Email Sequence

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, read it before asking questions.

Before creating a sequence, understand:

1. Sequence Type: Welcome/onboarding, lead nurture, re-engagement, post-purchase, educational, sales
2. Audience Context: Who are they? What triggered entry? What do they already know?
3. Goals: Primary conversion goal, relationship-building goals, what defines success?

Core Principles

1. One Email, One Job — Each email has one primary purpose, one main CTA
2. Value Before Ask — Lead with usefulness, build trust, earn the right to sell
3. Relevance Over Volume — Fewer, better emails win. Quality > frequency
4. Clear Path Forward — Every email moves them somewhere useful

Email Sequence Strategy

Sequence Length

• Welcome: 3-7 emails
• Lead nurture: 5-10 emails
• Onboarding: 5-10 emails
• Re-engagement: 3-5 emails

Timing/Delays

• Welcome email: Immediately
• Early sequence: 1-2 days apart
• Nurture: 2-4 days apart (B2B: avoid weekends)
• Long-term: Weekly or bi-weekly

Subject Line Strategy

• Clear > Clever, Specific > Vague
• 40-60 characters ideal
• 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"

Sequence Types

Welcome Sequence (Post-Signup)

Length: 5-7 emails over 12-14 days | Goal: Activate, build trust, convert

B2B Lead Nurture (7-Email Sequence)

Day 0  → Email 1: Welcome + Quick Win
Day 2  → Email 2: Pain Point Deep Dive
Day 5  → Email 3: Solution Introduction
Day 8  → Email 4: Social Proof / Case Study
Day 12 → Email 5: Feature Spotlight
Day 16 → Email 6: Objection Handling
Day 21 → Email 7: Final CTA + Urgency

Re-Engagement Sequence

Length: 3-4 emails over 2 weeks | Trigger: 30-60 days of inactivity

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

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+)

Email Templates (B2B)

Email 1: Welcome + Quick Win

Subject Lines (A/B test):

• A: Welcome to [Company] - Here's your quick start guide
• B: [Name], your [outcome] starts here
• C: Quick win: [Specific benefit] in 5 minutes

Hi [Name],

Welcome to [Company]. You're now part of [X] teams who [achieve outcome].

Here's what happens next:
- Today: [Quick win resource]
- This week: [What you'll send]
- Your goal: [Outcome they want]

**Your quick win for today:**
[One specific, actionable tip they can implement in <5 minutes]

[Soft CTA button: "Explore [Resource]"]

Questions? Just hit reply - I read every email.

[Signature]

P.S. [Additional value: guide, tool, or tip]

Email 2: Pain Point Deep Dive

Subject: The real cost of [problem]

[Name],

[Agitate the pain - specific scenario]
[Show you understand their world]
[Data/stat that proves the problem is real]
[Hint at solution - don't sell yet]

[CTA: Learn more about the problem]

Email 3: Solution Introduction

Subject: There's a better way to [achieve outcome]

[Name],

[Bridge from pain to solution]
[Introduce your approach - not product]
Key differentiators:
1. [Differentiator 1]
2. [Differentiator 2]
3. [Differentiator 3]

[Mini case study / social proof]

[CTA: See how it works]

Email 4: Case Study

Subject Lines:

• A: How [Customer] achieved [specific result]
• B: From [problem] to [outcome] in [timeframe]

[Name],

[Set the scene - who, what situation]
[The challenge they faced]
[The solution (your product/service)]

Results:
- [Specific metric 1]
- [Specific metric 2]
- [Revenue/outcome metric]

"[Quote from customer]" — [Name, Role, Company]

[CTA: Get similar results]

Email 6: Objection Handling

Subject Lines:

• A: Honest answer: [common objection]
• B: "Is it worth it?" - Let's find out

[Acknowledge the objection directly]
[Validate it - show you understand]
[Address it honestly with proof]
[Provide guarantee/risk reversal]
[CTA: Let's talk about your specific case]

Email 7: Final CTA + Urgency

Subject: [Name], ready to [achieve outcome]?

