Email

Email Marketing Audit & Optimization — Main Skill

Command Routing

When the user invokes an /email command, route to the appropriate sub-skill:

| Command | Route To | Description | |---------|----------|-------------| | /email audit | Run ALL sub-skills sequentially | Full email marketing audit | | /email deliverability | skills/email-deliverability/SKILL.md | SPF, DKIM, DMARC, reputation | | /email subjects | skills/email-subject-lines/SKILL.md | Subject line optimization | | /email sequences | skills/email-sequences/SKILL.md | Email sequence audit | | /email segments | skills/email-segmentation/SKILL.md | Segmentation analysis | | /email test | skills/email-ab-testing/SKILL.md | A/B testing framework | | /email templates | skills/email-templates/SKILL.md | HTML email template audit | | /email automation | skills/email-automation/SKILL.md | Workflow & trigger audit | | /email analytics | skills/email-analytics/SKILL.md | Metrics deep dive | | /email compliance | skills/email-compliance/SKILL.md | Legal compliance check | | /email report | skills/email-report/SKILL.md | Generate audit report |

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Email Marketing Fundamentals

The Email Marketing Stack

Every effective email program has 5 layers:

1. Infrastructure — Deliverability, authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), sender reputation
2. List — Segmentation, hygiene, growth, consent management
3. Content — Subject lines, copy, design, personalization
4. Automation — Sequences, triggers, workflows, branching logic
5. Measurement — Analytics, attribution, testing, optimization

Key Principle: The Deliverability-First Approach

Nothing else matters if your emails don't reach the inbox. Always audit deliverability FIRST, then work up the stack.

Email Types

| Type | Purpose | Frequency | Expected Open Rate | |------|---------|-----------|-------------------| | Transactional | Order confirmations, receipts, password resets | Event-driven | 80-90% | | Triggered/Behavioral | Abandoned cart, browse abandonment, re-engagement | Event-driven | 30-50% | | Lifecycle | Welcome, onboarding, renewal, win-back | Milestone-based | 25-40% | | Newsletter | Content, updates, education | Weekly/Bi-weekly | 15-25% | | Promotional | Sales, offers, product launches | Campaign-based | 10-20% |

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Industry Benchmarks

Use these benchmarks to score the client's email performance. Compare their metrics to industry averages.

| Industry | Open Rate | Click Rate | Bounce Rate | Unsub Rate | CTOR | |----------|-----------|------------|-------------|------------|------| | E-commerce | 15.68% | 2.01% | 0.19% | 0.27% | 12.82% | | SaaS | 21.29% | 2.45% | 0.40% | 0.35% | 11.51% | | Healthcare | 21.48% | 2.69% | 0.51% | 0.28% | 12.52% | | Finance | 21.56% | 2.72% | 0.28% | 0.25% | 12.62% | | Real Estate | 19.17% | 1.77% | 0.38% | 0.27% | 9.23% | | Education | 23.42% | 2.90% | 0.31% | 0.21% | 12.38% | | Agency | 18.56% | 1.89% | 0.45% | 0.35% | 10.18% | | Nonprofit | 25.17% | 2.79% | 0.33% | 0.20% | 11.09% | | Media/Publishing | 22.15% | 4.62% | 0.14% | 0.12% | 20.86% | | Travel/Hospitality | 20.44% | 2.25% | 0.31% | 0.24% | 11.01% |

CTOR = Click-to-Open Rate = (Clicks / Opens) x 100. This is a better engagement metric than raw click rate because it measures how compelling the email content was for people who actually opened it.

Performance Tiers

| Tier | vs Benchmark | Interpretation | |------|-------------|----------------| | Elite | >150% of benchmark | Top performer, optimize for diminishing returns | | Strong | 100-150% of benchmark | Above average, keep optimizing | | Average | 75-100% of benchmark | Room for improvement | | Below Average | 50-75% of benchmark | Significant issues to address | | Critical | <50% of benchmark | Major problems, likely deliverability issues |

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Email Health Score Calculation

The Email Health Score (0-100) is calculated across 10 weighted dimensions:

Email Health Score = Sum of (Dimension Score x Weight)

Dimensions:
  Deliverability:  20% weight
  Subject Lines:   10% weight
  Sequences:       15% weight
  Segmentation:    10% weight
  A/B Testing:      5% weight
  Templates:       10% weight
  Automation:      10% weight
  Analytics:        5% weight
  Compliance:      10% weight
  List Health:      5% weight

Each dimension is scored 0-100 based on the criteria defined in its sub-skill file.

Score Interpretation

| Score | Grade | Meaning | |-------|-------|---------| | 90-100 | A+ | Elite. Top 5% of email programs. | | 80-89 | A | Excellent. Minor optimizations only. | | 70-79 | B | Strong. A few areas need attention. | | 60-69 | C | Average. Significant revenue left on the table. | | 50-59 | D | Below average. Multiple areas need work. | | 40-49 | F | Poor. Major overhaul required. | | 0-39 | Critical | Emails are likely hurting your brand. |

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Audit Workflow

When running /email audit (full audit), follow this sequence:

1. Gather Information

• Ask for: ESP/platform (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, HubSpot, etc.)
• Ask for: Industry vertical
• Ask for: List size and monthly send volume
• Ask for: Current metrics (open rate, click rate, bounce rate, unsub rate)
• Ask for: Domain used for sending
• Ask for: Key email sequences in place

1. Run Deliverability Check (skills/email-deliverability/)
2. Audit Subject Lines (skills/email-subject-lines/)
3. Review Sequences (skills/email-sequences/)
4. Analyze Segmentation (skills/email-segmentation/)
5. Check A/B Testing (skills/email-ab-testing/)
6. Audit Templates (skills/email-templates/)
7. Review Automation (skills/email-automation/)
8. Analyze Metrics (skills/email-analytics/)
9. Check Compliance (skills/email-compliance/)
10. Generate Report (skills/email-report/)

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Quick Wins Checklist

These are the highest-impact, lowest-effort fixes. Always surface these first:

• [ ] Authenticate domain (SPF + DKIM + DMARC)
• [ ] Remove hard bounces from list immediately
• [ ] Add double opt-in for new subscribers
• [ ] Set up sunset policy for unengaged subscribers (90+ days no open)
• [ ] Add preheader text to all emails
• [ ] Ensure unsubscribe link is visible (not hidden in tiny text)
• [ ] Test emails in dark mode
• [ ] Add alt text to all images
• [ ] Set up abandoned cart sequence (if e-commerce)
• [ ] Set up welcome sequence for new subscribers

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: 0-shiv
• Source: 0-shiv/secondstep-claude-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.