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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:

  1. Sequence Type

    • Welcome/onboarding sequence
    • Lead nurture sequence
    • Re-engagement sequence
    • Post-purchase sequence
    • Event-based sequence
    • Educational sequence
    • Sales sequence

  2. Audience Context

    • Who are they?
    • What triggered them into this sequence?
    • What do they already know/believe?
    • What's their current relationship with you?

  3. 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:

  1. Welcome + deliver promised value (immediate)
  2. Quick win (day 1-2)
  3. Story/Why (day 3-4)
  4. Social proof (day 5-6)
  5. Overcome objection (day 7-8)
  6. Core feature highlight (day 9-11)
  7. 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:

  1. Deliver lead magnet + intro (immediate)
  2. Expand on topic (day 2-3)
  3. Problem deep-dive (day 4-5)
  4. Solution framework (day 6-8)
  5. Case study (day 9-11)
  6. Differentiation (day 12-14)
  7. Objection handler (day 15-18)
  8. 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:

  1. Check-in (genuine concern)
  2. Value reminder (what's new)
  3. Incentive (special offer)
  4. 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:

  1. Welcome + first step (immediate)
  2. Getting started help (day 1)
  3. Feature highlight (day 2-3)
  4. Success story (day 4-5)
  5. Check-in (day 7)
  6. Advanced tip (day 10-12)
  7. Upgrade/expand (day 14+)

For detailed templates: See references/sequence-templates.md

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

Email Copy Guidelines ​

Structure ​

  1. Hook: First line grabs attention
  2. Context: Why this matters to them
  3. Value: The useful content
  4. CTA: What to do next
  5. 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

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 ​

  1. What triggers entry to this sequence?
  2. What's the primary goal/conversion action?
  3. What do they already know about you?
  4. What other emails are they receiving?
  5. What's your current email performance?

Tool Integrations ​

For implementation, see the tools registry. Key email tools:

ToolBest ForMCPGuide
Customer.ioBehavior-based automation-customer-io.md
MailchimpSMB email marketing✓mailchimp.md
ResendDeveloper-friendly transactional✓resend.md
SendGridTransactional email at scale-sendgrid.md
KitCreator/newsletter focused-kit.md
  • 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

Released under the MIT License.

Built by Corey Haines