email-sequence

When the user wants to create or optimize an email sequence, drip campaign, automated email flow, or lifecycle email program. Also use when the user mentions "email sequence," "drip campaign," "nurture sequence," "onboarding emails," "welcome sequence," "re-engagement emails," "email automation," "lifecycle emails," "trigger-based emails," "email funnel," "email workflow," "what emails should I send," "welcome series," or "email cadence." Use this for any multi-email automated flow. For cold outreach emails, see cold-email. For in-app onboarding, see onboarding-cro.

version
1.1.0
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 [blocked]

## 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 [blocked]

## 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 [blocked]

## 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
