Seed outreach map — the path to the first real users

Goal: the first cohort of real, non-operator users for the protocols runtime (and HJ broadly), via warm introductions rather than cold audience-farming — the leverage that's available at zero traction. Written 2026-08-05. This is a working pipeline, not a one-shot; iterate the tracker at the bottom as replies come in.

No emojis in outreach — ever. An emoji in a personal DM or email now reads as an AI-generated template to the person receiving it (the exact opposite of the warm, real, one-human-to-another tone these need). Every message template here and in the Outreach ops panel is deliberately emoji-free; keep it that way when you edit or add copy.

The strategy in three lines

1. A warm intro is leverage at 0 users. One credible introduction beats a hundred cold touches. So this is a network-mapping problem, not a build problem.
2. Adjacent-first. Don't spend your one shot at Huberman before you've converted an easier, adjacent target. A smaller scientist/coach with a real audience is a more achievable ask, a viable seed on its own, and success there becomes the leverage for Huberman himself (/for-andrew is the artifact for when that moment comes).
3. Convert, don't just meet. A warm intro gets a meeting; the thing has to convert it. Point every target at something real and tailored (/protocols live today; a tailored /for-<name> for the serious ones), and aim for their people running a protocol, not a polite nod.

⚠️ Accuracy caveat: the figures below are public people; roles/affiliations change — verify each before you use it. Andrew Huberman is at Stanford (not Harvard). Everything here is a starting map for you to overlay your real connections onto, not a claim about who will say yes.

Tier A — Practitioners & coaches (the most convertible seed)

The pragmatic first cohort. A coach / functional-med practitioner / therapist who prescribes protocols to clients can seed their whole client roster at once — 1 yes = 20–50 real users who already trust the source. Far more reachable than a podcaster, and it converts to completions, not just clicks. This is the B2B2C wedge from the therapist/coach threads, aimed at the protocol niche.

John Rowley — the active thread (ready to send)

Context (2026-08): spoke by phone ~2 weeks ago, he asked to reconnect in August (good timing). His health changed → he's a connector, not the operator. He's also finishing a ClickBank product with his son ("showing ClickBank users how to use AI to sell") — so he's still engaged, and still wired into ClickBank.

The reconnect (care-first; NO pilot ask to John himself):

Hey John — you'd said August, so I wanted to reach out, but honestly more than the timing I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing. You've been on my mind. No agenda. Whenever the time's right I've kept building the thing we talked about and it's come a long way — but there's genuinely no rush. One thought, only if useful, zero pressure: the piece furthest along is an adherence layer for coaching — clients actually running their routines day to day, tracked, with the coach able to see it. If there's someone in your world who's actively coaching right now and might find it useful, I'd love to show them — and I'd make it effortless for you (I'll write the intro, you just forward it). And if you ever want to be part of it however works for you, the door's always open. Mostly it's just good to have a reason to reconnect. How are you doing? Would love to catch up by phone whenever you're up for it.

P.S. — heard you and [son] are building something teaching ClickBank folks to use AI to sell. That's squarely where my head's been for two years — would genuinely love to hear about it, and there may be more overlap than either of us expects.

Two paths John opens (in priority order):

1. PRIMARY — intro to an active coach → the protocol-coach pilot (5–10 clients). Cleanest, fastest, most on-brand first seed. This is the one to chase.
2. SECONDARY — ClickBank distribution. ClickBank affiliates are professional promoters → HJ's affiliate program + Workout Window (/for-john) coach recruitment run on exactly that model. ⚠️ BRAND-FIT FLAG: ClickBank / direct-response culture leans hype-y (bold claims, aggressive funnels) — the opposite of HJ's honesty-first brand and the affiliate guardrails. Real upside, real risk. Tap it only after a first seed exists, vet for the honest operators, and hold the guardrails (no overclaiming, FTC disclosure). Not the first move.
3. The AI-project bridge is the WARMTH move — HJ is AI-native and Workout Window is a ClickBank-model product built with AI; the P.S. is genuine mutual interest, deepens the relationship, and lets the ClickBank door open by his offer, not your ask.

Second active thread — cold niche-coach (parallel to John, runs now)

Colder than John (no warm intro → lower response), but independent and executable this week. Niche: coaches whose clients live or die by daily-routine adherence — lead with ADHD / executive-function coaches (the glasses-nudge + on-screen plan is the core need there, not a nice-to-have; coherent with HJ's neurodivergent framing; findable on Instagram / ADHD-coach directories). Sleep coaches are the strong runner-up. Same pilot ask as John (5–10 clients, free, they keep the data). Personalize the one specific detail — that's what separates it from spam.

Email version:

Subject: the adherence problem, for your clients

Hi [Name] — I build a tool for the exact thing your clients struggle with most: not knowing what to do, but doing it — the daily routine, on the right day, when it matters. For executive-function clients especially, the gap isn't willpower — it's that the plan lives in their head. HiveJournal puts it on a screen, and on smart glasses it becomes a spoken nudge at the real moment ("morning light now" as they step outside), then tracks adherence so you and your client both see what's slipping. I'd rather show you than pitch — 15 min, or just look: hivejournal.com/protocols. If it's a fit, a free two-week pilot with a handful of your clients, and you keep the data on your own people. Genuine respect for [one specific real thing they do]. Worth a look?

