email-sequence

---
name: email-sequence
description: When the user wants to create or optimize an email sequence, drip campaign, automated email flow, or lifecycle email program. Also use when the user mentions "email sequence," "drip campaign," "nurture sequence," "onboarding emails," "welcome sequence," "re-engagement emails," "email automation," or "lifecycle emails." For in-app onboarding, see onboarding-cro.
---

# 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

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 Templates

### Welcome Sequence (Post-Signup)

**Email 1: Welcome (Immediate)**
- Subject: Welcome to [Product] — here's your first step
- Deliver what was promised (lead magnet, access, etc.)
- Single next action
- Set expectations for future emails

**Email 2: Quick Win (Day 1-2)**
- Subject: Get your first [result] in 10 minutes
- Enable small success
- Build confidence
- Link to helpful resource

**Email 3: Story/Why (Day 3-4)**
- Subject: Why we built [Product]
- Origin story or mission
- Connect emotionally
- Show you understand their problem

**Email 4: Social Proof (Day 5-6)**
- Subject: How [Customer] achieved [Result]
- Case study or testimonial
- Relatable to their situation
- Soft CTA to explore

**Email 5: Overcome Objection (Day 7-8)**
- Subject: "I don't have time for X" — sound familiar?
- Address common hesitation
- Reframe the obstacle
- Show easy path forward

**Email 6: Core Feature (Day 9-11)**
- Subject: Have you tried [Feature] yet?
- Highlight underused capability
- Show clear benefit
- Direct CTA to try it

**Email 7: Conversion (Day 12-14)**
- Subject: Ready to [upgrade/buy/commit]?
- Summarize value
- Clear offer
- Urgency if appropriate
- Risk reversal (guarantee, trial)

---

### Lead Nurture Sequence (Pre-Sale)

**Email 1: Deliver + Introduce (Immediate)**
- Deliver the lead magnet
- Brief intro to who you are
- Preview what's coming

**Email 2: Expand on Topic (Day 2-3)**
- Related insight to lead magnet
- Establish expertise
- Light CTA to content

**Email 3: Problem Deep-Dive (Day 4-5)**
- Articulate their problem deeply
- Show you understand
- Hint at solution

**Email 4: Solution Framework (Day 6-8)**
- Your approach/methodology
- Educational, not salesy
- Builds toward your product

**Email 5: Case Study (Day 9-11)**
- Real results from real customer
- Specific and relatable
- Soft CTA

**Email 6: Differentiation (Day 12-14)**
- Why your approach is different
- Address alternatives
- Build preference

**Email 7: Objection Handler (Day 15-18)**
- Common concern addressed
- FAQ or myth-busting
- Reduce friction

**Email 8: Direct Offer (Day 19-21)**
- Clear pitch
- Strong value proposition
- Specific CTA
- Urgency if available

---

### Re-Engagement Sequence

**Email 1: Check-In (Day 30-60 of inactivity)**
- Subject: Is everything okay, [Name]?
- Genuine concern
- Ask what happened
- Easy win to re-engage

**Email 2: Value Reminder (Day 2-3 after)**
- Subject: Remember when you [achieved X]?
- Remind of past value
- What's new since they left
- Quick CTA

**Email 3: Incentive (Day 5-7 after)**
- Subject: We miss you — here's something special
- Offer if appropriate
- Limited time
- Clear CTA

**Email 4: Last Chance (Day 10-14 after)**
- Subject: Should we stop emailing you?
- Honest and direct
- One-click to stay or go
- Clean the list if no response

---

### Onboarding Sequence (Product Users)

Coordinate with in-app onboarding. Email supports, doesn't duplicate.

