Channels: Email Marketing
Guides email marketing strategy for AI/SaaS products. Email ROI ~$36 per dollar spent; open/click rates typically higher than social. Covers EDM vs Newsletter, five content types, deliverability (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), and SEO synergy via article delivery.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Initial Assessment
Check for product marketing context first: If .claude/product-marketing-context.md or .cursor/product-marketing-context.md exists, read it for audience and content strategy.
Identify:
- Goal: Retention, conversion, brand reach, or SEO synergy
- Content mix: Onboarding, campaign, announcement, features, newsletter
- List size: Bulk sender rules (5,000+/day) require Gmail/Yahoo compliance
EDM vs Newsletter
| Type |
Purpose |
Use |
| EDM |
Direct marketing; conversion-focused |
Promotions, campaigns, announcements; bulk sends |
| Newsletter |
Ongoing value; relationship |
Industry insights, curated articles; regular cadence |
Combine both: EDM for push; Newsletter for nurture. Cover different stages and goals.
Five Content Types
| Type |
Use |
| Onboarding |
Welcome + first-use guidance; 5-7 day sequence; behavior-triggered; drive "Aha!" moment |
| Campaign |
Promotions, limited-time; conversion or participation |
| Announcement |
Product launch, major update; one-time important notice |
| Features update |
New features, improvements; help users adopt |
| Blog/Newsletter |
Curated articles, industry insights; sustained touch |
User Best Practices
| Practice |
Guideline |
| Personalization |
Segment by behavior, source, stage; boosts open/click |
| Timing |
New users: dense; existing: controlled pace; behavior-triggered > calendar-only |
| Welcome series |
Send soon after signup; 5-7 emails over days; guide first key action |
| Unsubscribe |
One-click required (Gmail/Yahoo); honor within 48h; clear entry |
| Complaint rate |
Keep below 0.3%; list hygiene critical |
Content Best Practices
| Practice |
Guideline |
| Subject |
One clear topic per email; avoid pure promo |
| Value first |
Useful info before promotion |
| CTA |
Single primary CTA; clear next step |
| Mobile |
50%+ read on mobile; responsive layout, tappable links |
Deliverability & Domain Config
Subdomain: Use subdomain (e.g. mail.example.com) for marketing; keep transactional (support@, etc.) on main domain. Isolate risk.
SPF, DKIM, DMARC
| Protocol |
Purpose |
| SPF |
Authorizes mail servers for domain |
| DKIM |
Cryptographic signature; verifies sender |
| DMARC |
Policy for unauthenticated mail; start p=none, then quarantine, then reject over 60-90 days |
Order: SPF first, then DKIM, then DMARC. Gmail/Yahoo require all three for bulk senders (5,000+/day) since Feb 2024.
Advanced: TLS-RPT, MTA-STS, BIMI (brand logo). Postmaster Tools: Monitor deliverability, spam rate, auth status.
Delivery Strategy: Articles + SEO Synergy
| Article Type |
Use |
| Retention |
Deep content for existing users; improve retention |
| ToFu |
Top of funnel; awareness (trends, concepts, problem framing) |
| MoFu |
Middle of funnel; consideration (comparisons, reviews, best practices) |
Dual value: (1) Better email engagement (open, click, stickiness); (2) Drive traffic to article pages from non-search channel; signals to Google that users value content; supports SEO.
Measurement: GA4 email source traffic to article pages; GSC rank/click changes.
Planning Framework
- Content mix: Allocate onboarding, campaign, announcement, features, newsletter
- Select articles: Pick retention, ToFu, MoFu from blog; prioritize SEO target pages
- Cadence: Stable frequency (weekly/biweekly/monthly); avoid over-sending
- Monitor: Open rate, click rate; GA4 email contribution to article traffic; GSC
Frequency
| Guideline |
Note |
| Baseline |
1 high-value email/week for most brands |
| Peak times |
Tue-Thu, 8-11am or 2-4pm (recipient timezone) |
| Segmentation |
New vs loyal need different cadence |
| Quality |
Relevant, behavior-triggered > calendar volume |
Data: ~36% send 1-3/month; ~30% weekly; daily risks high unsubscribe.
Output Format
- Content mix (five types)
- EDM vs Newsletter balance
- Deliverability (subdomain, SPF/DKIM/DMARC)
- Article delivery (Retention, ToFu, MoFu, SEO targets)
- Cadence and frequency
- KPI (open, click, GA4 email traffic, GSC)
Related Skills
- components-newsletter-signup: Signup form design
- analytics-traffic: Email source attribution, UTM
- analytics-tracking: Email click tracking
- seo-content-content-strategy: Article selection for email delivery
- strategies-integrated-marketing: Email as owned media channel
References
1---2name: channels-email-marketing3description: When the user wants to plan email marketing, EDM, newsletter strategy, or email deliverability. Also use when the user mentions "email marketing," "EDM," "newsletter," "SPF," "DKIM," "DMARC," "email deliverability," or "email content strategy."4---5
6# Channels: Email Marketing
7
8Guides email marketing strategy for AI/SaaS products. Email ROI ~$36 per dollar spent; open/click rates typically higher than social. Covers EDM vs Newsletter, five content types, deliverability (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), and SEO synergy via article delivery.
9
10**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
11
12## Initial Assessment
13
14**Check for product marketing context first:** If `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` or `.cursor/product-marketing-context.md` exists, read it for audience and content strategy.