DM / Instagram version (short — a long DM gets ignored):

Hi [Name] — genuine respect for [thing you do]. Quick one: I built an adherence tool for coaches — your clients actually run their routines (tracked, nudged at the right moment on their phone or glasses), and you see what's slipping. Would you be open to a free 2-week pilot with a few clients? You keep the data. Here's the gist: hivejournal.com/protocols

Eric Tivers / ADHD reWired — groups-tuned DM (strongest lead; leads with the group mechanism):

Hi Eric — huge respect for what ADHD reWired's accountability groups actually pull off; the group-as-mechanism is the part most coaching misses. Quick one: I built an adherence tool that drops right into that model — clients run their routines day to day, get nudged at the right moment (phone, or spoken on glasses), and you see who's slipping between sessions, not just at check-in. Would you be open to running it free with one of your groups for a couple weeks? They keep their own data. Gist here: hivejournal.com/protocols

Where to pull the named list (public anchors — verify each before you send)

The convertible cold targets are working coaches with small client rosters. I won't fabricate private individuals — instead, these are the real, public sources to pull 10–15 of them from this week, plus the genuinely-public anchors. All flagged verify (my knowledge has a cutoff; roles/URLs drift):

• Coach directories → this is where the roster comes from:
  • ADDCA (ADD Coach Academy) — graduate/coach directory; the largest ADHD-coach training pipeline.
  • PAAC (Professional Assoc. of ADHD Coaches) — "find a coach" listing; credentialed, niche-pure.
  • ICF Credentialed Coach Finder — filter to ADHD / executive-function niche.
  • ADDA (Attention Deficit Disorder Assoc.) + CHADD professional directories.
  • ADDitude Magazine directory — practitioners who publish there already write for the audience.
• Public anchors (bigger reach → more Tier-B amplifier than a convertible roster, but warm hooks):
  • Eric Tivers / ADHD reWired — runs accountability + coaching groups; adherence is literally their model, plus a podcast audience. Strongest single lead — on-thesis and reachable.
  • Jessica McCabe / How to ADHD — huge YouTube; amplifier, not a client roster. Aim after a seed exists (Tier-B posture).
  • René Brooks / Black Girl, Lost Keys — engaged niche audience; honest, community-first.
  • Adjacent researchers (Russell Barkley et al.) are authority, not coaches — cite, don't pitch.
• Sleep runner-up: same recipe via behavioral-sleep directories (Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine provider finder, CBT-I coaches).

Selection rubric — rank the pulled names, contact top 10 first:

1. Runs groups / cohorts (not just 1:1) → one yes = many clients. Highest weight.
2. Publicly names adherence/consistency as the client problem (in their bio, posts, podcast) → the pitch is pre-agreed; that line is your personalization hook.
3. Reachable channel — a real DM open or public email, not a $-gated contact form.
4. Small-but-active > famous — a 5k-follower working coach replies; a 500k one doesn't (see the reachability heuristic below).
5. Brand-fit — evidence-based / honest tone, not hype-funnel. Screens out the ClickBank-culture risk up front.

Score each 0–2 on the five, contact the top 10 by total. The #2 signal doubles as the [one specific real thing they do] blank — quote the exact post/bio line where they name the adherence problem.

→ The fill-in-the-blanks staging sheet is COLD_COACH_WORKLIST.md — the directory queries in order, the rubric as scoring columns with a worked example, 10 empty slots, and the "graduate the top 10 to Outreach ops" step. Do the pull there; the winners become panel rows.

Tier B — Huberman-adjacent voices with real audiences (the amplifier seed)

Independent figures in the same space, each with an audience, each far more reachable than Huberman. A single genuine mention or trial by one of these seeds hundreds. Aim the first of these before Huberman.

• Rhonda Patrick (FoundMyFitness) — protocol-dense, science-first audience; newsletter + podcast.
• Peter Attia (The Drive / Early Medical) — longevity protocols, highly engaged paid audience.
• Andy Galpin (performance/exercise physiology) — adherence + tracking is literally his field.
• Gabrielle Lyon (muscle-centric medicine) — protocol-prescribing MD with an audience.
• Chris Williamson (Modern Wisdom) — enormous, protocol-friendly audience; interviews everyone in the space.
• Bryan Johnson (Blueprint) — the most protocol-obsessed audience alive; tracking-native; a "run Blueprint-style protocols with adherence data" angle is on-thesis for them.
• Matt Walker (sleep) — one narrow protocol set (sleep) that maps perfectly to a tracker + glasses nudge.
• Smaller-but-mighty: Kelly Starrett (mobility), Layne Norton (evidence-based training), Ben Greenfield.

Reachability heuristic: the smaller the operation, the warmer the reach and the faster the yes. A 50k-subscriber newsletter operator who lives this stuff will trial a genuinely useful tool far faster than a household name — and their audience is more engaged per capita.