**Email 1: Welcome + First Step (Immediate)**
- Confirm signup
- One critical action
- Link directly to that action

**Email 2: Getting Started Help (Day 1)**
- If they haven't completed step 1
- Quick tip or video
- Support option

**Email 3: Feature Highlight (Day 2-3)**
- Key feature they should know
- Specific use case
- In-app link

**Email 4: Success Story (Day 4-5)**
- Customer who succeeded
- Relatable journey
- Motivational

**Email 5: Check-In (Day 7)**
- How's it going?
- Ask for feedback
- Offer help

**Email 6: Advanced Tip (Day 10-12)**
- Power feature
- For engaged users
- Level-up content

**Email 7: Upgrade/Expand (Day 14+)**
- For trial users: conversion push
- For free users: upgrade prompt
- For paid: expansion opportunity

---

## Email Types Reference

A comprehensive guide to lifecycle and campaign emails. Use this as an audit checklist and implementation reference.

### Onboarding Emails

#### New Users Series
**Trigger**: User signs up (free or trial)
**Goal**: Activate user, drive to aha moment
**Typical sequence**: 5-7 emails over 14 days

- Email 1: Welcome + single next step (immediate)
- Email 2: Quick win / getting started (day 1)
- Email 3: Key feature highlight (day 3)
- Email 4: Success story / social proof (day 5)
- Email 5: Check-in + offer help (day 7)
- Email 6: Advanced tip (day 10)
- Email 7: Upgrade prompt or next milestone (day 14)

**Key metrics**: Activation rate, feature adoption

---

#### New Customers Series
**Trigger**: User converts to paid
**Goal**: Reinforce purchase decision, drive adoption, reduce early churn
**Typical sequence**: 3-5 emails over 14 days

- Email 1: Thank you + what's next (immediate)
- Email 2: Getting full value — setup checklist (day 2)
- Email 3: Pro tips for paid features (day 5)
- Email 4: Success story from similar customer (day 7)
- Email 5: Check-in + introduce support resources (day 14)

**Key point**: Different from new user series—they've committed. Focus on reinforcement and expansion, not conversion.

---

#### Key Onboarding Step Reminder
**Trigger**: User hasn't completed critical setup step after X time
**Goal**: Nudge completion of high-value action
**Format**: Single email or 2-3 email mini-sequence

**Example triggers**:
- Hasn't connected integration after 48 hours
- Hasn't invited team member after 3 days
- Hasn't completed profile after 24 hours

**Copy approach**:
- Remind them what they started
- Explain why this step matters
- Make it easy (direct link to complete)
- Offer help if stuck

---

#### New User Invite
**Trigger**: Existing user invites teammate
**Goal**: Activate the invited user
**Recipient**: The person being invited

- Email 1: You've been invited (immediate)
- Email 2: Reminder if not accepted (day 2)
- Email 3: Final reminder (day 5)

**Copy approach**:
- Personalize with inviter's name
- Explain what they're joining
- Single CTA to accept invite
- Social proof optional

---

### Retention Emails

#### Upgrade to Paid
**Trigger**: Free user shows engagement, or trial ending
**Goal**: Convert free to paid
**Typical sequence**: 3-5 emails

**Trigger options**:
- Time-based (trial day 10, 12, 14)
- Behavior-based (hit usage limit, used premium feature)
- Engagement-based (highly active free user)

**Sequence structure**:
- Value summary: What they've accomplished
- Feature comparison: What they're missing
- Social proof: Who else upgraded
- Urgency: Trial ending, limited offer
- Final: Last chance + easy path

---

#### Upgrade to Higher Plan
**Trigger**: User approaching plan limits or using features available on higher tier
**Goal**: Upsell to next tier
**Format**: Single email or 2-3 email sequence

**Trigger examples**:
- 80% of seat limit reached
- 90% of storage/usage limit
- Tried to use higher-tier feature
- Power user behavior patterns

**Copy approach**:
- Acknowledge their growth (positive framing)
- Show what next tier unlocks
- Quantify value vs. cost
- Easy upgrade path

---

#### Ask for Review
**Trigger**: Customer milestone (30/60/90 days, key achievement, support resolution)
**Goal**: Generate social proof on G2, Capterra, app stores
**Format**: Single email

