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Design and draft multi-email sequences with full copy, timing, branching logic, exit conditions, and performance benchmarks. Use when building onboarding, lead…
Email Sequence
If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.
Design and draft complete email sequences with full copy, timing, branching logic, and performance benchmarks for any lifecycle or campaign use case.
Trigger
User runs /email-sequence or asks to create, design, build, or draft an email sequence, drip campaign, nurture flow, or onboarding series.
Inputs
Gather the following from the user. If not provided, ask before proceeding:
Sequence type — one of:
Onboarding
Lead nurture
Re-engagement
Product launch
Event follow-up
Upgrade/upsell
Win-back
Educational drip
Goal — what the sequence should achieve (e.g., activate new users, convert leads to customers, reduce churn, drive event attendance, upsell to a higher tier)
Audience — who receives this sequence, what stage they are at, and any relevant segmentation details (role, industry, behavior triggers, lifecycle stage)
Number of emails (optional) — if not specified, recommend a count based on the sequence type using the templates in the Sequence Type Templates section below
Timing/cadence preferences (optional) — desired spacing between emails (e.g., "every 3 days", "weekly", "aggressive first week then taper off")
Brand voice — if configured in local settings, apply automatically and inform the user. If not configured, ask: "Do you have brand voice guidelines I should follow? If not, I'll use a clear, conversational professional tone."
Additional context (optional):
Specific offers, discounts, or incentives to include
CTAs or landing pages to link to
Content assets available (blog posts, case studies, videos, guides)
Product features to highlight
Competitor differentiators to reference
Process
1. Sequence Strategy
Before drafting any emails, define the overall sequence architecture:
Narrative arc — what story does this sequence tell across all emails? What is the emotional and logical progression from first email to last?
Journey mapping — map each email to a stage of the buyer or user journey (awareness, consideration, decision, activation, expansion)
Escalation logic — how does the intensity, urgency, or value of each email build on the previous one?
Success definition — what specific action signals that the sequence has done its job and the recipient should exit?
2. Individual Email Design
For each email in the sequence, produce:
Subject Line
Provide 2-3 options per email
Vary approaches: curiosity, benefit-driven, urgency, personalization, question-based
Keep under 50 characters where possible; note preview behavior on mobile
Preview Text
40-90 characters that complement (not repeat) the subject line
Should add context or intrigue that increases open likelihood
Email Purpose
One sentence explaining why this email exists and what it moves the recipient toward
Body Copy
Full draft ready to use
Clear hierarchy: hook, body, CTA
Short paragraphs (2-3 sentences max)
Scannable formatting with bold key phrases where appropriate
Personalization tokens where relevant (e.g., first name, company name, product used)
Primary CTA
Button text and destination
One primary CTA per email (secondary CTA only if appropriate for the sequence stage)
Timing
Days after the trigger event or after the previous email
Note if timing should adjust based on engagement (e.g., "send sooner if they opened but did not click")
Segment/Condition Notes
Who receives this email vs. who skips it
Any behavioral or attribute-based conditions (e.g., "only send to users who have not completed setup")
3. Sequence Logic
Define the flow control for the sequence:
Branching conditions — alternate paths based on engagement. For example:
"If opened email 2 but did not click CTA, send email 2b (softer re-ask) instead of email 3"
"If clicked CTA in email 1, skip email 2 and go directly to email 3"
Exit conditions — when a recipient converts (completes the desired action), remove them from the sequence. Define what "conversion" means for this sequence.
Re-entry rules — can someone re-enter the sequence? Under what conditions? (e.g., "if a user churns again 90 days later, re-enter the win-back sequence")
Suppression rules — do not send if the recipient is already in another active sequence, has unsubscribed from marketing, or has contacted support in the last 48 hours
4. Performance Benchmarks
Provide expected benchmarks based on the sequence type so the user can set targets:
Metric
Onboarding
Lead Nurture
Re-engagement
Win-back
Open rate
50-70%
20-30%
15-25%
15-20%
Click-through rate
10-20%
3-7%
2-5%
2-4%
Conversion rate
15-30%
2-5%
3-8%
1-3%
Unsubscribe rate
<0.5%
<0.5%
1-2%
1-3%
Adjust benchmarks based on industry and audience if the user has provided that context.
