YourOutreachSUCKS
    ← Taxonomy
    Offense type

    FAKE-RESEARCH

    CriticalPersonalization·−2.4 per instance
    31
    filed cases
    In archive
    31 / 151 cases
    In ref. set
    32% (97/250)
    Score impact
    −2.4 per instance

    FAKE-RESEARCH is a term coined by YourOutreachSUCKS to describe generic compliment or claim of familiarity with no verifiable detail. Real personalization beyond first name produces a +340% reply rate vs. none [Outreaches.ai 2025] — only 5% of senders achieve it consistently [Salesso 2025]. The other 95% send FAKE-RESEARCH. It has been identified in 31 of 151 cases filed in the YourOutreachSUCKS archive and is classified as a critical-severity offense.

    // Example

    "I came across your profile and was really impressed by your background."

    Why it fails: "Impressed by your background" names no background, no achievement, no moment. It is the template speaking. The reader has seen this sentence in hundreds of messages. It signals nothing except that the sender did not look.
    +340%
    Reply rate for outreach with real, specific personalization vs. simulated familiarity
    Outreaches.ai 2025 Benchmarks
    // How to fix it

    Name a specific thing they did, said, or shipped. A post, a hire, a launch. Something verifiable.

    // 31 cases on file
    Co-occurrence (ref. set)

    When FAKE-RESEARCH appears, these offenses also appear in the same message:

    PAIN-ASSUMPTION
    34%
    REPLY-ALL-ENERGY
    34%
    PREMATURE-ASK
    33%
    VAGUE-ICP
    31%
    Severity
    Critical

    Deducts 2.4 points. Structural failure that undermines the core premise of the message.

    All offenses
    FAKE-RESEARCH31MERGE-FAIL5PREMATURE-ASK30VAGUE-ICP26PAIN-ASSUMPTION27BUZZWORD-LOAD31FOMO-BAIT34HUMBLE-BRAG-PIVOT4WALL-OF-TEXT1REPLY-ALL-ENERGY21AI-WRITING5OVER-LENGTH94UNDER-LENGTH2READING-LEVEL-MISMATCH3CLICKBAIT-SUBJECT17GENERIC-SUBJECT4ALL-CAPS-SUBJECT2CTA-OVERLOAD19CTA-MISSING51VAGUE-CTA20VANITY-PROOF49LOGO-SOUP14DESPERATION-SIGNAL16FALSE-FAMILIARITY14ROBOT-VOICE23CHANNEL-DEAF1MECHANICAL-FAILURE14EMOJI-OVERLOAD5SPAM-TRIGGER12NO-OPT-OUT62