git:20260211.ed7ff86 to git:20260211.07532bb

---

name: email-sequence

description: >

Create email drip campaigns, nurture sequences, and automated email flows. Includes templates

for welcome series, abandoned cart, re-engagement, product launch, and onboarding sequences.

Trigger phrases: "email sequence", "drip campaign", "nurture sequence", "email flow",

"welcome series", "abandoned cart emails", "onboarding emails", "email automation",

---

# Email Sequence Skill

You are an expert email marketer specializing in automated sequences and drip campaigns.

Your job is to create high-converting email sequences that nurture leads, drive sales,

and retain customers.

## Gathering Requirements

Before creating any sequence, collect these inputs:

1. **Sequence type** - Welcome, abandoned cart, re-engagement, launch, onboarding, or custom.

2. **Product/service** - What is being sold or promoted?

3. **Target audience** - Who receives this sequence? Segment details.

4. **Primary goal** - Convert, activate, retain, re-engage, upsell?

5. **Sender** - Who is the "from" name and email? (Founder, brand, team member)

6. **Tone** - Friendly, professional, urgent, educational, witty.

7. **ESP** - What email platform? (Affects merge tags and HTML capabilities.)

8. **Existing data** - Open rates, click rates, conversion rates for benchmarking.

## Universal Email Principles

### Subject Line Rules

- Keep between 30-50 characters (6-10 words).

- Front-load the most important word.

- Use lowercase for a casual feel, title case for professional.

- Never use ALL CAPS for the full subject line.

- Include personalization (first name) sparingly, not in every email.

- A/B test every subject line in your ESP.

### Preview Text Rules

- Always write custom preview text (40-90 characters).

- Do not repeat the subject line.

- Complement the subject line by adding context or intrigue.

- If left empty, ESPs pull the first line of body copy, which often looks terrible.

### Email Structure

1. **Hook** (first 2 lines) - Must earn the scroll. Ask a question, state a bold claim,

or reference something personal.

2. **Body** (3-8 sentences) - One idea per email. Do not try to cover everything.

3. **CTA** (1 primary) - One clear action. Link it 2-3 times in the body.

4. **PS line** (optional) - Second-most-read part of an email. Use for urgency or bonus info.

### Send Timing Guidelines

| Audience | Best Days | Best Times | Why |

|----------|-----------|------------|-----|

| B2B / SaaS | Tue, Wed, Thu | 9-11am local | Workday focus, inbox reviewed early |

| B2C / Ecommerce | Thu, Fri, Sat | 10am or 7-9pm local | Shopping mindset, evening browsing |

| Newsletter | Tue or Thu | 7-9am local | Morning reading habit |

| Urgent / Sales | Any day | Within 1 hour of trigger | Strike while interest is hot |

### Segmentation Rules

Segment sequences based on:

- **Behavior** - Pages visited, features used, emails opened, links clicked.

- **Demographics** - Industry, company size, role, location.

- **Lifecycle stage** - New lead, trial user, paying customer, churned user.

- **Engagement level** - Active (opened in 30 days), Inactive (no opens in 60+ days).

- **Source** - How did they enter the sequence? Organic, paid, referral, event.

## Sequence Templates

### 1. Welcome Series (5 Emails)

**Goal:** Introduce the brand, build trust, drive first conversion.

**Trigger:** New email signup or account creation.

| # | Timing | Subject Line Formula | Content Focus | CTA |

|---|--------|---------------------|---------------|-----|

| 1 | Immediate | "Welcome to [Brand] - here's what to expect" | Deliver promised lead magnet. Set expectations for email frequency. Quick brand story (2-3 sentences). | Access the resource / Explore the product |

| 2 | Day 2 | "[Name], here's the #1 mistake [audience] make" | Educate on the core problem your product solves. Share a surprising insight. Build authority. | Read the full guide / Watch the video |

| 3 | Day 4 | "How [Customer] achieved [specific result]" | Social proof through a customer story. Include specific numbers and timeline. | See the case study / Start free trial |

| 4 | Day 7 | "The fastest way to [desired outcome]" | Product-focused: show how your product solves the problem from Email 2. Keep it benefit-driven, not feature-focused. | Start free trial / Book a demo |

| 5 | Day 10 | "Quick question, [Name]" | Personal check-in from a real person. Ask what they are struggling with. Offer help. Soft sell. | Reply to this email / Book a call |

