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Your first fractional CMO clients will come from direct, specific messages to founders at the moment they need marketing help. Below are complete templates for the situations where that need is most obvious. Fill in the brackets, send 10 a day, and track replies in a spreadsheet.

All guidesFor founders of a fractional CMO service

1. Founder who just raised a seed round

Subject: Marketing after the [Round] raise Hi [First name], congrats on the [Amount] raise for [Company]. Most seed teams I talk to need pipeline before they can justify a full-time VP Marketing. I run marketing for [Number] B2B startups part-time, usually 2 days a week. I'd look at your current [channel, e.g. outbound or content] and send you 3 specific fixes, free, no call needed. Want them? [Your name] Use this within two weeks of a raise announced on Crunchbase, TechCrunch or the founder's LinkedIn.

2. Company hiring a Head of Marketing

Hi [First name], I saw [Company] is hiring a [Head of Marketing / Marketing Manager]. While you search, which often takes 3 to 4 months, I can run marketing as a fractional CMO so the pipeline doesn't stall. I've done this for [type of company, e.g. B2B SaaS at 1 to 3M ARR]. Open to a 20-minute call this week to see if a stopgap makes sense? [Your name] Use this when you find the role on LinkedIn Jobs, Wellfound or Y Combinator's Work at a Startup.

3. Founder complaining about marketing in public

Hi [First name], read your post about [their exact complaint, e.g. agencies burning budget with no leads]. I see this a lot with [stage] companies. The usual fix is [one concrete fix, e.g. killing paid ads until positioning is clear and starting founder-led LinkedIn plus outbound]. Happy to share how I'd sequence it for [Company] if useful. [Your name] Use this on LinkedIn or X posts where a founder or CEO vents about marketing, found by searching phrases like "marketing agency" "wasted" or "hiring a CMO".

4. Warm intro request to your network

Hi [First name], I've started a fractional CMO practice helping [type of company, e.g. B2B SaaS founders between seed and Series A] build their first repeatable pipeline. Do you know one founder who is doing marketing themselves and hates it? A one-line intro would mean a lot. Here's a blurb you can forward: "[Your name] runs marketing part-time for early startups. Worth 20 minutes if marketing is on your plate." Thanks, [Your name] Use this with former colleagues, ex-bosses and anyone who has seen your marketing work firsthand.

5. Community post offering free audits

Title: Free 30-minute marketing teardown for 5 early-stage founders I'm a fractional CMO, previously [your relevant role, e.g. Head of Growth at Company]. I'm taking 5 free teardowns this month. You send your site and current channels, I record a Loom with what I'd change and what I'd stop. No pitch at the end unless you ask. Comment or DM me with [Company URL] and your biggest marketing problem. Use this in Indie Hackers, r/startups, r/SaaS weekly threads, or founder Slack groups like Online Geniuses, where self-promotion rules allow it.

6. Follow-up after a free audit

Hi [First name], hope the teardown was useful. If you want help executing it, I'd take on [2 to 3 items from the audit] over the next 90 days, about [days per week] a week, for [monthly price]. If it doesn't move [specific metric, e.g. demo bookings] in the first 30 days, you can cancel. Want me to send a one-page plan? [Your name] Use this 3 to 5 days after delivering a free audit to anyone who replied with a thank you or a question.

7. Agency or fractional peer partnership

Hi [First name], I'm a fractional CMO for [type of company]. Your clients sometimes need strategy above [their service, e.g. paid ads or design], and mine often need execution you're great at. Want to swap referrals? I'll send you the next [service] project I see. 15 minutes this week? [Your name] Use this with small agencies, fractional CFOs and fractional heads of sales who serve the same founders, found on LinkedIn or the Pavilion and Superpath communities. If you want this done daily, Hulby, an AI cofounder, finds these triggers and drafts these messages for a founder every day.

Mistakes to skip

  • Opening with your bio instead of their situation.
  • Sending the same message to every founder without a trigger like a raise or job post.
  • Pitching a retainer before giving one piece of free, specific value.
  • Not following up. Most replies come on the second or third message.

Want this done for your fractional CMO service, every day?

Hulby finds the people asking for what you built, writes every reply and email, and keeps you on it until they pay. Free to start.

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Questions

How many DMs should I send a day?

Ten personalized messages a day is enough to land a first client within a few weeks if your targeting is tight.

Should I include my price in the first message?

No. Share price after they show interest, ideally in the follow-up after a free audit.

LinkedIn or email?

Use LinkedIn for founders active on it and email for everyone else. Test both and keep what gets replies.

Who should I target first?

Founders and CEOs of B2B startups between seed and Series A who have no marketing hire yet.