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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