# CRISPR Brief — Partner/Referral Ask Template
## Draft: personalize before use. Do not send without owner approval.

---

## When to use this template

Use this when an existing warm biotech contact (VC scout, associate, or research coordinator) has subscribed or read Issue Zero and mentioned colleagues who also track CRISPR deal flow.

This is a **consented peer referral** — the original contact vouches for CRISPR Brief to a known peer. Do not use this as cold outreach.

---

## When NOT to use this template

| Situation | Action |
|-----------|--------|
| Contact said "not interested" | Do not send — respect the no |
| No explicit referral consent from original contact | Ask first: "Do you know anyone else who'd find this useful?" |
| Recipient is a cold prospect (no peer vouch) | Use the warm intro template instead |
| Community prohibits peer recommendations | Check community guidelines; use community referral ask instead |
| Original contact is not a verified subscriber or reader | Confirm engagement before asking for referral |

---

## Consent verification checklist

Before sending the referral ask, confirm all three:

- [ ] Original contact has explicitly mentioned a colleague OR owner asked and received positive response
- [ ] The "[Contact Name]" field is accurate — do not fabricate a peer referral
- [ ] Recipient is a real warm prospect with a known peer connection to the referring contact

---

### Referral Email / LinkedIn Message

```
Subject: CRISPR Brief — worth a look if you track gene-editing deal flow

Hi [Name],

[Contact Name] mentioned you track the CRISPR gene-editing space 
and thought CRISPR Brief might be useful for your deal screening.

It's a twice-monthly brief — one bioRxiv preprint, one FDA filing, 
one pipeline move per cycle. Written for scouts and VCs, not 
broad biotech coverage.

Issue Zero is free and no account needed:
https://store-v2-khaki.vercel.app/crispr-brief-issue-zero.html

Happy to share if it's useful for your work.
```

> **Character count:** ~430 chars — appropriate for LinkedIn DM or email  
> **Trigger required:** The referral must come from a real contact who knows both the recipient and the sender. Do not fabricate the "[Contact Name] mentioned you" line.  
> **No price in referral.** The one-pager handles pricing. The referral ask's only job is delivering the Issue Zero link.

---

### What to say vs. not say

| Say this | Not this |
|---|---|
| "[Contact] suggested I reach out — you're on their radar for CRISPR deal flow" | "I found your profile and thought you'd like this" |
| "If you know other scouts tracking gene-editing, feel free to forward" | "Please share with your entire team" |
| "No pressure — Issue Zero is free if you want to preview first" | "It's only $10/mo" |
| "I review every submission — only sharing what's genuinely useful for deal scouts" | "Subscribe now for updates" |

---

### What to track after sending

After sending the referral ask, track these 4 metrics to evaluate channel effectiveness:

1. Does the referred contact click Issue Zero within 48 hours?
2. Does the referred contact subscribe at $10/mo?
3. Does the referring subscriber confirm they made the intro?
4. Do any new free subscribers mention the referring contact by name?

---

### Consensual follow-up skeleton

If no response after 5 business days, and original contact confirmed the intro was made:

```
Subject: Re: CRISPR Brief — [Contact Name] thought you might find this useful

Hi [Name],

Following up on the CRISPR Brief referral from [Contact Name].

Just a quick note in case the earlier message got buried — 
Issue Zero is still free and no account needed:
https://store-v2-khaki.vercel.app/crispr-brief-issue-zero.html

No pressure if the timing isn't right.
```

> **When to use this:** Only after 5 business days AND only if the original contact confirmed the intro was made. Do not follow up if the contact said they did not make the intro.

---

### Legal / ToS notes

1. **No mass distribution.** This template is for 1:1 personalized referral, not group mailing lists or community broadcasts.
2. **No fabricated referrals.** The "[Contact Name]" line must be accurate — never invented.
3. **Respect opt-out.** If recipient said "not interested" in any prior communication, do not send.
4. **Community guidelines first.** If posting in a Slack or community forum, verify peer recommendations are allowed before using this template.
5. **Tracking is internal.** The 4-metric tracking section is for owner use only — do not share conversion data with third parties.

---

### What to say instead (peer-referral framing)

| Say this | Not this |
|---|---|
| "[Contact] suggested I reach out — you're on their radar for CRISPR deal flow" | "I found your profile and thought you'd like this" |
| "If you know other scouts tracking gene-editing, feel free to forward" | "Please share with your entire team" |
| "No pressure — Issue Zero is free if you want to preview first" | "It's only $10/mo" |

---

### Funnel this template closes

```
Existing warm contact (subscriber or Issue Zero reader)
  → Mentions colleague who tracks CRISPR deal flow
  → Owner or contact sends referral template (personalized)
  → Colleague clicks Issue Zero
  → Subscribes at $10/mo
  → New paid subscriber — second-dollar conversion
```

**The referral ask is the mechanism that scales from 1 warm contact to a network.** Without a referral template, the funnel is linear (1 contact → 1 subscriber). With a referral template, the funnel becomes a network effect: 1 contact → N colleagues who each receive a trusted peer referral.

---

### Owner checklist before use

- [ ] Original contact has consented to the referral (they mentioned a colleague, or owner asks "Do you know anyone else who'd find this useful?")
- [ ] Recipient is a real warm prospect (not a cold contact)
- [ ] [Contact Name] is accurate — do not fabricate peer referrals
- [ ] Issue Zero URL confirmed live: `curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://store-v2-khaki.vercel.app/crispr-brief-issue-zero.html`
- [ ] Referral ask is owner-sent or contact-sent (not cron-sent without consent)
- [ ] Consent verification checklist complete (3/3 items checked above)