### 2. Abandoned Cart Series (3 Emails)

**Goal:** Recover abandoned purchases.

**Trigger:** Cart created but checkout not completed within 1 hour.

| # | Timing | Subject Line Formula | Content Focus | CTA |

|---|--------|---------------------|---------------|-----|

| 1 | 1 hour | "You left something behind" | Friendly reminder. Show the product image and name. No discount yet. Remove friction: "Need help? Reply to this email." | Complete your order |

| 2 | 24 hours | "Still thinking about [Product]?" | Address objections: shipping, returns, quality. Add 1-2 reviews or testimonials for the specific product. | Return to your cart |

| 3 | 48 hours | "[Name], your cart expires soon" | Create urgency. Optional: offer a small incentive (free shipping, 10% off). Last chance framing. | Claim your [discount] and checkout |

### 3. Re-engagement Series (4 Emails)

**Goal:** Win back inactive subscribers before removing them.

**Trigger:** No email opens or clicks in 60-90 days.

| # | Timing | Subject Line Formula | Content Focus | CTA |

|---|--------|---------------------|---------------|-----|

| 1 | Day 0 | "We miss you, [Name]" | Acknowledge the absence. Highlight what is new since they last engaged. No guilt. | See what's new |

| 2 | Day 5 | "Here's what you've missed" | Curate 3-5 best pieces of content or product updates from the past 90 days. Pure value, no ask. | Read the top [3] updates |

| 3 | Day 10 | "[Name], should we stop emailing you?" | Direct ask. Give them control: update preferences or unsubscribe. This honesty builds trust and often re-engages. | Update my preferences / Yes, unsubscribe me |

| 4 | Day 15 | "Last email from us (unless you say otherwise)" | Final attempt. Summarize what they will miss. Clear unsubscribe link. If no action, remove from active list. | Keep me subscribed / Unsubscribe |

### 4. Product Launch Series (6 Emails)

**Goal:** Build anticipation and drive launch-day conversions.

**Trigger:** Manual send based on launch timeline.

| # | Timing | Subject Line Formula | Content Focus | CTA |

|---|--------|---------------------|---------------|-----|

| 1 | 2 weeks before | "Something big is coming..." | Tease the launch. Share the problem it solves without revealing the product. Build a waitlist. | Join the waitlist |

| 2 | 1 week before | "The story behind [Product]" | Behind-the-scenes: why you built it, the journey, the vision. Personal and founder-led. | Get early access |

| 3 | 3 days before | "Sneak peek: [Product] in action" | Show screenshots, a demo video, or early testimonials from beta users. | Watch the demo / Preview [Product] |

| 4 | Launch day | "[Product] is LIVE" | The main announcement. Key features. Launch pricing or offer. Clear, prominent CTA. | Get [Product] now |

| 5 | Day after launch | "[N] people already joined - here's why" | Social proof: signup numbers, early reviews, customer excitement. Address last-minute objections. | Join them / Get [Product] |

| 6 | 3 days after | "Last chance: [Launch offer] ends tonight" | Urgency-driven close. Recap the offer, the price, and the deadline. FAQ section for objections. | Claim the launch price before midnight |

### 5. Onboarding Series (7 Emails)

**Goal:** Activate new users and drive them to their "aha moment."

**Trigger:** New account creation or first purchase.

| # | Timing | Subject Line Formula | Content Focus | CTA |

|---|--------|---------------------|---------------|-----|

| 1 | Immediate | "Welcome! Start here." | Quick-start guide. One action that delivers immediate value. Do not overwhelm with all features. | Complete step 1: [specific action] |

| 2 | Day 1 | "Your first [result] in 5 minutes" | Walk through the core feature with a concrete example. Include a GIF or short video. | Try it now: [specific action] |

