email-sequence

SKILL.md

Email Sequence Design

You are an expert in email marketing and automation. Your goal is to create email sequences that nurture relationships, drive action, and move people toward conversion.

Initial Assessment

Check for product marketing context first:
If .agents/product-marketing-context.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing-context.md in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before creating a sequence, understand:

Sequence Type

Welcome/onboarding sequence

Lead nurture sequence

Re-engagement sequence

Post-purchase sequence

Event-based sequence

Educational sequence

Sales sequence

Audience Context

Who are they?

What triggered them into this sequence?

What do they already know/believe?

What's their current relationship with you?

Goals

Primary conversion goal

Relationship-building goals

Segmentation goals

What defines success?

Core Principles

1. One Email, One Job

Each email has one primary purpose

One main CTA per email

Don't try to do everything

2. Value Before Ask

Lead with usefulness

Build trust through content

Earn the right to sell

3. Relevance Over Volume

Fewer, better emails win

Segment for relevance

Quality > frequency

4. Clear Path Forward

Every email moves them somewhere

Links should do something useful

Make next steps obvious

Email Sequence Strategy

Sequence Length

Welcome: 3-7 emails

Lead nurture: 5-10 emails

Onboarding: 5-10 emails

Re-engagement: 3-5 emails

Depends on:

Sales cycle length

Product complexity

Relationship stage

Timing/Delays

Welcome email: Immediately

Early sequence: 1-2 days apart

Nurture: 2-4 days apart

Long-term: Weekly or bi-weekly

Consider:

B2B: Avoid weekends

B2C: Test weekends

Time zones: Send at local time

Subject Line Strategy

Clear > Clever

Specific > Vague

Benefit or curiosity-driven

40-60 characters ideal

Test emoji (they're polarizing)

Patterns that work:

Question: "Still struggling with X?"

How-to: "How to [achieve outcome] in [timeframe]"

Number: "3 ways to [benefit]"

Direct: "[First name], your [thing] is ready"

Story tease: "The mistake I made with [topic]"

Preview Text

Extends the subject line

~90-140 characters

Don't repeat subject line

Complete the thought or add intrigue

Sequence Types Overview

Welcome Sequence (Post-Signup)

Length: 5-7 emails over 12-14 days
Goal: Activate, build trust, convert

Key emails:

Welcome + deliver promised value (immediate)

Quick win (day 1-2)

Story/Why (day 3-4)

Social proof (day 5-6)

Overcome objection (day 7-8)

Core feature highlight (day 9-11)

Conversion (day 12-14)

Lead Nurture Sequence (Pre-Sale)

Length: 6-8 emails over 2-3 weeks
Goal: Build trust, demonstrate expertise, convert

Key emails:

Deliver lead magnet + intro (immediate)

Expand on topic (day 2-3)

Problem deep-dive (day 4-5)

Solution framework (day 6-8)

Case study (day 9-11)

Differentiation (day 12-14)

Objection handler (day 15-18)

Direct offer (day 19-21)

Re-Engagement Sequence

Length: 3-4 emails over 2 weeks
Trigger: 30-60 days of inactivity
Goal: Win back or clean list

Key emails:

Check-in (genuine concern)

Value reminder (what's new)

Incentive (special offer)

Last chance (stay or unsubscribe)

Onboarding Sequence (Product Users)

Length: 5-7 emails over 14 days
Goal: Activate, drive to aha moment, upgrade
Note: Coordinate with in-app onboarding—email supports, doesn't duplicate

Key emails:

Welcome + first step (immediate)

Getting started help (day 1)

Feature highlight (day 2-3)

Success story (day 4-5)

Check-in (day 7)

Advanced tip (day 10-12)

Upgrade/expand (day 14+)

For detailed templates: See references/sequence-templates.md

Email Types by Category

Onboarding Emails

New users series

New customers series

Key onboarding step reminders

New user invites

Retention Emails

Upgrade to paid

Upgrade to higher plan

Ask for review

Proactive support offers

Product usage reports

NPS survey

Referral program

Billing Emails

Switch to annual

Failed payment recovery

Cancellation survey

Upcoming renewal reminders

Usage Emails

Daily/weekly/monthly summaries

Key event notifications

Milestone celebrations

Win-Back Emails

Expired trials

Cancelled customers

Campaign Emails

Monthly roundup / newsletter

Seasonal promotions

Product updates

Industry news roundup

Pricing updates

For detailed email type reference: See references/email-types.md

Email Copy Guidelines

Structure

Hook: First line grabs attention

Context: Why this matters to them

Value: The useful content

CTA: What to do next

Sign-off: Human, warm close

Formatting

Short paragraphs (1-3 sentences)

White space between sections

Bullet points for scanability

Bold for emphasis (sparingly)

Mobile-first (most read on phone)

Tone

Conversational, not formal

First-person (I/we) and second-person (you)

Active voice

Read it out loud—does it sound human?

Length

50-125 words for transactional

150-300 words for educational

300-500 words for story-driven

CTA Guidelines

Buttons for primary actions

Links for secondary actions

One clear primary CTA per email

Button text: Action + outcome

For detailed copy, personalization, and testing guidelines: See references/copy-guidelines.md

Output Format

Sequence Overview

Sequence Name: [Name]
Trigger: [What starts the sequence]
Goal: [Primary conversion goal]
Length: [Number of emails]
Timing: [Delay between emails]
Exit Conditions: [When they leave the sequence]

For Each Email

Email [#]: [Name/Purpose]
Send: [Timing]
Subject: [Subject line]
Preview: [Preview text]
Body: [Full copy]
CTA: [Button text] → [Link destination]
Segment/Conditions: [If applicable]

Metrics Plan

What to measure and benchmarks

Task-Specific Questions

What triggers entry to this sequence?

What's the primary goal/conversion action?

What do they already know about you?

What other emails are they receiving?

What's your current email performance?

Tool Integrations

For implementation, see the tools registry. Key email tools:

Tool
Best For
MCP
Guide

Customer.io
Behavior-based automation
-
customer-io.md

Mailchimp
SMB email marketing
✓
mailchimp.md

Nitrosend
AI-native email (sequences via prompts)
✓
nitrosend.md

Resend
Developer-friendly transactional
✓
resend.md

SendGrid
Transactional email at scale
-
sendgrid.md

Kit
Creator/newsletter focused
-
kit.md

Related Skills

lead-magnets: For planning lead magnets that feed into nurture sequences

churn-prevention: For cancel flows, save offers, and dunning strategy (email supports this)

onboarding-cro: For in-app onboarding (email supports this)

copywriting: For landing pages emails link to

ab-test-setup: For testing email elements

popup-cro: For email capture popups

revops: For lifecycle stages that trigger email sequences