**Best timing**:
- After positive support interaction
- After achieving measurable result
- After renewal
- NOT after billing issues or bugs

**Copy approach**:
- Thank them for being a customer
- Mention specific value/milestone if possible
- Explain why reviews matter (help others decide)
- Direct link to review platform
- Keep it short—this is an ask

---

#### Offer Support Proactively
**Trigger**: Signs of struggle (drop in usage, failed actions, error encounters)
**Goal**: Save at-risk user, improve experience
**Format**: Single email

**Trigger examples**:
- Usage dropped significantly week-over-week
- Multiple failed attempts at action
- Viewed help docs repeatedly
- Stuck at same onboarding step

**Copy approach**:
- Genuine concern tone
- Specific: "I noticed you..." (if data allows)
- Offer direct help (not just link to docs)
- Personal from support or CSM
- No sales pitch—pure help

---

#### Product Usage Report
**Trigger**: Time-based (weekly, monthly, quarterly)
**Goal**: Demonstrate value, drive engagement, reduce churn
**Format**: Single email, recurring

**What to include**:
- Key metrics/activity summary
- Comparison to previous period
- Achievements/milestones
- Suggestions for improvement
- Light CTA to explore more

**Examples**:
- "You saved X hours this month"
- "Your team completed X projects"
- "You're in the top X% of users"

**Key point**: Make them feel good and remind them of value delivered.

---

#### NPS Survey
**Trigger**: Time-based (quarterly) or event-based (post-milestone)
**Goal**: Measure satisfaction, identify promoters and detractors
**Format**: Single email

**Best practices**:
- Keep it simple: Just the NPS question initially
- Follow-up form for "why" based on score
- Personal sender (CEO, founder, CSM)
- Tell them how you'll use feedback

**Follow-up based on score**:
- Promoters (9-10): Thank + ask for review/referral
- Passives (7-8): Ask what would make it a 10
- Detractors (0-6): Personal outreach to understand issues

---

#### Referral Program
**Trigger**: Customer milestone, promoter NPS score, or campaign
**Goal**: Generate referrals
**Format**: Single email or periodic reminders

**Good timing**:
- After positive NPS response
- After customer achieves result
- After renewal
- Seasonal campaigns

**Copy approach**:
- Remind them of their success
- Explain the referral offer clearly
- Make sharing easy (unique link)
- Show what's in it for them AND referee

---

### Billing Emails

#### Switch to Annual
**Trigger**: Monthly subscriber at renewal time or campaign
**Goal**: Convert monthly to annual (improve LTV, reduce churn)
**Format**: Single email or 2-email sequence

**Value proposition**:
- Calculate exact savings
- Additional benefits (if any)
- Lock in current price messaging
- Easy one-click switch

**Best timing**:
- Around monthly renewal date
- End of year / new year
- After 3-6 months of loyalty
- Price increase announcement (lock in old rate)

---

#### Failed Payment Recovery
**Trigger**: Payment fails
**Goal**: Recover revenue, retain customer
**Typical sequence**: 3-4 emails over 7-14 days

**Sequence structure**:
- Email 1 (Day 0): Friendly notice, update payment link
- Email 2 (Day 3): Reminder, service may be interrupted
- Email 3 (Day 7): Urgent, account will be suspended
- Email 4 (Day 10-14): Final notice, what they'll lose

**Copy approach**:
- Assume it's an accident (card expired, etc.)
- Clear, direct, no guilt
- Single CTA to update payment
- Explain what happens if not resolved

**Key metrics**: Recovery rate, time to recovery

---

#### Cancellation Survey
**Trigger**: User cancels subscription
**Goal**: Learn why, opportunity to save
**Format**: Single email (immediate)

**Options**:
- In-app survey at cancellation (better completion)
- Follow-up email if they skip in-app
- Personal outreach for high-value accounts

**Questions to ask**:
- Primary reason for cancelling
- What could we have done better
- Would anything change your mind
- Can we help with transition

