sales-iterable

What this skill does

# Iterable Platform Help

Help the user with Iterable platform questions — from Studio journey creation and campaign configuration through channel setup (email, SMS, push, in-app, web push, WhatsApp), AI features, data integration, experiments, and API usage.

## Step 1 — Gather context


If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. **What area do you need help with?**
   - A) Studio — journey workflows, tiles, branching, delays
   - B) Campaigns — single-send or triggered messages
   - C) Email — templates, dynamic content, editor
   - D) SMS/MMS — setup, two-way, media messages
   - E) Push notifications — iOS, Android, web push
   - F) In-app messages — modals, banners, Mobile Inbox, Embedded Messages
   - G) WhatsApp — template setup, message types
   - H) Experiments — A/B testing, multivariate
   - I) AI features — Brand Affinity, STO, Frequency Optimization, Journey Assist
   - J) Data — Smart Ingest, Snowflake, Catalog, user profiles, events
   - K) Segmentation — audiences, filters, dynamic lists
   - L) Integrations — webhooks, API, Zapier, third-party
   - M) Analytics & reporting — campaign performance, engagement
   - N) Something else — describe it

2. **What's your role?**
   - A) Marketer / campaign manager
   - B) Developer / engineer
   - C) Data / analytics
   - D) Marketing ops / admin

3. **What's the goal?**
   - A) Set something up for the first time
   - B) Optimize or improve existing setup
   - C) Troubleshoot a problem
   - D) Understand how something works

**If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step.** Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

If the question is about general strategy rather than Iterable-specific config, hand off to the appropriate skill:

| Question type | Hand off |
|---|---|
| Email marketing strategy (not Iterable-specific) | "This is an email marketing strategy question — run: `/sales-email-marketing {your question}`" |
| Push notification strategy across tools | "This is a push notification strategy question — run: `/sales-push-notification {your question}`" |
| In-app messaging strategy across tools | "This is an in-app messaging strategy question — run: `/sales-in-app-messaging {your question}`" |
| Transactional email provider comparison | "This is a transactional email question — run: `/sales-transactional-email {your question}`" |
| SPF/DKIM/DMARC setup across tools | "This is an email deliverability question — run: `/sales-deliverability {your question}`" |
| Connecting Iterable to CRM via Zapier/Make | "This is a tool integration question — run: `/sales-integration {your question}`" |

Otherwise, answer directly with Iterable-specific guidance below.

## Step 3 — Iterable platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for detailed module documentation, pricing, integrations, and data model.

*You no longer need the platform guide details — focus on the user's specific situation.*

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

### Getting started checklist

1. **Set up data center** — confirm US or EU data center for your project (affects API base URL and data residency)
2. **Configure channels** — authenticate sending domains (email), set up FCM/APNs (push), provision SMS numbers, configure web push
3. **Integrate SDK** — install iOS/Android/Web SDK for push, in-app, Mobile Inbox, Embedded Messages, and event tracking
4. **Import users** — bulk upload via CSV, API (`/api/users/bulkUpdate`), or Smart Ingest from your data warehouse
5. **Define events** — map your key user actions (signup, purchase, feature_used, cart_abandoned) and implement tracking via SDK or API
6. **Build segments** — create dynamic lists for key audiences (active, lapsed, high-value, new users)
7. **Create templates** — design email, push, SMS, and in-app templates with dynamic Handlebars content
8. **Build first journey** — start with a welcome journey in Studio: entry on signup event → email → delay → push → branch on engagement
9. **Set up experiments** — A/B test subject lines and send times on your first campaign
10. **Enable AI** — turn on Brand Affinity, STO, and Frequency Optimization once you have 30+ days of engagement data
11. **Configure webhooks** — set up system webhooks for delivery monitoring and CRM sync
12. **Connect data warehouse** — set up Snowflake Secure Data Sharing or Smart Ingest for bidirectional data flow

### Key metrics to track

| Metric | Where in Iterable | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Email open rate | Campaign analytics | 20-25% |
| Email click rate | Campaign analytics | 2-5% |
| Push open rate | Campaign analytics | 5-15% |
| In-app click rate | Campaign analytics | 15-30% |
| SMS delivery rate | Campaign analytics | > 95% |
| Journey completion rate | Studio analytics | Varies by journey |
| Brand Affinity distribution | AI > Brand Affinity | Healthy: majority Positive/Loyal |
| Experiment significance | Experiment results | Wait for 95% confidence |

## Gotchas

*Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.*

1. **Campaign = one channel only.** Unlike Braze (where a Canvas can send email + push + in-app), an Iterable campaign targets one message channel. To send across multiple channels, use Studio journeys with multiple Send tiles — don't try to make a single campaign multi-channel.
2. **Brand Affinity needs data.** Brand Affinity labels won't be accurate until you have 30+ days of engagement data across campaigns. Don't use Brand Affinity for segmentation in your first month — you'll get mostly "Neutral" and "Never Engaged" labels.
3. **API rate limits vary by endpoint and are per-project.** Bulk track events is 10 req/s, exports are 4 req/min. Multiple API consumers on the same project share the per-project rate limit. Implement exponential backoff for 429 responses.
4. **Smart Ingest syncs are not real-time.** The fastest Smart Ingest sync interval is 15 minutes. For real-time data, use the REST API (`/api/users/update`, `/api/events/track`) instead. Smart Ingest is best for periodic warehouse syncs, not event streaming.
5. **In-app messages require SDK integration.** Unlike email or push, in-app messages, Mobile Inbox, and Embedded Messages require the Iterable SDK installed in your app. They won't work if you're only using the REST API for server-side messaging.

- **Self-improving**: If you discover something not covered here, append it to `references/learnings.md` with today's date.

## Related skills

- `/sales-email-marketing` — Email marketing strategy across platforms (not Iterable-specific)
- `/sales-push-notification` — Push notification strategy (opt-in, rich push, frequency capping across tools)
- `/sales-in-app-messaging` — In-app messaging strategy (message types, trigger design, onboarding across tools)
- `/sales-transactional-email` — Transactional email delivery (provider comparison, API integration)
- `/sales-deliverability` — Email deliverability (SPF/DKIM/DMARC, warmup, sender reputation)
- `/sales-integration` — Connect Iterable to CRM, data warehouse, and other tools
- `/sales-braze` — Braze platform help (primary competitor — for Braze-specific questions)
- `/sales-customerio` — Customer.io platform help (another cross-channel platform)
- `/sales-klaviyo` — Klaviyo platform help (e-commerce-focused engagement)
- `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do`

## Examples

### Example 1: Building a welcome journey in Studio
**User says**: "How do I create a multi-step welcome journey for new users in Iterable?"
**Skill does**: Walks through creating a Studio journey: entry trigger on "signup" custom event