15
16Identify:
171. **Goal**: Retention, conversion, brand reach, or SEO synergy
182. **Content mix**: Onboarding, campaign, announcement, features, newsletter
193. **List size**: Bulk sender rules (5,000+/day) require Gmail/Yahoo compliance
20
21## EDM vs Newsletter
22
23| Type | Purpose | Use |
24|------|---------|-----|
25| **EDM** | Direct marketing; conversion-focused | Promotions, campaigns, announcements; bulk sends |
26| **Newsletter** | Ongoing value; relationship | Industry insights, curated articles; regular cadence |
27
28**Combine both**: EDM for push; Newsletter for nurture. Cover different stages and goals.
29
30## Five Content Types
31
32| Type | Use |
33|------|-----|
34| **Onboarding** | Welcome + first-use guidance; 5-7 day sequence; behavior-triggered; drive "Aha!" moment |
35| **Campaign** | Promotions, limited-time; conversion or participation |
36| **Announcement** | Product launch, major update; one-time important notice |
37| **Features update** | New features, improvements; help users adopt |
38| **Blog/Newsletter** | Curated articles, industry insights; sustained touch |
39
40## User Best Practices
41
42| Practice | Guideline |
43|----------|-----------|
44| **Personalization** | Segment by behavior, source, stage; boosts open/click |
45| **Timing** | New users: dense; existing: controlled pace; behavior-triggered > calendar-only |
46| **Welcome series** | Send soon after signup; 5-7 emails over days; guide first key action |
47| **Unsubscribe** | One-click required (Gmail/Yahoo); honor within 48h; clear entry |
48| **Complaint rate** | Keep below 0.3%; list hygiene critical |
49
50## Content Best Practices
51
52| Practice | Guideline |
53|----------|-----------|
54| **Subject** | One clear topic per email; avoid pure promo |
55| **Value first** | Useful info before promotion |
56| **CTA** | Single primary CTA; clear next step |
57| **Mobile** | 50%+ read on mobile; responsive layout, tappable links |
58
59## Deliverability & Domain Config
60
61**Subdomain**: Use subdomain (e.g. mail.example.com) for marketing; keep transactional (support@, etc.) on main domain. Isolate risk.
62
63### SPF, DKIM, DMARC
64
65| Protocol | Purpose |
66|----------|---------|
67| **SPF** | Authorizes mail servers for domain |
68| **DKIM** | Cryptographic signature; verifies sender |
69| **DMARC** | Policy for unauthenticated mail; start p=none, then quarantine, then reject over 60-90 days |
70
71**Order**: SPF first, then DKIM, then DMARC. Gmail/Yahoo require all three for bulk senders (5,000+/day) since Feb 2024.
72
73**Advanced**: TLS-RPT, MTA-STS, BIMI (brand logo). **Postmaster Tools**: Monitor deliverability, spam rate, auth status.
74
75## Delivery Strategy: Articles + SEO Synergy
76
77| Article Type | Use |
78|--------------|-----|
79| **Retention** | Deep content for existing users; improve retention |
80| **ToFu** | Top of funnel; awareness (trends, concepts, problem framing) |
81| **MoFu** | Middle of funnel; consideration (comparisons, reviews, best practices) |
82
83**Dual value**: (1) Better email engagement (open, click, stickiness); (2) Drive traffic to article pages from non-search channel; signals to Google that users value content; supports SEO.
84
85**Measurement**: GA4 email source traffic to article pages; GSC rank/click changes.
86
87## Planning Framework
88
891. **Content mix**: Allocate onboarding, campaign, announcement, features, newsletter
902. **Select articles**: Pick retention, ToFu, MoFu from blog; prioritize SEO target pages
913. **Cadence**: Stable frequency (weekly/biweekly/monthly); avoid over-sending
924. **Monitor**: Open rate, click rate; GA4 email contribution to article traffic; GSC
93
94## Frequency
95
96| Guideline | Note |
97|-----------|------|
98| **Baseline** | 1 high-value email/week for most brands |
99| **Peak times** | Tue-Thu, 8-11am or 2-4pm (recipient timezone) |
100| **Segmentation** | New vs loyal need different cadence |
101| **Quality** | Relevant, behavior-triggered > calendar volume |
102
103**Data**: ~36% send 1-3/month; ~30% weekly; daily risks high unsubscribe.
104
105## Output Format
106
107- **Content mix** (five types)
108- **EDM vs Newsletter** balance
109- **Deliverability** (subdomain, SPF/DKIM/DMARC)
110- **Article delivery** (Retention, ToFu, MoFu, SEO targets)
111- **Cadence** and frequency
112- **KPI** (open, click, GA4 email traffic, GSC)
113
114## Related Skills
115
116- **components-newsletter-signup**: Signup form design
117- **analytics-traffic**: Email source attribution, UTM
118- **analytics-tracking**: Email click tracking
119- **seo-content-content-strategy**: Article selection for email delivery
120- **strategies-integrated-marketing**: Email as owned media channel
121
122## References
123
124- [Email Deliverability 2025 - Litmus](https://www.litmus.com/blog/why-email-deliverability-matters)
125- [SPF DKIM DMARC Guide - Demandloft](https://demandloft.com/blog/spf-dkim-dmarc-guide/)
126- [Email Frequency Best Practices - Foundcoo](https://www.foundcoo.com/blog/email-frequency-best-practices-2026)
127- [Onboarding Emails - Mailchimp](https://mailchimp.com/resources/onboarding-email)
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