Sequence Type Templates
Use these as starting frameworks. Adapt length and content based on the user's goal and audience.
Onboarding (5-7 emails over 14-21 days):
Welcome and set expectations -- Quick win to demonstrate value -- Core feature deep dive -- Advanced feature or integration -- Social proof and community -- Check-in and feedback request -- Upgrade prompt or next steps
Lead Nurture (4-6 emails over 3-4 weeks):
Value-first educational content -- Pain point identification -- Solution positioning with proof -- Social proof and results -- Soft CTA (trial, demo, resource) -- Direct CTA (buy, book, sign up)
Re-engagement (3-4 emails over 10-14 days):
"We miss you" with a compelling reason to return -- Value reminder highlighting what they are missing -- Incentive or exclusive offer -- Last chance with clear deadline
Win-back (3-5 emails over 30 days):
Friendly check-in asking what went wrong -- What is new since they left -- Special offer or incentive to return -- Feedback request (even if they do not come back) -- Final goodbye with door open
Product Launch (4-6 emails over 2-3 weeks):
Teaser or pre-announcement -- Launch announcement with full details -- Feature spotlight or use case -- Social proof and early results -- Limited-time offer or bonus -- Last chance or reminder
Event Follow-up (3-4 emails over 7-10 days):
Thank you with key takeaways or recordings -- Resource roundup from the event -- Related offer or next step -- Feedback survey
Upgrade/Upsell (3-5 emails over 2-3 weeks):
Usage milestone or success celebration -- Feature gap or limitation they are hitting -- Upgrade benefits with proof -- Limited-time incentive -- Direct comparison of plans
Educational Drip (5-8 emails over 4-6 weeks):
Introduction and what they will learn -- Lesson 1: foundational concept -- Lesson 2: intermediate concept -- Lesson 3: advanced concept -- Practical application or exercise -- Resource roundup -- Graduation and next steps
Tool Integration
If ~~email marketing is connected (e.g., Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Customer.io)
Reference how to set up the sequence as a flow or automation in the platform
Note any platform-specific features to use (e.g., smart send time, conditional splits, A/B testing)
Map the branching logic to the platform's visual flow builder concepts
If ~~marketing automation or ~~CRM is connected (e.g., HubSpot, Marketo)
Reference lead scoring data to inform segmentation and exit conditions
Use lifecycle stage data to tailor messaging per segment
Note how to set enrollment triggers based on CRM properties or list membership
If no tools are connected
Deliver all email content in copy-paste-ready format
Include a setup checklist the user can follow in any email platform:
Create the automation or flow
Set the enrollment trigger
Add each email with the specified delays
Configure branching and exit conditions
Set up tracking for the recommended metrics
Output
Present the complete sequence with the following sections:
Sequence Overview Table
#
Subject Line
Purpose
Timing
Primary CTA
Condition
Full Email Drafts
Each email with subject line options, preview text, purpose, body copy, CTA, timing, and segment notes.
Sequence Flow Diagram
A text-based diagram showing the email flow, branching paths, and exit points. Use a clear format such as:
[Trigger] --> Email 1 (Day 0)
|
Opened? --Yes--> Email 2 (Day 3)
| |
No Clicked CTA? --Yes--> [EXIT: Converted]
| |
v No
Email 1b (Day 2) |
| v
+--------> Email 3 (Day 7)
|
v
Email 4 (Day 10)
|
[EXIT: Sequence complete]
Branching Logic Notes
Summary of all conditions, exits, and suppressions in a reference list.
A/B Test Suggestions
2-3 recommended A/B tests (subject lines, CTA text, send time, email length)
What to test, how to split, and how to measure the winner
Metrics to Track
Primary conversion metric for the sequence
Per-email metrics: open rate, CTR, unsubscribe rate
Sequence-level metrics: overall conversion rate, time to conversion, drop-off points
Recommended review cadence (e.g., "Review performance weekly for the first month, then monthly")
After the Sequence
Ask: "Would you like me to:
Revise the copy or tone for any specific email?
Add a branching path for a specific scenario?
Create a variation of this sequence for a different audience segment?
Draft the A/B test variants for the subject lines?
Build a companion sequence (e.g., a post-purchase follow-up after this lead nurture converts)?"don't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.