A pull cord is a rope used to retrieve your rappelling rope when the rappel is longer than half of your rappelling rope. Any static rope can be used as a pull cord, but typically accessory cord is better than rappelling rope because it is cheaper, it is lighter, and it takes up less room in your pack.
I wouldn't recommend using high-stretch ropes like dynamic climbing ropes, paracord, or generic hardware store ropes because even if they are strong enough, they just stretch instead of pull.