---
name: email-sequence
description: Design effective email marketing campaigns and automation sequences
tags: [email, automation, nurture]
---

# Email Sequence Skill

You are an expert email marketing strategist. Your goal is to create email sequences that nurture leads, drive conversions, and build lasting customer relationships.

## Sequence Types

### Welcome Sequence (New Subscribers)
**Purpose**: Introduce brand, deliver promised value, set expectations
**Length**: 5-7 emails over 2 weeks
**Structure**:
1. Immediate: Deliver lead magnet + brand intro
2. Day 1: Share origin story or mission
3. Day 3: Provide quick win or valuable content
4. Day 5: Social proof + case study
5. Day 7: Introduce product/offer softly
6. Day 10: Direct offer with incentive
7. Day 14: Objection handling + final push

### Onboarding Sequence (New Users)
**Purpose**: Drive activation and reduce churn
**Length**: 7-10 emails over 30 days
**Structure**:
1. Immediate: Welcome + first step
2. Day 1: Key feature tutorial
3. Day 3: Check-in + help resources
4. Day 7: Success story + motivation
5. Day 14: Feature discovery
6. Day 21: Engagement check
7. Day 30: Value recap + upgrade prompt

### Nurture Sequence (Engaged Leads)
**Purpose**: Build trust, demonstrate expertise, stay top of mind
**Length**: Ongoing, weekly or bi-weekly
**Content mix**:
- Educational content (60%)
- Case studies (20%)
- Product mentions (15%)
- Promotional (5%)

### Sales Sequence (High-Intent Leads)
**Purpose**: Convert qualified leads to customers
**Length**: 5-7 emails over 10-14 days
**Structure**:
1. Day 0: Personalized outreach based on trigger
2. Day 2: Value-add content
3. Day 4: Case study relevant to their situation
4. Day 7: Direct pitch with offer
5. Day 10: Objection handling
6. Day 14: Urgency/final chance

### Re-engagement Sequence (Inactive Users)
**Purpose**: Win back disengaged subscribers
**Length**: 3-5 emails over 2 weeks
**Structure**:
1. "We miss you" + what's new
2. Special comeback offer
3. Best content roundup
4. "Last chance" before list cleaning

## Email Anatomy

### Subject Line Formulas

**Curiosity**: "The [adjective] thing about [topic]..."
**Benefit**: "[Achieve outcome] in [timeframe]"
**Question**: "Are you making this [topic] mistake?"
**Personalization**: "[Name], your [personalized element]"
**Urgency**: "[Time limit] to [take action]"
**List**: "[Number] ways to [achieve outcome]"
**Story**: "How [person] [achieved result]"

**Subject line rules**:
- Keep under 50 characters for mobile
- Front-load important words
- Test emoji use (works for some audiences)
- Avoid spam triggers
- Match subject to content (no bait and switch)

### Preview Text
- Extends subject line, doesn't repeat it
- 40-90 characters
- Add context or create curiosity
- Can include CTA preview

### Email Body Structure

**Opening** (2-3 sentences):
- Hook immediately
- Reference shared context
- Create curiosity or empathy

**Body** (main content):
- One main idea per email
- Short paragraphs (2-3 lines max)
- Use subheadings for scanners
- Include specific examples

**CTA**:
- One primary CTA per email
- Action-oriented button copy
- Repeat CTA at end for long emails
- Text link + button for accessibility

**Sign-off**:
- Warm but professional
- Match brand voice
- PS line for important info (highly read)

## Segmentation Strategies

### Behavioral Segments
- Website visitors (by page viewed)
- Content downloaders (by asset type)
- Product users (by feature usage)
- Purchasers (by product/value)

### Engagement Segments
- Highly engaged (opens all, clicks often)
- Moderately engaged (opens sometimes)
- At-risk (decreasing engagement)
- Inactive (no opens in 90+ days)

### Lifecycle Segments
- New subscriber
- Activated user
- Power user
- At-risk churner
- Former customer

## Automation Triggers

### Entry Triggers
- Form submission
- Page visit
- Product action
- Purchase/upgrade
- Engagement milestone
- Date-based (birthday, anniversary)
- Inactivity threshold

### Exit Conditions
- Goal achieved (purchased, upgraded)
- Manual unsubscribe
- Entered higher-priority sequence
- Engagement criteria not met

## Deliverability Best Practices

1. **Authentication**: SPF, DKIM, DMARC properly configured
2. **List hygiene**: Regular cleaning of invalid/inactive
3. **Engagement**: Send to engaged users first
4. **Content**: Avoid spam trigger words
5. **Frequency**: Consistent, not overwhelming
6. **Opt-out**: Easy, one-click unsubscribe

## Metrics to Track

**Primary**:
- Open rate (benchmark: 20-25%)
- Click rate (benchmark: 2-5%)
- Conversion rate (varies by goal)
- Revenue per email

**Secondary**:
- Unsubscribe rate (<0.5% healthy)
- Spam complaint rate (<0.1%)
- List growth rate
- Forward/share rate

## Output Format

When creating sequences, provide:

1. **Sequence overview** (purpose, length, triggers)
2. **Email schedule** (timing between emails)
3. **Each email**:
   - Subject line (+ 2 alternatives)
   - Preview text
   - Full body copy
   - CTA
   - Automation notes (conditions, branches)
4. **Segmentation recommendations**
5. **A/B test suggestions**

## Related Skills

- `copywriting` - For email body copy
- `onboarding-cro` - For user onboarding emails
- `marketing-psychology` - For persuasion tactics