**Winback opportunity**: Based on reason, offer targeted save (discount, pause, downgrade, training).

---

#### Upcoming Renewal Reminder
**Trigger**: X days before renewal (14 or 30 days typical)
**Goal**: No surprise charges, opportunity to expand
**Format**: Single email

**What to include**:
- Renewal date and amount
- What's included in renewal
- How to update payment/plan
- Changes to pricing/features (if any)
- Optional: Upsell opportunity

**Required for**: Annual subscriptions, high-value contracts

---

### Usage Emails

#### Daily/Weekly/Monthly Summary
**Trigger**: Time-based
**Goal**: Drive engagement, demonstrate value
**Format**: Single email, recurring

**Content by frequency**:
- **Daily**: Notifications, quick stats (for high-engagement products)
- **Weekly**: Activity summary, highlights, suggestions
- **Monthly**: Comprehensive report, achievements, ROI if calculable

**Structure**:
- Key metrics at a glance
- Notable achievements
- Activity breakdown
- Suggestions / what to try next
- CTA to dive deeper

**Personalization**: Must be relevant to their actual usage. Empty reports are worse than no report.

---

#### Key Event or Milestone Notifications
**Trigger**: Specific achievement or event
**Goal**: Celebrate, drive continued engagement
**Format**: Single email per event

**Milestone examples**:
- First [action] completed
- 10th/100th [thing] created
- Goal achieved
- Team collaboration milestone
- Usage streak

**Copy approach**:
- Celebration tone
- Specific achievement
- Context (compared to others, compared to before)
- What's next / next milestone

---

### Win-Back Emails

#### Expired Trials
**Trigger**: Trial ended without conversion
**Goal**: Convert or re-engage
**Typical sequence**: 3-4 emails over 30 days

**Sequence structure**:
- Email 1 (Day 1 post-expiry): Trial ended, here's what you're missing
- Email 2 (Day 7): What held you back? (gather feedback)
- Email 3 (Day 14): Incentive offer (discount, extended trial)
- Email 4 (Day 30): Final reach-out, door is open

**Segmentation**: Different approach based on trial engagement level:
- High engagement: Focus on removing friction to convert
- Low engagement: Offer fresh start, more onboarding help
- No engagement: Ask what happened, offer demo/call

---

#### Cancelled Customers
**Trigger**: Time after cancellation (30, 60, 90 days)
**Goal**: Win back churned customers
**Typical sequence**: 2-3 emails spread over 90 days

**Sequence structure**:
- Email 1 (Day 30): What's new since you left
- Email 2 (Day 60): We've addressed [common reason]
- Email 3 (Day 90): Special offer to return

**Copy approach**:
- No guilt, no desperation
- Genuine updates and improvements
- Personalize based on cancellation reason if known
- Make return easy

**Key point**: They're more likely to return if their reason was addressed.

---

### Campaign Emails

#### Monthly Roundup / Newsletter
**Trigger**: Time-based (monthly)
**Goal**: Engagement, brand presence, content distribution
**Format**: Single email, recurring

**Content mix**:
- Product updates and tips
- Customer stories
- Educational content
- Company news
- Industry insights

**Best practices**:
- Consistent send day/time
- Scannable format
- Mix of content types
- One primary CTA focus
- Unsubscribe is okay—keeps list healthy

---

#### Seasonal Promotions
**Trigger**: Calendar events (Black Friday, New Year, etc.)
**Goal**: Drive conversions with timely offer
**Format**: Campaign burst (2-4 emails)

**Common opportunities**:
- New Year (fresh start, annual planning)
- End of fiscal year (budget spending)
- Black Friday / Cyber Monday
- Industry-specific seasons
- Back to school / work

**Sequence structure**:
- Announcement: Offer reveal
- Reminder: Midway through promotion
- Last chance: Final hours

---

#### Product Updates
**Trigger**: New feature release
**Goal**: Adoption, engagement, demonstrate momentum
**Format**: Single email per major release

**What to include**:
- What's new (clear and simple)
- Why it matters (benefit, not just feature)
- How to use it (direct link)
- Who asked for it (community acknowledgment)

