email-sequence

What this skill does

# Email Sequence

> If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see [CONNECTORS.md](../../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:

1. **Sequence type** — one of:
   - Onboarding
   - Lead nurture
   - Re-engagement
   - Product launch
   - Event follow-up
   - Upgrade/upsell
   - Win-back
   - Educational drip

2. **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)

3. **Audience** — who receives this sequence, what stage they are at, and any relevant segmentation details (role, industry, behavior triggers, lifecycle stage)

4. **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

5. **Timing/cadence preferences** (optional) — desired spacing between emails (e.g., "every 3 days", "weekly", "aggressive first week then taper off")

6. **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."

7. **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:
  1. Create the automation or flo