Build an AI SDR That Writes On-Brand Outbound at Scale (Clay + Claude + n8n) with Jerry O’Shea
How to use AI and GTM Engineering to build an outbound engine that builds pipeline on demand
I’ve seen a lot of people call themselves AI and GTM operators, but they’re just using Claude.
But Jerry O’Shea is one of the few true operators who build GTM engines for orgs using AI.
He’s the founder of Not Your Average BDR, and he builds systems that capture how a company sells, package that knowledge into a Company OS, and turn buyer signals into outbound that sounds like it came from someone who knows the account.
This week, Jerry walked me through an AI SDR workflow that starts the moment someone visits his website and ends with a ready-to-send email and LinkedIn sequence.
This week’s Stack
1 video: Build an AI SDR that writes on-brand outbound
1 prompt: Create the ICP brain behind better AI workflows
1 tool: Revisit Manus for multi-step AI execution
3 resources: Smarter Claude setups, SEO skills, and AI ad workflows
3 jobs: AI marketing and GTM engineering roles worth a look
Workflow Walkthrough: The AI SDR That Writes On-Brand Outbound
Most AI SDR tools or GTM-engineered workflows send a lot of bad email fast. They don’t know how you sell, so they pattern-match to the same generic opener everyone else is running. Prospects can smell it in half a second.
This week’s guest, Jerry O’Shea (founder of Not Your Average BDR), went the other way. He built a “Company OS,” then wired it into a Clay workflow that fires the moment a prospect hits his site. It researches the account, writes a sequence that adapts to what’s true about that company, and loads a ready-to-send email plus LinkedIn play into his sequencer via Lemlist.
This is true AI and GTM Engineering that companies aspire to have.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
How to capture your ICP, product, and positioning once so every message sounds like you instead of a template.
Why a single website visitor is the trigger that kicks off the whole workflow automatically.
The “loose prompt” approach that lets each message match the account’s real signals, so you stop blasting one stale theme at everyone.
How to run email and LinkedIn from one sequence with conditional logic (LinkedIn invite first, email fallback if they don’t accept after nine days).
Where n8n fits, and why routing through it beats trying to force everything into a single tool.
If you’re getting started with Clay and need extra credits to experiment, sign up with my referral link and you’ll get 3,000 free credits.
Here’s Jerry’s Company OS Interview Skill.
Prompt of the Week: Build the ICP Builder for Your AI SDR
Most AI SDRs and GTM-engineered workflows for SDRs suck because they send more emails but lack the context needed to sell effectively.
That’s why I loved Jerry’s workflow. Before a single outbound message is written, he captures everything about his business in a Company OS: who they sell to, why customers buy, how they position themselves against competitors, and the language that makes prospects respond. Once that foundation exists, every workflow gets smarter.
If you’re building your own AI SDR (or even if you want better prompts across marketing and sales), this ICP builder prompt is one of the best places to start. Spend an 20-30 min building this once, and every email, campaign, landing page, and sales workflow you create afterward gets better because your AI finally has the context it’s been missing.
I usually post the prompt right here, but this one is a little too long, so I’m going to link you straight to my Prompt Library in Notion.
You can find dozens more prompts like this inside The Ultimate ChatGPT Prompt Library for B2B Marketing Leaders.
Tool of the Week: Manus
I first tried Manus when everyone was talking about it early last year. Like a lot of AI tools, I thought it was interesting, then moved on. Then I was talking with a CMO I respect who told me it’s become one of the tools she uses the most, so I have it another shot.
What I like is that you can hand it a project, let it research, analyze, and execute across multiple steps while you work on something else. If you’ve written it off because of your first impression, it’s worth taking another look.
Try it: https://manus.im
AI Resource Roundup
How to Keep Fable 5 for Free: Ruben Hassid shared one of the better Claude setup prompts I’ve seen. Instead of repeating your preferences in every chat, it walks Claude through your files, interviews you about how you work, and generates a CLAUDE.md file that becomes your persistent operating instructions.
21 SEO Skills Built for Claude: SEO still comes down to repeatable processes. This collection packages everything from keyword research to content audits into reusable Claude skills so you spend less time writing prompts and more time improving content.
Build Better AI Ads with Claude + Replit (Marketing Against The Grain): If paid social is part of your job, this walkthrough shows how to turn Claude and Replit into a repeatable workflow for building LinkedIn, Instagram, and Google Ads.
Hot AI Jobs
This week’s lineup spans GTM engineering, AI-powered marketing, and marketing automation.
Location: San Francisco, CA (Hybrid)
Pay: $127,500 – $185,000
AI Marketing Engineer at Assured
Location: Remote (US)
Pay: $180K–$280K
AI Engineer, Marketing at Planet
Location: Remote (US)
Pay: Not listed
Before You Bounce
I hope you’re having a great summer. Between vacations, kids being out of school, and trying to keep work moving, this time of year always feels like a balancing act.
I’ve also been enjoying the World Cup. USA is out, so now I get to watch without my blood pressure spiking every match. It’s been a fun tournament, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it finishes.
Go build something this week and hit reply to tell me what you made.