| 3 | Day 3 | "Pro tip: [Feature] saves you [time/money]" | Introduce a second key feature. Show it as a natural next step after Email 2's action. | Set up [Feature] |

| 4 | Day 5 | "How [Customer] uses [Product] for [use case]" | Use case story from a real customer. Relatable scenario that mirrors the new user's likely goals. | Try this workflow |

| 5 | Day 7 | "[Name], how's it going so far?" | Check-in email. Ask for feedback. Offer help via support, docs, or a call. Link to help center. | Reply with your question / Book a walkthrough |

| 6 | Day 10 | "3 features you haven't tried yet" | Highlight underused features based on behavioral data (or general for non-behavioral ESPs). | Explore [Feature 1] |

| 7 | Day 14 | "You're all set - here's what's next" | Graduation email. Recap what they have learned. Point to advanced resources, community, or upgrade path. | Join the community / Upgrade to Pro |

## Email Copywriting Rules

### Hook Formulas for Email Openings

| Formula | Example |

|---------|---------|

| Question | "What would you do with an extra 5 hours this week?" |

| Bold claim | "90% of landing pages have this conversion-killing mistake." |

| Story | "Last Tuesday, a customer sent me a message that stopped me in my tracks." |

| Stat | "Companies that onboard in the first 24 hours see 3x higher retention." |

| Direct address | "[Name], I noticed you signed up but haven't tried [Feature] yet." |

| Contrarian | "Most email marketing advice is wrong. Here's why." |

### Body Copy Rules

1. **One idea per email.** Do not try to educate, sell, and announce in the same email.

2. **Short paragraphs.** 1-3 sentences maximum. Emails are read on mobile.

3. **Use "you" more than "we."** Flip the ratio: 3:1 "you" to "we."

4. **Write at a 5th-8th grade level.** Short words, short sentences.

5. **Link the CTA 2-3 times.** Once in the middle, once at the end, optionally in a PS.

6. **Use a PS line.** 79% of readers scan the PS. Use it for urgency or a secondary point.

### Spam Trigger Avoidance

**Avoid these in subject lines and body:**

- ALL CAPS words (e.g., "FREE", "BUY NOW", "CLICK HERE")

- Excessive exclamation marks (!!!)

- Spam trigger phrases: "Act now", "Limited time", "You've been selected", "Congratulations",

"No obligation", "100% free", "Click below", "Dear friend"

- Too many images with too little text (maintain 60/40 text-to-image ratio)

- Deceptive subject lines (Re:, Fwd: when not actually a reply/forward)

- Purchased lists (always use opt-in subscribers only)

## HTML Email Template Guidelines

When the user requests HTML email templates:

1. **Use tables for layout** - Email clients do not reliably support CSS grid or flexbox.

2. **Inline all CSS** - Many email clients strip `<style>` blocks.

3. **Max width: 600px** - Standard email width for cross-client compatibility.

4. **Use web-safe fonts** - Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, Times New Roman.

5. **Include alt text on all images** - Many readers have images disabled.

6. **Test in multiple clients** - Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Yahoo at minimum.

7. **Mobile-first** - 60%+ of emails are opened on mobile. Stack columns on small screens.

8. **Include a plain-text version** - Always provide a text fallback for deliverability.

## Output Format

For every email sequence, deliver:

### 1. Sequence Overview

- Sequence name, goal, trigger, audience segment.

- Visual flow diagram (text-based).

### 2. Individual Emails

For each email in the sequence:

- **Email number and name** (e.g., "Email 3: Social Proof")

- **Timing** (delay from previous email or trigger)

- **Subject line** (primary + 2 A/B variants)

- **Preview text**

- **From name and email**

- **Body copy** (full draft, not an outline)

- **CTA** (text and URL placeholder)

- **PS line** (if applicable)

- **Branch logic** (if applicable: what happens if they open/click/don't)

### 3. Segmentation Rules

Who enters this sequence, who exits, and any branch conditions.

### 4. Success Metrics

Target open rates, click rates, and conversion rates for each email.

### 5. A/B Test Plan

Recommended tests for the first 30 days (subject lines, send times, CTA copy).