro" option
- A video thumbnail with a play button will be inserted into your email
- When the recipient clicks the thumbnail, they are taken to your video
Emails with embedded video intros have significantly higher engagement rates. The video gives recipients a face and voice to connect with, making them far more likely to respond.
Open and Reply Tracking
Stori tracks engagement on emails sent through the platform:
- Open tracking — See when a recipient opens your email and how many times they have opened it
- Reply tracking — Get notified when a recipient responds to your email
- Video view tracking — If you embedded a video intro, see when recipients watch it
Tracking data is available in your email history and on the contact's record in your Shortlist.
If someone has opened your email multiple times but has not replied, that is often a positive signal — they are interested but may need a gentle follow-up. Wait 3-5 days and send a brief follow-up.
Follow-Up Emails
Following up is a critical part of outreach. Most responses come from follow-up emails, not the initial message. Best practices:
- Wait 3-5 business days between follow-ups
- Keep follow-ups short — 2-3 sentences is sufficient
- Add new value — Reference a new achievement, article, or piece of news about the company rather than just saying "checking in"
- Limit to 2-3 follow-ups — If someone has not responded after three attempts, move on
- Use tracking data — If you can see they opened your email, reference your previous message. If they never opened it, try a new subject line.
Never send more than one email in the same day to the same person. Space your outreach appropriately and be respectful of the recipient's time.
Email Best Practices
- Keep it brief — Hiring managers are busy. Get to the point in 3-5 sentences.
- Lead with relevance — Explain why you are reaching out and why you are a fit for the specific role in the first sentence
- Include your Stori profile link — Use the {{profileUrl}} variable so they can explore your full profile, interview, and traits
- Embed your video intro — It is the single biggest differentiator in cold outreach
- Personalize every email — Reference the company, the role, or something specific about the hiring manager. Generic templates get ignored.
- Use a professional subject line — "Senior PM interested in [Company] — with video intro" works better than "Job Inquiry"
- Proofread before sending — Preview the email and check that all template variables resolved correctly