**Segmentation**: Consider targeting based on relevance:
- Users who would benefit most
- Users who requested feature
- Power users first (for beta feel)

---

#### Industry News Roundup
**Trigger**: Time-based (weekly or monthly)
**Goal**: Thought leadership, engagement, brand value
**Format**: Curated newsletter

**Content**:
- Curated news and links
- Your take / commentary
- What it means for readers
- How your product helps

**Best for**: B2B products where customers care about industry trends.

---

#### Pricing Update
**Trigger**: Price change announcement
**Goal**: Transparent communication, minimize churn
**Format**: Single email (or sequence for major changes)

**Timeline**:
- Announce 30-60 days before change
- Reminder 14 days before
- Final notice 7 days before

**Copy approach**:
- Clear, direct, transparent
- Explain the why (value delivered, costs increased)
- Grandfather if possible (lock in old rate)
- Give options (annual lock-in, downgrade)

**Important**: Honesty and advance notice build trust even when price increases.

---

## Email Audit Checklist

Use this to audit your current email program:

### Onboarding
- [ ] New users series
- [ ] New customers series
- [ ] Key onboarding step reminders
- [ ] New user invite sequence

### Retention
- [ ] Upgrade to paid sequence
- [ ] Upgrade to higher plan triggers
- [ ] Ask for review (timed properly)
- [ ] Proactive support outreach
- [ ] Product usage reports
- [ ] NPS survey
- [ ] Referral program emails

### Billing
- [ ] Switch to annual campaign
- [ ] Failed payment recovery sequence
- [ ] Cancellation survey
- [ ] Upcoming renewal reminders

### Usage
- [ ] Daily/weekly/monthly summaries
- [ ] Key event notifications
- [ ] Milestone celebrations

### Win-Back
- [ ] Expired trial sequence
- [ ] Cancelled customer sequence

### Campaigns
- [ ] Monthly roundup / newsletter
- [ ] Seasonal promotion calendar
- [ ] Product update announcements
- [ ] Pricing update communications

---

## 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
- Match your brand but lean friendly
- Read it out loud—does it sound human?

### Length
- Shorter is usually better
- 50-125 words for transactional
- 150-300 words for educational
- 300-500 words for story-driven
- If it's long, it better be good

### CTA Buttons vs. Links
- Buttons: Primary actions, high-visibility
- Links: Secondary actions, in-text
- One clear primary CTA per email
- Button text: Action + outcome

---

## Personalization

### Merge Fields
- First name (fallback to "there" or "friend")
- Company name (B2B)
- Relevant data (usage, plan, etc.)

### Dynamic Content
- Based on segment
- Based on behavior
- Based on stage

### Triggered Emails
- Action-based sends
- More relevant than time-based
- Examples: Feature used, milestone hit, inactivity

---

## Segmentation Strategies

### By Behavior
- Openers vs. non-openers
- Clickers vs. non-clickers
- Active vs. inactive

### By Stage
- Trial vs. paid
- New vs. long-term
- Engaged vs. at-risk

### By Profile
- Industry/role (B2B)
- Use case / goal
- Company size

---

## Testing and Optimization

### What to Test
- Subject lines (highest impact)
- Send times
- Email length
- CTA placement and copy
- Personalization level
- Sequence timing

### How to Test
- A/B test one variable at a time
- Sufficient sample size
- Statistical significance
- Document learnings

### Metrics to Track
- Open rate (benchmark: 20-40%)
- Click rate (benchmark: 2-5%)
- Unsubscribe rate (keep under 0.5%)
- Conversion rate (specific to sequence goal)
- Revenue per email (if applicable)

---

## 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

---

## Questions to Ask

If you need more context:
1. What triggers entry to this sequence?
2. What's the primary goal/conversion action?
3. Who is the audience?
4. What do they already know about you?
5. What other emails are they receiving?
6. What's your current email performance?

---

## Related Skills

- **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