Tier C — Communities & newsletters (no permission needed, honest posting only)

Not intros — places their audience already gathers, reachable by honest, disclosed, value-first contribution (per PROTOCOLS_OUTREACH.md). r/QuantifiedSelf, r/getdisciplined, health-optimization Discords/Substacks, the "I can't stick to protocols" corners. Not r/Huberman with a link (that's the spam/extractive line). These run in parallel to the intros as the SEO/organic floor.

Run this from the panel, not the doc. /dashboard/admin/outreach (Outreach ops, migration 624) is this map as a live board: one row per target, pipeline status, a per-target compose-from-template, and one-click Send that opens your mail draft (email) or copies the DM (Instagram/LinkedIn/X), then logs the touch and advances the stage. Nothing auto-sends. This doc stays the strategy; the panel is the execution. Tivers is seeded there on first open.

Postcards are a channel too (physical cards cut through for local practitioners + Family Wall community invites). We have ours; QuickSites runs whole postcard campaigns for domains — a mesh capability worth reusing rather than rebuilding. The postcard channel + card copy + a painterly card front (public/outreach/postcard-front.webp — a morning table in golden light, routine in motion; RULE-9 clean) are in the panel; the fulfillment pipe (address list → print → mail) is the QS-side ask (scoping sent) when we're ready to run a batch.

The warm-path overlay — your homework (only you can do this)

For each target above, find the shortest real path. Concretely, work these sources:

1. Crosstie / GainLife lineage — its origins (the lab/program it came from), co-founders, advisors, investors, board. Academic-medicine + health-science networks overlap heavily with everyone in Tier B.
2. Your insurtech / health-tech network — Crosstie is health-adjacent (disability/claims); who in it is one hop from a Tier-A coach or a Tier-B scientist?
3. LinkedIn 2nd-degree — search each target; see who you share. A shared connection who'd actually vouch is the whole game.
4. HabitForge heritage — 250k users + years in the habit/behavior space; who did that put you next to?

For each target, fill: shortest path · who'd make the intro · how warm (would they actually vouch?). A "2nd-degree but they'd vouch" beats a "1st-degree who barely knows you." Rank by warmth, not proximity.

Outreach sequences (drafts — you send, you personalize)

Step 1 — the intro REQUEST (to your mutual connection, not the target)

The highest-leverage message. You're asking a favor of someone who knows you.

Hey [Name] — quick ask. I've built something I think [Target] would genuinely find useful: a tool that turns the protocols people read about into things they actually run — tracked, nudged at the right moment, adherence visible. It's early and honest (we point to the source for the protocols, we don't repackage anyone's work). I'd love a soft intro to [Target] if you think it's a fit — no pressure, and I'm happy to send you a two-line forwardable blurb so it's zero effort for you. Would that be alright?

Step 1b — the forwardable blurb (make the intro zero-effort)

[Your name] built HiveJournal — a tool that turns evidence-based protocols (sleep, light, movement) into things people actually run: tracked, nudged at the right moment, with adherence they can see. Early but real, and unusually honest about it. Worth 15 minutes — here's the reader-facing side: hivejournal.com/protocols

Step 2 — direct outreach (only if no warm path exists)

Short, specific, no ask for a favor — an offer.

[Name] — I built the adherence layer for the kind of protocols you [teach / prescribe / cover]: readers run them, get nudged at the right moment, and see whether it's working. It's early and I'd rather show you than pitch you — 15 min, or just look: hivejournal.com/protocols. Either way, genuine admiration for [specific real thing they made].

Step 3 — the follow-up (once, a week later, then stop)

[Name] — circling back once in case it got buried. No worries if it's not a fit; I'll leave it here. [If relevant: one concrete new thing — "we just shipped X."]

Step 4 — convert a "yes, interesting" into users

When someone bites, the ask is small and specific, not "promote us":

• Coach (Tier A): "Would you run it with 5–10 of your clients as a pilot? I'll set it up, it's free, and you keep the adherence data on your own people." (5–10 clients = the first real cohort.)
• Voice (Tier B): "Would you try it for two weeks on your own protocols? If it's useful, mention it however feels honest; if not, tell me why and I'll fix it." (No demand for a shoutout — a genuine trial.)
• Point the serious ones at a tailored /for-<name> (I'll build it, same pattern as /for-andrew).

The pipeline (fill + update as you go)

Rank by warmth. One row per target.

Forwardable blurb (ready for the moment John names someone) — John forwards this as-is:

[Coach] — this is the tool I mentioned. Sandon built HiveJournal, an adherence layer for coaches: your clients run the routines you give them — training, sleep, recovery, daily habits — tracked and nudged at the right moment, so "did they actually do it?" is visible to both of you instead of a guess. It's early but real, and the ask is small and free — a two-week pilot with 5–10 of your clients, and you keep the adherence data on your own people. Reader-facing side if you want a look: hivejournal.com/protocols. Worth 15 minutes; Sandon will set the whole thing up.

Statuses: mapping → intro requested → intro made → conversation → pilot → first completion 🎯. The only status that matters is the last one — a stranger from someone's cohort actually running a protocol. That's the real_completions 0→1, and it's the whole point of this map.