[Recap the journey - what they've learned]
[Clear value proposition - 3 bullets]
[Urgency element - if genuine]
[Risk reversal - guarantee]
[Strong CTA button]
[Alternative CTA - if not ready]

Email Copy Guidelines

Body Copy Structure (AIDA for Email)

A - Attention: Opening hook (1 sentence)
I - Interest: Problem/pain validation (2-3 sentences)
D - Desire: Solution + benefits (3-4 sentences)
A - Action: Clear CTA (1 sentence + button)

Formatting

• Short paragraphs (1-3 sentences)
• White space between sections
• Bullet points for scanability
• Bold for emphasis (sparingly)
• Mobile-first

Length

• 50-125 words for transactional
• 150-300 words for educational
• 300-500 words for story-driven

CTA Button Best Practices

Segmentation Strategy

Basic Segments

Advanced Segments

React Email Implementation

Base Template

// emails/base-template.tsx
import { Body, Container, Head, Html, Img, Link, Preview, Section, Text } from '@react-email/components'

interface BaseEmailProps {
  previewText: string
  children: React.ReactNode
}

export function BaseEmail({ previewText, children }: BaseEmailProps) {
  return (
    <Html>
      <Head />
      <Preview>{previewText}</Preview>
      <Body style={main}>
        <Container style={container}>
          <Section style={header}>
            <Img src={`${baseUrl}/logo.png`} width="120" height="40" alt="Company" />
          </Section>
          <Section style={content}>{children}</Section>
          <Section style={footer}>
            <Text style={footerText}>[Company Name] | [Address]</Text>
            <Link href="{{{unsubscribe}}}" style={unsubLink}>Unsubscribe</Link>
          </Section>
        </Container>
      </Body>
    </Html>
  )
}

const main = {
  backgroundColor: '#f6f9fc',
  fontFamily: '-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif',
}
const container = { backgroundColor: '#ffffff', margin: '0 auto', padding: '20px 0 48px', maxWidth: '600px' }
const content = { padding: '0 48px' }
const footer = { padding: '0 48px', borderTop: '1px solid #e6ebf1', marginTop: '32px', paddingTop: '32px' }

Welcome Email Template

// emails/welcome.tsx
import { Button, Heading, Text, Section } from '@react-email/components'
import { BaseEmail } from './base-template'

export function WelcomeEmail({ name, quickWinUrl }: { name: string; quickWinUrl: string }) {
  return (
    <BaseEmail previewText={`Welcome to [Company], ${name}!`}>
      <Heading>Welcome, {name}!</Heading>
      <Text>You're now part of 500+ engineering teams who ship faster with [Product].</Text>
      <Section>
        <Text>✅ Today: Your quick start guide (below)</Text>
        <Text>📧 This week: Tips to get the most out of [Product]</Text>
        <Text>🎯 Your goal: [Specific outcome] in 14 days</Text>
      </Section>
      <Button href={quickWinUrl}>Get Started Now →</Button>
      <Text>Questions? Just hit reply - I read every email.</Text>
      <Text>P.S. Check out our [free resource] - it's helped [X] teams [achieve outcome].</Text>
    </BaseEmail>
  )
}

Automation Triggers

Behavioral Triggers

Engagement Scoring

+5  Email opened
+10 Email clicked
+15 Visited pricing page
+20 Requested demo
+25 Started trial
-5  Email unopened (after 7 days)
-10 Unsubscribed from category

Metrics & KPIs

Primary Metrics (B2B Benchmarks)

Sequence Metrics

A/B Testing for Email

What to Test

Test Protocol

1. Test ONE variable at a time
2. Minimum 1,000 recipients per variant
3. Wait 24-48 hours for results
4. Statistical significance >95%
5. Document and iterate

Deliverability Checklist

• SPF record configured
• DKIM signing enabled
• DMARC policy set
• No ALL CAPS in subject lines
• No excessive punctuation (!!!)
• Image-to-text ratio balanced
• Plain text version included
• Unsubscribe link visible
• Double opt-in enabled
• Inactive subscribers cleaned (>6 months)

Compliance

GDPR (EU)

• Explicit consent required
• Easy unsubscribe
• Data access on request
• Right to be forgotten

CAN-SPAM (US)

• No misleading headers
• Physical address required
• Honor opt-outs within 10 days

Tool Integrations

Related Skills

• churn-prevention: For cancel flows, save offers, and dunning strategy
• onboarding-cro: For in-app onboarding (email supports this)
• copywriting: For landing pages emails link to
• ab-testing: For testing email elements
• popup-cro: For email capture popups
• product-marketing-context: Foundation context for all email strategy